by Writing Workshops Staff
A month ago
Listen Here
Hey there, writers! I'm Hope with another installment of our Craft & Community roundup for the week ahead at WritingWorkshops.com.
I'm excited to share what we have in store for the Week of May 19th because, trust me, this week's lineup is particularly stellar.
As a writer myself, I know how important it is to find the right guidance at the right time, and our instructors this week are bringing some truly special perspectives to the virtual classroom.
On Monday, May 19th, we have not one but two workshops with the incomparable Diana Spechler. If you don't know Diana, she's a seven-time Moth Story Slam winner with publications in GQ, Wall Street Journal, Harper's, and National Geographic Traveler.
First up is her Writing Essays About Travel & Food, a four-week asynchronous workshop where you'll explore how food represents history and culture. This is one of my personal favorites because it combines two of life's greatest pleasures and turns them into a compelling narrative.
Diana's also offering her six-week asynchronous Introduction to Personal Essay workshop that same day. This one's perfect for writers at any level who want to address those common concerns we all have about personal writing while crafting compelling essays that resonate with readers.
On Tuesday, May 20th, Tawny Lara (
) brings us her Book Proposal Boot Camp - a six-week Zoom intensive with weekly two-hour sessions. Tawny approaches book proposals as business plans for your book, which is exactly what they are. Her agent once described her proposal approach as "like that scene in Pulp Fiction when they open the briefcase and all golden light shines out." That's the kind of magic you want working for your manuscript!
Thursday, May 22nd is packed with three fantastic options. Ploi Pirapokin, board member for Khōréō Magazine and Clarion Writers' Workshop graduate, offers Writing Fantastical Characters, a six-week Zoom intensive perfect for both genre and literary fiction writers looking to create non-human characters that avoid common clichés.
Also on Thursday, Dr. Erica Anzalone leads Playing with Duende, Dreams, and Magic, a four-week lyric intensive exploring the mystical connections between dreams, the occult, and poetic creation through Federico García Lorca's theory of the duende. Former participants have called it a "writing coven" of supportive peers, which sounds pretty magical to me.
Rounding out Thursday is National Book-Award Finalist Karen E. Bender's one-day seminar on Building Interiority in Characters Using Fantasies and Theories, focused on techniques for developing character depth through internal thought processes.
All of these classes have limited enrollment to ensure everyone gets personalized attention, so head to WritingWorkshops.com today to secure your spot.
Whether you're looking to process life experiences, tackle difficult subjects, or create fantastical worlds, we've got something for you this week. I'm Hope, and I can't wait to see what you create.
Until next week, keep writing!
