Imagined Histories
This is a space where historical characters, false documents, talismanic objects, and forgotten stories collide with fiction, to seed, inspire, open, and question the authority of the facts as they have already been written. This kind of rigorous re-imagining can be a generative entry point for our work. Together, we will discuss the choices we can make in terms of framing, voice, research, and invention, in order to expand the possibilities of our fictional worlds, and observe the ways in which writers blur the line between fiction and fact to write worlds that are vivid, expansive, and emotionally specific.
Awakening Ghosts: Drawing Queer Histories into the Now
May 6, 13, 20, 27 (Tuesdays) | 6:00-8:00 pm MT
Queerness is ancient, even though much of the language surrounding contemporary queer identity is brand new on a historical scale. As writers, how can we honor the specificity of the past while excavating its living resonance in the here and now? In this four-week workshop, we'll call upon stories of historical figures and communities whose echoes speak to contemporary queer life. We'll also look to LGBTQ+ authors who have endeavored to grapple with the prismatic dance between past and present. Writers of all genres will have the opportunity to begin drafting pieces through a variety of generative exercises throughout this workshop.
Free Your Writing with Free Verse
Join National Book Award Winner and Word Editor-Writer Mentee Shifa Saltagi Safadi in this 90-minute interactive writing workshop all about writing free verse. Shifa will discuss her process of plotting a verse novel, how poetry does not have to be difficult or restricted by historic poetic forms, and how freeing yourself as a writer from expectations can be the key to writing your best work! The course will offer opportunities for writers to try their hand at free verse and get feedback live, as well as questions and answers about writing and publishing in the industry.
Note: This is a virtual workshop hosted on Zoom. If you purchase the Live Zoom Session, you will receive your session an hour before the event. If you purchase the workshop recording, you will receive a link to the session 48 hours after the end of the live event.
Instructor: Shifa Saltagi Safadi
The Author-Agent Relationship
Led by senior literary agent Amanda Orozco, this interactive 3-hour workshop aims to provide you a comprehensive overview of the agent-author relationship and its many facets from beginning to end. Agented and unagented writers alike will hear concrete answers to questions such as:
What is the role of the agent in the literary ecosystem?
How do agents work within the publishing industry in relation to the author, the editor, and the publisher?
What does a successful author-agent relationship look like?
How do I acquire an agent?
What are the various steps and/or paths to signing with one?
How do I determine when an agent is the right one for me?
Once I have signed with an agent, what are best practices in how to work with them?
How do I maintain the author-agent relationship over the long-term?
Don’t miss this interactive opportunity to learn from a top working agent!