Classes

• IN PERSON WORKSHOP | THE ANECDOTAL AS ANTIDOTE TO FINDING YOUR VOICE | JULY 19 - 20

  IOWA CITY

  We’re adept at narrativizing our own lives. Even the dullest and most dreadful experiences become fodder for a good barstool story. Yet when faced with the blank page, too often our skill and our joy abandon us. In this generative workshop, we’ll transform our rich experience as veteran storytellers into the key to unlock our voices and our narratives. The goal of this course is to translate our stories to the page, to mine our memories for sensual details, and to find new meanings in the stories we keep telling. This course is for poets and prose writers who long to write about their lives but don’t know where to begin. We’ll draw inspiration from published work across genres, building an arsenal of stylistic and structural approaches to writing. Through a guided discussion, generative writing exercises, and peer feedback participants will tap into their wellspring of self-narratives and explore those moments where the page invites greater depth and nuance. This class is for beginning and experienced writers alike. In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; offer feedback/first impressions on writing you produce in our weekend. To enroll in this course, sign up here: link

• IN PERSON WORKSHOP | SETTING: THE ART OF WRITING A WORLD | JULY 13 - 18

  THE IOWA SUMMER WRITING FESTIVAL | IN PERSON

  Whether your story unfolds in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, an urban stockyard, a college campus or a quiet neighborhood, setting is a vital element. It shapes mood, deepens themes, and influences character. Setting is not necessarily a lengthy description of native plants and trees, although—if it’s integral to the unfolding drama—it can be. Nor is setting simply a backdrop. Setting is more akin to the air we breathe and, in some stories, the way we breathe it. In this course, we’ll explore techniques that evoke atmosphere, integrate sensory details, and make setting an active part of the plot. Together we’ll analyze literary examples of iconic worlds and identify the elements that make them vivid and unforgettable. We’ll consider the scope of setting, by comparing stories whose drama sprawls across entire towns to those contained within a home’s four walls. We’ll consider how sensory details create mood, genre, and atmosphere. Since all worlds—whether speculative, contemporary, or historical—have their unique histories and rules, we’ll study a variety of techniques for worldbuilding. We’ll use the language of film, too, to think about framing place through long-shots and close-ups. Whether you’re seeking inspiration for a new project or revising something old, this course will help you hone the contours of your fictional worlds. Participants will be given writing prompts at the end of each class and will share their short responses on the following day. Feedback will be given in class. Through a combination of collaborative craft talks, writing exercises, and peer feedback, participants will learn how to infuse their settings with sensual details, to evoke tension and mood through setting, as well as how to frame their settings. This course is for beginning and experienced writers alike. Participants will revise existing material or generate new material in response to daily prompts. Participants will share their responses in class and receive instructor and peer feedback orally. While we’ll draw largely on published fictions for inspiration, this course welcomes writers of all genres who wish to imagine and compose evocative settings. In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; offer feedback/first impressions on writing you produce in our week. To enroll in this weeklong workshop, visit the Iowa Summer Writing Festival: link

• VIRTUAL CLASSES: FLASH WORKSHOP | JUNE

  ZOOM | JUNE 4, 11, 18, 25 | WEDNESDAY NIGHTS 7-9 EST

  This June, I’m offering a Flash Writing Workshop—a focused, four-week space for writers ready to commit to their creative practice. This workshop is designed to give you two powerful things: community and accountability. Each week, your writing will be the heart of our work. You'll submit anything from one paragraph to three pages, and we’ll spend the bulk of class offering thoughtful, supportive feedback on each submission. We'll wrap each session with a short craft talk and an optional writing prompt to spark new ideas for the following week. Prompts are there to inspire—but you’re always welcome to follow your own creative path. Who’s this for? Memoirists, poets, fiction writers—whether you're just starting out, working on a draft, or returning to a project that’s been calling your name. Past participants have included: Published authors Writers preparing work for publication Storytellers capturing family histories Creatives exploring or deepening a writing habit The only requirement is that you write and submit something each week. Details: Cost: $250 When: Wednesdays, 7–9PM EST Dates: June 4, 11, 18, and 25 Where: Zoom Class size: Small, so everyone’s work gets read and discussed weekly TO SIGN UP for the course or to receive more information, click on the CONTACT section of this website and drop me a note.

• IN PERSON CLASSES AT THE CHATTERY | APRIL - MAY

  231 BROAD STREET | CHATTANOOGA, TN

  SATURDAY | APRIL 12 | 3 - 4:30PM FICTION IN A FLASH SATURDAY | APRIL 26 | 3 - 4:30PM MICRO MEMOIRS SATURDAY | MAY 10 | 3 - 4:30PM FASCINATION & FICTION SATURDAY | MAY 24 | 12:30 - 2PM OPENINGS IN FICTION + NONFICTION To sign up for any of these classes, visit the Chattery: link