Here is a closer look at some of our conference offerings.

Fiction Workshop with Martha Southgate

This workshop will focus on several key elements of craft, particularly creating scenes with internal and external conflict and the power struggles that move a story forward. We’ll also be looking at creating strong beginnings, using both published work and work from other mediums (for example, looking at part of the pilot episode of Breaking Bad to consider how to create a dynamic opening. We’ll use in-class exercises to create work that we’ll share (without judgment or editing) that you’ll be encouraged to move forward with in future projects after the workshop.

Poetry Workshop with Dorianne Laux

What makes a poem memorable? Dave Smith says it’s “A sharp, memorable, confident use of language which releases feeling, and keeps releasing it with repeated readings.” Naomi Shihab Nye says for her it is “Love and care for elemental details, for chosen words and their simple arrangement on the page… and a way of ending that leaves a new resonance or a lit spark in the reader or listener’s mind….”  This workshop/study group will consist of reading the work of established poets, and creating new drafts. We’ll take a close look at a variety of dazzling poems written by contemporary poets and seek to understand what makes them memorable.  We will practice imitation as a striving toward writing our own unforgettable poems with daily in-class free-writes and take home exercises.

Narrative Nonfiction Workshop with Dawn Raffel

Telling The Story that Only You Can Tell: Narrative nonfiction is rooted firmly in fact. But given that we live in a world that’s drowning in information, how do you write a story that is significant and resonant? How do you make it memorable and moving—and yours? We’ll take a granular look at beginnings, where voice, pace, and tone are established, and the stakes are set. We’ll consider structure, chronology, and the juxtaposition of facts, what to leave in and take out, how to manage the flow of information. We’ll also discuss sustainable writing practices. In our final meeting, each participant will share a new flash nonfiction, synthesizing all we’ve covered.

In Conversation: First Fiction with Mira T. Lee, Maria Mutch, and Dariel Suarez

In this panel conversation, we will pose questions about what it takes to publish a first work of fiction. The essentials of how to prepare your manuscript for submission, where to submit and how to work with editors and publishers will be addressed. We will learn from writers who had their first short fiction collections or novel published in that last year.

Craft Session: Memoir: Making Art Out of Life with Vikki Warner

This craft session will explore strategies for structuring a memoir, including selecting the stories that stay and cutting the ones that should go. Using examples from recently published memoirs, we’ll talk about the importance of voice, an element that can make an ordinary person’s lived-life story soar. We’ll also discuss writing about people other than ourselves—loved ones, ex-loved ones, and people with whom we aren’t close—and how to approach that tricky endeavor without fear or harm.

In Conversation: Poetry: Public and Private with Lee Bricetti, Tina Cane, and Jean-René Lemoine 

What is the role of a poet laureate? In what ways can institutions promote the art of poetry? Executive Director of The Poet’s House Lee Briccetti and Rhode Island Poet Laureate Tina Cane will discuss these questions and more. The conversation will touch on the responsibilities inherent in their professional roles, as well as how they strive to encourage artistic expression and create spaces in a community to explore poetry. They will also discuss how their advocacy work influences their own writing. Special appearance by French playwright Jean-René Lemoine.

In Conversation: Trends in Publishing with Tara Gelsomino,  Amaryah Orenstein, and Dan Pope

In this conversation, Tara Gelsomino, owner of One Track Literary Agency, Amrayah Orentstein of Go Literary, and Dan Pope, founder and publisher of Roundabout Press, will discuss all things publishing, from how to write a query letter to the necessity of having a platform. You will receive sound advice on querying etiquette, finding the right agent/editor, and tips on submitting to literary contests. They will also bring us up-to-date on trends and changes in the marketplace.