Workshops
The 2025 Workshops are detailed below. A precise schedule will be published soon.
Presented by January Gill O’Neil:
Tiny Miracles & Everyday Wonders: A Writing Workshop
Making room for beauty and randomness may seem like an indulgence in our creative work. But attending to our astonishments—the tiny miracles and everyday wonders—is the most important work a writer can do. Together, we’ll explore ways to embrace joy and astonishment in our writing, consider the challenges and rewards of documenting moments of change, and discuss strategies for revising and polishing both new and existing drafts. We’ll draw inspiration from the works of Camille Dungy, Ross Gay, Ada Limón, Maggie Smith, Diane Seuss, Terrance Hayes, Natasha Trethewey, and Ocean Vuong. This is a generative workshop with opportunities to refine your writing and explore the publication process.
The Poem Under the Poem: the Practice of Revision
January Gill O'Neil
"In a poem, one line may hide another line,
As at a crossing, one train may hide another train."
—Kenneth Koch
So often one poem may hide another poem. It is a brave and courageous act to write our truths, to say the unsayable, to put aside whatever holds us back and take our writing to the next level. Only then can we spark language that lifts off the page. In this transformative workshop, we'll dive deep into the art of revision—not just as a technical process, but as an excavation of truth and beauty. Through readings, writing prompts, and guided discussions, we will unearth the creative work that live beneath our initial drafts. From exploring unconventional language to embracing surprising intersections of joy and difficulty, participants will develop concrete strategies for elevating their craft. We'll also address the essential question “What are we risking in our writing?” while discussing practical aspects of the writing life and publication process. Open to all genres.
Presented by Angie Hodapp:
Themes, Motifs, and Metaphors: Spinning the Invisible Web
What do you want to say as a writer? Are there recurring themes across your body of work, or do you tend to explore different themes with each piece you write? How do you decide when you want your message to land softly and when you want it to punch the reader in the gut…and is there a difference between thematic writing and preachy writing? In this class, we’ll use brief exercises to discover our personal themes and find out how to use them mindfully and artfully when developing stories, characters, scenes, and images that matter.
Tone, Mood, and Atmosphere: Casting the Spell of Place
In this class, we’ll look at examples of how bestselling and best-loved authors and poets usevoice, word choice, phrasing, rhythm, and other literary devices to relay a particular mood and cast the spell of place. We’ll explore the idea of setting-as-character and discuss why we might feel drawn to write about particular landscapes. We’ll complete a writing exercise or two and share our work.
Presented by Lisa C. Taylor:
Genre Fluidity in Creative Work
In this workshop, we’ll experiment with different genres, letting your idea dictate the form. Maybe your work is more suited to a poem or a personal essay. Could that long prose poem be the beginning of a short story or novel? Does your novel-in-progress have repeated lyrical passages? We’ll explore strategies for determining form and also talk about compelling opening lines, adding specific details. We’ll explore how creative genres can intersect and energize your writing. Excerpts from genre-bending writers like Lida Yuknavitch, Kazuo Ishiguro,and Jesmyn Ward, will be shared. As you generate new work, you’ll become more confident with breaking out of your comfort zone. Surprise yourself!
Presented by Mark Stevens:
Write What You Don’t Know
It’s one of the oldest adages in the “how to” book of writing fiction. Write What You Know. For writers, this concept can be frightening. It can seem so confining. Forget it. If Mark Stevens can write a mystery series featuring a female hunting guide, well, anybody can write about anything. In fact, freeing yourself from the limits of Write What You Know is liberating. Adopting the mantra, Write What You Don’t Know, opens up a universe of possibilities and a whole new array of possibilities for the plots you’re developing—and the characters who inhabit them. There are steps you can take to give you confidence as you step into the void. In this workshop, Mark will explore what it takes to write in-depth and convincingly outside of your comfort zone. In fact, tackling strange new worlds might heighten everything about your story, from character to setting and plot.
Presented by January Gill O’Neil:
Tiny Miracles & Everyday Wonders: A Writing Workshop
Making room for beauty and randomness may seem like an indulgence in our creative work. But attending to our astonishments—the tiny miracles and everyday wonders—is the most important work a writer can do. Together, we’ll explore ways to embrace joy and astonishment in our writing, consider the challenges and rewards of documenting moments of change, and discuss strategies for revising and polishing both new and existing drafts. We’ll draw inspiration from the works of Camille Dungy, Ross Gay, Ada Limón, Maggie Smith, Diane Seuss, Terrance Hayes, Natasha Trethewey, and Ocean Vuong. This is a generative workshop with opportunities to refine your writing and explore the publication process.
The Poem Under the Poem: the Practice of Revision
January Gill O'Neil
"In a poem, one line may hide another line,
As at a crossing, one train may hide another train."
—Kenneth Koch
So often one poem may hide another poem. It is a brave and courageous act to write our truths, to say the unsayable, to put aside whatever holds us back and take our writing to the next level. Only then can we spark language that lifts off the page. In this transformative workshop, we'll dive deep into the art of revision—not just as a technical process, but as an excavation of truth and beauty. Through readings, writing prompts, and guided discussions, we will unearth the creative work that live beneath our initial drafts. From exploring unconventional language to embracing surprising intersections of joy and difficulty, participants will develop concrete strategies for elevating their craft. We'll also address the essential question “What are we risking in our writing?” while discussing practical aspects of the writing life and publication process. Open to all genres.
Presented by Angie Hodapp:
Themes, Motifs, and Metaphors: Spinning the Invisible Web
What do you want to say as a writer? Are there recurring themes across your body of work, or do you tend to explore different themes with each piece you write? How do you decide when you want your message to land softly and when you want it to punch the reader in the gut…and is there a difference between thematic writing and preachy writing? In this class, we’ll use brief exercises to discover our personal themes and find out how to use them mindfully and artfully when developing stories, characters, scenes, and images that matter.
Tone, Mood, and Atmosphere: Casting the Spell of Place
In this class, we’ll look at examples of how bestselling and best-loved authors and poets usevoice, word choice, phrasing, rhythm, and other literary devices to relay a particular mood and cast the spell of place. We’ll explore the idea of setting-as-character and discuss why we might feel drawn to write about particular landscapes. We’ll complete a writing exercise or two and share our work.
Presented by Lisa C. Taylor:
Genre Fluidity in Creative Work
In this workshop, we’ll experiment with different genres, letting your idea dictate the form. Maybe your work is more suited to a poem or a personal essay. Could that long prose poem be the beginning of a short story or novel? Does your novel-in-progress have repeated lyrical passages? We’ll explore strategies for determining form and also talk about compelling opening lines, adding specific details. We’ll explore how creative genres can intersect and energize your writing. Excerpts from genre-bending writers like Lida Yuknavitch, Kazuo Ishiguro,and Jesmyn Ward, will be shared. As you generate new work, you’ll become more confident with breaking out of your comfort zone. Surprise yourself!
Presented by Mark Stevens:
Write What You Don’t Know
It’s one of the oldest adages in the “how to” book of writing fiction. Write What You Know. For writers, this concept can be frightening. It can seem so confining. Forget it. If Mark Stevens can write a mystery series featuring a female hunting guide, well, anybody can write about anything. In fact, freeing yourself from the limits of Write What You Know is liberating. Adopting the mantra, Write What You Don’t Know, opens up a universe of possibilities and a whole new array of possibilities for the plots you’re developing—and the characters who inhabit them. There are steps you can take to give you confidence as you step into the void. In this workshop, Mark will explore what it takes to write in-depth and convincingly outside of your comfort zone. In fact, tackling strange new worlds might heighten everything about your story, from character to setting and plot.
2024 Workshops:
LISA C. TAYLOR: Secrets, Lies, and Imperfect Truths: Writing as a Reality Check
MARK STEVENS: Curioser and Curioser
ANITA MUMM: The Joy of Revision
ANITA MUMM: A Feast for the Senses: Writing to Immerse Your Readers
ALYSE KNORR: The Art of Description
ALYSE KNORR: Mining Memories
2023 Workshops:
NICK ARVIN - Story in a Flurry: A Writing Rumpus
ALAN McMONAGLE - The Muddle and Beyond
ALAN McMONAGLE - Finding A Voice
LISA C. TAYLOR - Mortality as the Red-Winged Blackbird Alighting on a Telephone Pole
LISA C. TAYLOR - Leaps and Landings: Following Wildness in Whatever Form It Takes
MARK STEVENS - The Power of Now
MARK STEVENS - From Pulp to Meta
LISA C. TAYLOR: Secrets, Lies, and Imperfect Truths: Writing as a Reality Check
MARK STEVENS: Curioser and Curioser
ANITA MUMM: The Joy of Revision
ANITA MUMM: A Feast for the Senses: Writing to Immerse Your Readers
ALYSE KNORR: The Art of Description
ALYSE KNORR: Mining Memories
2023 Workshops:
NICK ARVIN - Story in a Flurry: A Writing Rumpus
ALAN McMONAGLE - The Muddle and Beyond
ALAN McMONAGLE - Finding A Voice
LISA C. TAYLOR - Mortality as the Red-Winged Blackbird Alighting on a Telephone Pole
LISA C. TAYLOR - Leaps and Landings: Following Wildness in Whatever Form It Takes
MARK STEVENS - The Power of Now
MARK STEVENS - From Pulp to Meta