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Winter 2010 Writing Workshops | ||||
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| Winter 2010 Writing Workshops for Adults, Teens, and Children Please
note that there is a nonrefundable $25 administrative fee per workshop Due
to Metro North’s ongoing Hudson Line station rehabilitation project at our Philipse
Manor station home, | ||||
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Winter Workshops for Adults
One and Two-Day Workshops
Winter Workshops for Young Writers
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Winter 2010 Writing Workshops for Adults Please note that, in addition to the adult workshop fees shown below, there is a $25 nonrefundable registration fee (per workshop) charged to registering students who are not members of the Writers’ Center (HVWC). Registration fees are waived for HVWC members. For workshops at Pelham Art Center (PAC), registration fees are also waived for PAC members. For
instructor bios, click here. | ||||||||||
ESSAYING
NONFICTION 6
Thursdays, 12:30 - 2:30 pm Note: This workshop will take place at 57 River Street, Sleepy Hollow. None of us go through a day without worry or exultation, finding ourselves amused, bemused, abused or obtuse. We reflect, and this consideration of ourselves and our world is at the heart of nonfiction writing. Essai (from the French) means "an attempt, to try"--not necessarily to reach conclusions or find answers to issues of experience, but simply to ponder them. Whether you're writing memoir (making sense of the past), travel or nature writing (seeking to understand the kaleidoscopic world around us), or you're the quintessential contrarian essayist (mining the marvelously quirky self for what it shows of the riches of human nature), this is an ongoing workshop, both engaged and playful, for experimenting with new material, revamping that manuscript that has lain too long, and coming to see how nonfiction, like fiction, reveals truths that reality obscures. Status: open and accepting registrations | ||||||||||
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HOW
TO WRITE PAGE-TURNING FICTION 6
Thursdays, 7 - 9 pm We’ve all done it, stayed awake until three a.m. compulsively turning pages until we finish the book or our eyes betray us and we fall asleep. How do writers grab us like that and not let go? As writers ourselves we can learn from literary techniques of popular genres how to keep the story moving in a compelling fashion. Whether we write about the everyday dramas of ordinary life or the extreme situations of the detective novel or the pulse-pounding thriller, our work will benefit from consideration of how to develop compelling and sympathetic protagonists, disquieting antagonists, a unique voice, well-considered plots, conflict and tension. Our characters may or may not be seeking the Holy Grail, but everyday life with its quiet agonies and quiet satisfactions is equally sacred to the writer of intelligent fiction—and equally deserving of that special magic it takes to keep the reader turning “just one more page.” Status: open and accepting registrations | ||||||||||
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WINTER
POETRY WORKSHOP 6
Mondays, 7 - 9 pm Keep the creative fire going through the winter months. In six sessions spaced two weeks apart, this workshop will support the process of developing and completing new work—from the inspiration to the envelope. We will explore new poetic possibilities and techniques, work on revision strategies, and follow the lead of some touchstones for reading. Ongoing discussion will address many aspects of poetic craft, including voice, persona, form, imagery, and musicality, and some exercises will be done in class, but the emphasis will be on gathering momentum for individual projects. Participants should be comfortable drafting poems and expect to complete a suite of five or more poems in the 12-week period. The workshop will also include coaching for the submission process, offering practical tips, resources, and camaraderie. Status: full; started Jan. 11 | ||||||||||
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MEMOIR
WRITING 8
Tuesdays, 10:15 am - 12:15 pm Note: This workshop will take place at 57 River Street, Sleepy Hollow. Are you compelled to write about the transforming events in your life? Do you want to record stories from your past? Are you haunted by vivid memories and drawn to explore the circumstances that surround them? Whether you are in the process of writing a memoir or just getting started, this workshop is a supportive environment where you will read your work aloud each week and receive constructive feedback. It also provides a structure to help you develop and maintain a regular writing practice. Writers of all levels, working on short pieces or book-length works, are welcome. Status: open and accepting registrations | ||||||||||
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HOW
TO PLAN, WRITE, AND DEVELOP A BOOK 6
Mondays, 1:30 - 4:30 pm* Note: This workshop will take place at 57 River Street, Sleepy Hollow. Whether you’re a nonfiction author, memoirist, or novelist, and whether you have a book almost finished or merely a concept for one, this 6 week class will help you get to know your book—what it is about, how to structure it, how to finish it! You’ll learn a step-by-step plan (including timetables, chapter grids, story-boarding, and other techniques) and ways to flow chapters, find holes in your material that need filling, organize research and concepts, and construct plots. You’ll also learn how to package your book for agents and publishers and gain essential tips on editing and evaluating your book at all stages. Status: open and accepting registrations *Note:
Ms. Moore will also run several workshops for returning students only. | ||||||||||
WRITING
CHILDREN'S BOOKS AND STORIES
4
Wednesdays, 1:30 - 3:30 pm Note: This workshop will take place at 57 River Street, Sleepy Hollow. Develop a strong narrative voice and distinctive style when writing for readers from middle grade to young adult. In this intensive course, unique writing exercises will help writers, both the inexperienced and the skilled, explore their writing strengths. Each session will focus on a different aspect of writing. Information about being published will also be addressed. Status: open and accepting registrations | ||||||||||
SEX!
HORROR! MYSTERY! (SERIOUSLY) 7
Saturdays, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm In this craft-based, multi-genre workshop we will explore practical techniques for incorporating "erotic", "horror" and "mystery" elements into your writing. We'll investigate the phenomenon of "slipstream fiction" in which writers experiment with the elements of erotica, horror and mystery to create an entirely new genre. You'll discover (if you didn't already know) that sex doesn't have to be a dirty word in your fiction, that not every horror story needs vampires or serial killers, and that the most compelling mysteries aren't always solved by detectives (and sometimes don't even have to be solved at all). Additional biographical information: David Surface has published fiction and non fiction in a wide variety of print and online journals. His novella Going Out With Angela was anthologized in The Best New Erotica. His story "Carmen Who Lives at the Lake" was anthologized in From Porn to Poetry: Clean Sheets Celebrates the Erotic Mind, and was also nominated for a Pushcart Prize in fiction. He received a 2005 Fellowship in Non Fiction Literature from the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and was one of six statewide finalists for the NYFA Prize. Status: open and accepting registrations | ||||||||||
| MEMOIR
WRITING Session
A: 7 Thursdays, 7:00 - 9:00 pm at Pelham
Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue, Pelham, NY Session
B: 7 Thursdays, 7:00 - 9:00 pm at Pelham
Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue, Pelham, NY Are you compelled to write about the transforming events in your life? Do you want to record stories from your past? Are you haunted by vivid memories and drawn to explore the circumstances that surround them? Whether you are a first-time writer or seeking response to ongoing work, this class provides a supportive environment where you will read your writing aloud each week and receive constructive feedback. It also provides a structure to help you develop and maintain a regular writing practice. Writers of all levels welcome. Status: open and accepting registrations | ||||||||||
FICTION
WRITING Session
A: 5 Tuesdays, 7:00 - 9:00 pm at Pelham
Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue, Pelham, NY Session
B:
5 Tuesdays, 7:00 - 9:00 pm at Pelham
Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue, Pelham, NY Someone once said that fiction is a lie that tells the truth. If fiction writing is basically "making things up", how can we make things up that feel true? What is it that turns a character from a bunch of random ink marks on a page into a flesh and blood human being? How can we change our stories from something other people will merely read about into something they will experience? In this workshop, we will explore practical techniques for breathing life into fiction and finding the truth in our stories. One session will be devoted to a practical discussion of how to give your writing the best chance of getting published. Status: open and accepting registrations | ||||||||||
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6
Tuesdays, 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Fordham
Westchester, 400 Westchester Avenue, West Harrison, NY We all have stories inside us. But when we try to put them on paper, something stops us. Fortunately, there are tools we can use to break through those barriers. In this workshop, you’ll learn useful techniques for turning your memories into stories that will come to life on paper (or your computer screen). We’ll share our writing in an honest and supportive group setting and help you write the stories that only you can write. Status: open and accepting registrations | ||||||||||
| Winter 2010 One and Two-Day Workshops Please note that, in addition to the one and two-day workshop fees shown below, there is a $15 nonrefundable registration fee (per workshop) charged to registering students who are not members of the Writers’ Center (HVWC). Registration fees are waived for HVWC members. For workshops at Pelham Art Center (PAC), registration fees are also waived for PAC members. For
instructor bios, click here. | ||||||||||
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HOW
TO WRITE BOOKS THAT A CHILD OR TEENAGER WANTS TO READ 2
Fridays, March 19 & 26 Note: This workshop will take place at 57 River Street, Sleepy Hollow. It's
harder than you think! This two-part workshop will help you get started or look
with fresh eyes at work already in progress. We'll address points unique to writing
for young readers, from board books for toddlers to teen literature, as well as
essential aspects of any manuscript: voice, character, plot and point-of-view.
Stories submitted in advance* will be critiqued in class and students will go
away inspired with a plan for what to do next! NOTE: Marthe Jocelyn will also review work (separate from that discussed in class) of up to 20 pages in advance of the class and meet with you for a 20-minute one-on-one session by appointment following class. Fee for the manuscript review and one-on-one session is $75. Status: open and accepting registrations
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| Winter 2010 Workshops for Young Writers Please note that, in addition to the youth workshop fees shown below, there is a $15 nonrefundable registration fee (per workshop) charged to registering students who are not members of the Writers’ Center (HVWC). Registration fees are waived for HVWC members. For workshops at Pelham Art Center (PAC), registration fees are also waived for PAC members. For
instructor bios, click here. | ||||||||||
| LEARNING
TO SEE™: CREATIVE WRITING FOR TEENS AGE 14+ 8
Saturdays, 3 - 5 pm Eight workshop sessions in which writers age 14 and up can refine their “writer’s eye” and find their own voices. Participants will be challenged to use their imaginations and every sense of their being to get beyond the surface of things and to put on paper the stories and ideas that come to them. They will also celebrate the sound of words and the images they create. “It’s not like school,” says Connor-Bey, and the small groups allow for maximum individualization. Status: full; call to be added to waiting list | ||||||||||
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CREATIVE
WRITING FOR AGES 11 - 14 8
Tuesdays, 5:00
- 6:30 pm Some of us like nature stories, some like fantasy, some like adventure, some like personal stories, and some of us like to write poetry. In this workshop we will tap into our experiences and let our imaginations flow. We will listen to our dreams and ideas as we explore the world around us and the world within us. We will embark on an adventure in writing, as we mold our words into stories and poems. Status: open and accepting registrations | ||||||||||
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CREATIVE
WRITING FOR THIRD, FOURTH, AND FIFTH GRADERS 8
Thursdays, 4:00 - 5:30 pm Each day you take in the world around you—a fly perched on a leaf, the smell of spaghetti sauce bubbling on the stove, the sound of traffic rushing by on the street outside our window. How do use these things to create stories and poems? This class will help stimulate your senses, imagination, and emotions, and allow you to try out various writing techniques and share ideas in a comfortable atmosphere. (Note that some sessions will be taught by Kate Gallagher and others will be taught by Charlotte Walsh.) Status: open and accepting registrations | ||||||||||
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CREATIVE
WRITING FOR AGES 11 - 14 Special
School Break Workshop: Session
A: 8 Mondays, 5:00
- 6:30 pm at
Pelham
Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue, Pelham, NY Session
B: 7 Mondays, 5:00
- 6:30 pm at
Pelham
Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue, Pelham, NY Some of us like nature stories, some like fantasy, some like adventure, some like personal stories, and some of us like to write poetry. In this workshop we will tap into our experiences and let our imaginations flow. We will listen to our dreams and ideas as we explore the world around us and the world within us. We will embark on an adventure in writing, as we mold our words into stories and poems. Status: open and accepting registrations | ||||||||||
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For information on any of our instructors, click here For further information on any of our workshop offerings, call the HVWC at (914) 332-5953 or email us at info@writerscenter.org. Due
to Metro North’s ongoing Hudson Line station rehabilitation project at our Philipse
Manor station home, | ||||||||||
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Notes: HVWC = The Hudson Valley Writers' Center, 300 Riverside Drive, Sleepy Hollow, NY. Classes and worshops are held in the restored Philipse Manor railroad station unless otherwise indicated. For travel directions, visit our Directions page or see train schedules at Metro-North's Hudson River Line.
PAC = Pelham Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue, Pelham, NY. For directions, click here. Junior League = The Junior League of Westchester-on-Hudson, 35 South Broadway, Tarrytown, New York. Due to Metro North’s ongoing Hudson Line station rehabilitation project at our Philipse Manor station home, our Monday - Friday daytime workshops are occasionally moved to the Junior League. The building is located at the intersection of South Broadway (Route 9) and West Elizabeth Street, north of the Tappan Zee Bridge.
For further information about any of these classes or workshops, call the Writers' Center at 914-332-5953. The Hudson Valley Writers' Center - Home Page
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