|
Workshops for Adults One
and Two Day Workshops
Workshops
for Young Writers |
| Special
News from the HVWC: |
The
Shirley Altman Scholarship Fund
The
Shirley Altman Scholarship Fund will allow the HVWC to offer financial aid to
HVWC students of all ages and backgrounds starting with the 2011 Fall term.
To
apply, candidates should submit: • A brief
letter of interest. This letter should include background information; the HVWC
class/workshop to be taken; personal description of the impact this scholarship
would have on the candidate.
• A recent writing sample (if applicable)
•
Contact information including an e-mail address
• Please Indicate: WriteStart
(scholarships for kids)
WriteOn (scholarships for adults)
WriteMind (scholarships
for professional development) All requests
will be reviewed by the HVWC scholarship committee and distribution will be on
a first come, first served basis. The purpose of this fund is to offer financial
assistance to those students who wish to take classes at the Writers’ Center or
an HVWC program at an off-site location. Students may receive funding for one
workshop per year, and may reapply the following year. Letters should be addressed
to the HVWC Scholarship Review Committee, 300 Riverside Drive, Sleepy Hollow,
NY, 10591.
*Shirley Altman, writer, poet, and artist, was, until
her death, and a student at the HVWC. Donations to the Shirley Altman Scholarship
Fund can be made by writing or calling the Writers’ Center. |
|
|
Winter
2012 Writing Workshops for Adults
To register, click
here. |
JOURNALISM: STEP-BY-STEP
with
Susan Hodara
6
MONDAYS, 10am-12:00pm
Feb 27-Apr 2
Fee: $240 (Hodara returnees
$230) Code: SHw12b How
does a journalist take the seed of an idea and transform it into a published article?
In this class, you’ll find out, as we make our way through each aspect of the
journalist’s process. You‘ll discover what topics you’re passionate about, and
learn how to translate those concerns into a riveting article no editor would
refuse. Step 1: Finding what area of journalism intrigues you and selecting a
topic Step 2: Pitching your story Step 3: Researching and interviewing Step 4:
Writing your story Step 5: Revising, proofing, and completing your piece Step
6: Invoicing, self-promotion, and onto the next assignment Status:
Registration for this class is closed |
|
Spring
Poetry Workshop
with B. K. Fischer
7
MONDAYS, 7-9pm
Session
1: Feb 6, 27, Mar 12, 26, Apr 16, 30, May 14
Fee:
$295 (Fischer returnees $285) Code:
BFw12a
Session 2: Feb 13, Mar
5, 19 Apr 2, 23, May 7, 21
Fee:
$295 (Fischer returnees $285) Code:
BFw12b Finish
that chapbook by solstice day! In seven sessions spaced two weeks apart, this
workshop will support the process of developing and completing ongoing work—from
fresh inspiration to the envelope. We will explore a variety of poetic possibilities
and techniques, work on revision strategies, and follow the leads of some touchstones
for reading. “Poetry toolboxes” will address various topics: phrasing and the
line, metaphor and metonymy, point of view, form and music, ekphrasis (poems about
art), narrative and story, collage and image, among others. Participants should
be comfortable drafting poems and expect to complete a suite of five or more new
poems in the course of the session. The workshop will also include coaching for
the submission process, offering practical tips, resources, and camaraderie.. Session
1: SOLD OUT!
Session
2:
SOLD OUT! |
MEMOIR
WRITING WORKSHOP
with Susan Hodara
Session
1: 10 TUESDAYS, 10am-1pm
Feb 7-Apr 24 (No Class Mar 20, Apr 10)
Fee:
$420 (Hodara returnees $410) Code: SHw12a
Session 2:
8 TUESDAYS, 1:30-3:30pm
Feb 28-Apr 24 (No Class Mar 20)
Fee: $330
(Hodara returnees $320) Code: SHw12c
Are you inspired to record
the transforming events of your life? Are you drawn to explore the circumstances
surrounding your most vivid memories? For those with a work-in-progress or those
starting fresh, this class will offer a supportive environment wherein each week
you will read aloud and receive constructive feedback. Writers at all levels of
accomplishment, and with projects both full-length and short-form, are welcome. Session
1: SOLD OUT!
Session
2: Registration
for this class is closed
|
YOUR
OWN BLOG: BUILDING & WRITING FOR THE WEB
with Ilana Arazie
5 TUESDAYS,
7-9
Feb 7-Mar 6
Fee:
$200 Code: IAw12a
Have
a blog or would like to start one? Whether you are a writer, business owner or
hobbyists, blogs are one of the best ways to showcase your talents and create
an online following. This class will show you how to start your own blog, create
a brand and build a connecting with readers. We will go over all blogging basics
including: platforms, design, SEO and social media. Also, learn what makes a blog
successful and what mistakes to avoid. Most importantly, work on your blog posts
each week, find motivation to create your best work and get feedback each week
on your writing.
By the end of the class, you will have a mission statement,
outline for your blog’s home page, 5-6 completed blog posts ready for the Web,
and the enthusiasm and support needed to keep blogging. Please bring laptops to
class each week. Status:
Registration
for this class is closed |
WRITING
ABOUT FOOD
with Carol Durst-Wertheim
Session
1: 3 Fridays, 12:30-3:30pm, Feb 17, Mar 2, 16
Fee: $180 Code: CDw12a
Session 2: 4 Tuesdays, 7-9pm, Apr 10-May 1
Fee:
$160 Code: CDw12b
Food writing is a rapidly expanding genre. The social,
cultural, and familial associations of feeding people can stimulate strong personal
writing. It relies on sensory experience, evokes memories and emotions, and sheds
light on primary human relationships. We will explore this extraordinary power
of food through a combination of in-class prompts and at-home writing exercises.
To begin this process, everyone will bring a favorite recipe, as well as a piece
they’re currently working on, to the first class. Through active writing and participation,
sharing our perceptions of food experiences, and doing a bit of tasting, we will
build our writing skills and cook up some powerful prose.
Session
1: Registration for this class is closed
Session
2: Registration for this class is closed |
|
ONLY
NARRATIVE
with Peter Bricklebank
Session
1: 8 Mondays, 1:30-3:30pm, Feb 6 - Apr 2 (No Class: Feb 20)
Fee:
$320 (Bricklebank returnees $305) Code: PBw12a
Session 2:
6 Wednesdays, 1:30-3:30pm, Apr 25 - May 30
Fee: $240 (Bricklebank returnees
$225) Code: PBw12b
E.L. Doctorow has written, “I am led to the proposition
that there is no fiction or nonfiction as we commonly understand the distinction;
there is only narrative.” As writers, what matters is how we tell our stories:
how we find a structure to engage our readers, a voice in which to tell our tales,
a language that can handle our idea. In this workshop for writers of both fiction
and non-fiction, we’ll examine what drives our narratives and what will make them
better. Using elements associated with fiction but equally respected by any nonfiction
writer, we’ll investigate the question, “Where is the border between fiction and
nonfiction?” And when we find that border, we’ll cross it.
Session
1: Registration for this class is closed
Session
2: Open
and accepting registrations
|
WRITING
FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS
with Nora Baskin
6
WEDNESDAYS; 1:30-3:30
Feb 15-Mar 21
Fee:
$240 (Baskin returnees $230), Code: NBw12a
This eight week class will
take you through the basics of writing for young audiences, from creating believable
characters, finding your authentic voice, structuring both picture books and novels,
and understanding the business of publishing. There will be in-class writing,
take home exercises, and thoughtful positive group critiquing. There is no better
way to learn to write, than to take risks, write, share your work, and get feedback.
The young adult market has never been more creative, exciting, and open to fresh
new voices and ideas - break into the scene now!
Status:
Registration for this class is closed
|
THE
SONGWRITING WORKSHOP
with Kinny Landrum
8
WEDNESDAY CLASSES & A CLASS CONCERT, 7–9pm
Feb 29 - May 2 (No Class: April
11, 18) Concert on May 9 at the HVWC
Fee: $250 (Landrum returnees $240)
Code: KLw12a
This workshop will discuss the history and techniques
of songwriting, both lyrics and music, while analyzing songs from all genres and
eras. Through these classes the students will foster an appreciation and respect
for all genres of music and songwriting. The class is oriented towards both the
beginning songwriter as well as those who wish to improve or broaden their talents
and is most appropriate for students 16 and older. Instrumental expertise is not
required, but the willingness to have one’s songs performed, or to perform it
oneself, and to have it heard and discussed will be paramount. This workshop will
culminate in a concert at the HVWC on May 9.
* This workshop
will take place at The JCC on the Hudson – 371 South Broadway in Tarrytown. Through
this partnership the HVWC is able to waive the registration fee for this class
to all JCC on the Hudson members.
Status:
Registration for this class is closed |
THE
VERSATILE PERSONAL ESSAY
with Herbert Hadad
6
WEDNESDAYS, 7-9pm
Mar 21 - Apr 25
Fee: $240 (Hadad returnees $230)
Code: HHw12a
The personal essay is a form for all seasons. It can
be a memoir or a short story in disguise; it allows for the most satisfying and
polished examination of ideas, beliefs, troubles and pleasures by writers of all
experience levels. More than any other kind of non-fiction writing, the essay
offers the opportunity to express, in a short and conversational form, the whole
range of thoughts and feelings. Bring a work in progress to the first session. Status:
Registration for this class is closed |
FROM
BEEKEEPING TO SURFING: EXPLORING YOUR OWN NEW POEMS
with
Amy Holman
6 WEDNESDAYS, 6:45-8:45pm
Feb 8 - Mar 14
Fee:
$270 (Holman returnees $260) Code: AHw12a
This class encourages participants
to take their interests and curiosities in other subjects and explore them in
their poems, both to break out of current patterns in their work and to infuse
their poems with new ideas. We will read through poems of other poets who have
written on the subjects of bees, surfing, interest rates, archaeology, medicine,
math, biology, history, glassblowing, the news, and other subjects, and review
a few magazines receptive to particular subjects or themes. Participants should
bring an article or advertisement to use in a writing exercise. Status:
Registration
for this class is closed
|
COMEDY
WRITING SECRETS REVEALED!
with John Marshall
6 THURSDAYS, 1-3
Feb 23-Mar 29
Fee: $240 (Marshall returnees
$230) Code: JMw12a
Television comedy writer John Marshall (The Chris
Rock Show, Politically Incorrect, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn) blows the lid
off time honored comedy principles used in successful monologues, sketches, sitcoms
and screenplays. Anyone can become funnier if you know the right tools and techniques.
John Marshall shares 20 years of experience in the humor trenches, covering jokes,
comic characters, comic stories and the comic voice. Using in-class exercises
and at-home assignments, he gives a thorough introduction to comedy writing fundamentals.
Status:
Registration for this class is closed |
HOW
TO WRITE PAGE-TURNING FICTION
with Joanne Dobson
Session 1: 4 Thursdays, 7-9pm, Mar 1-Mar22
Fee:
$170 (Dobson returnees $160) Code: JDw12a
Session 2: 6 Thursdays,
7-9pm, Apr 19-May 24
Fee: $250 (Dobson returnees $240) Code: JDw12b
If
you’ve ever stayed up ‘til three with a compelling novel, you’ve probably wondered,
“How do they do that?” Study the literary techniques of popular genres, and learn
how to create compelling plots in a unique voice, harnessing the conflict and
tension between sympathetic protagonists and disquieting antagonists. Whether
your characters inhabit the extreme world of detection and intrigue, or the everyday
life of private agonies and personal satisfactions, your writing can benefit from
that special “can’t-put-it-down” magic. Session
1: SOLD OUT!
Session
2: SOLD
OUT! |
THE
ELEMENTS OF STYLE: A POETRY WORKSHOP
with Kathleen
Ossip
6 Fridays, 10am-12pm
Feb 10-Mar 23 (No Class: Mar
2)
Fee: $250 (Ossip returnees $240) Code: KOw12a
“A poem,” said
William Carlos Williams, “is a small (or large) machine made of words – efficient,
with no unnecessary parts, doing important work.” In this workshop, we explore
the process of building poems from the individual word through lines and stanzas
to a finished, polished poem. Writing exercises and assignments help you practice
basic elements of poetic craft, such as line breaks, voice, and openings and closings.
We’ll read a variety of contemporary poets, selected according to students’ interests
and needs. Class time focuses on reading and discussing your poems.
Status:
Registration
for this class is closed |
THE
POETRY MANUSCRIPT
with Kathleen Ossip
6
Fridays, 10am-12pm
Apr 13-May 18
Fee: $250 (Ossip returnees $240) Code:
KOw12b
You feel you know how to write a poem. You have 10 or 20 or 30
poems you’re proud of. What next? For many poets, the answer is: Putting together
a chapbook or book-length manuscript. After spending so much time crafting individual
poems, it can be difficult to see the big picture. In this workshop, we’ll explore
the manuscript process: grouping, organizing, pruning, and adding to your book
or chapbook. We’ll spend class time reading and discussing your manuscripts, focusing
on how the individual poems cohere as a satisfying whole. We’ll also talk about
the process of seeking publication for your manuscript. Status:
Open and accepting registrations |
STRATEGIES
FOR MEMOIR & NONFICTION
with
Mindy Lewis
Session 1: 4 Fridays, 12:30-3pm, Feb 10,
24, Mar 9, 23
Fee: $235 (Lewis returnees $230) Code: MLw12a
Session
2: 5 Fridays, 12:30-3pm, Apr 20, May 4, 18, June 1, 15
Fee: $295
(Lewis returnees $290) Code: MLw12b
You have a slew of pages,
some bits and pieces, or just the desire to write. Now what? This workshop will
help you identify thematic threads and explore possibilities. Through insightful
critique and stimulating, supportive discussion, we hone the tools of strong writing:
distinctive voice, precise language, evocative imagery, vivid sensory description,
dramatic scene and dialogue, reflection, inventive form. Writing prompts, handouts
and class discussion will inspire new writing and deepen understanding of craft. Session
1: Registration for this class is closed
Session
2: Open
and accepting registrations |
FINISH
YOUR STORY
with David Surface
6
SATURDAYS, 10:30-12:30
Feb11-Mar 17
Fee: $250 (Surface returnees
$240) Code: DSw12a
Workshops are good for starting stories but they
often stop short—leaving many stories unfinished. You can edit and revise a story
for months, but how do you know when to let go and send it out into the world?
The truth is that when we can’t get a story started or when we labor for
months or years on dozens of drafts, it’s often because we haven’t found the simple
human truth that the story is trying to tell. Fortunately, there are techniques
we can use to cut through the fog and discover what your story is trying to be.
In this workshop focusing on manuscript review and narrative technique exercises,
you will learn practical methods for getting to the heart of your story more quickly
and efficiently. Bring your stories-in-progress (or start a new one) and have
it finished and ready for publication in six weeks. Status:
Registration
for this class is closed |
|
Winter
2012 One and Two Day Workshops
To register, click
here. |
WRITING
THE FLASH-FICTION STORY
with Stephen Huff
SATURDAY,
1:30-4:30pm
Feb 25
Fee: $60 Code: SHFw12a
The brief format
of the contemporary short-short story or flash fiction offers the writer opportunities
for experimentation with humor, hard focus, surrealism, super-realism, magical
realism, and satire on levels harder to maintain effectively in a longer work.
But short-short does not mean easy-easy. In this class we’ll examine works by
Italo Calvino, Kenneth Bernard, W.S. Merwin, and Lydia Davis. We’ll discuss how
issues of storyline, character, scene, resolution, and cohesion are handled in
those works, and we’ll discuss how and where the short-short and the prose poem
cross paths. And, in a final burst of energy, we’ll attempt a first draft of a
150-200 word story.
Status:
SOLD
OUT!
|
PUBLICITY
FOR BOOKS & WRITERS
with David Carriere
SATURDAY,
Apr 21
10:30am-12:30pm
Fee:
$75 Code: DCw12a
Generating publicity is a journey that requires persistence
as well as proper planning. In this two-hour professional development workshop,
veteran book publicist David Carriere guides students through this sometimes mysterious
and often intimidating process, offering a road map and all the details needed
to orchestrate a successful publicity campaign. With over 25 years of experience,
Carriere will outline everything needed to create a comprehensive, systematic
and efficient method to reach traditional and new media targets alike.
A
copy of David’s book PUBLICITY: 7 Steps to Publicize Just About Anything will
be given to each student.
Status:
Open and accepting registrations |
| WRITING
LONG & SHORT MEMOIRS
with Susan Tiberghien
SATURDAY,
April 21
1:30-3:30pm
Fee:
$75 (Tiberghien returnees $70) Code: STw12a
This workshop will cover the
elements of memoir writing, seen as a window into your life. There will be examples
of contemporary memoir writers and guided writing exercises. You will work on
your own short or long memoir. We will study examples from contemporary memoirs
by masters such as Annie Dillard, Orhan Pamuk, Joan Didion, and Terry Tempest
Williams. And remember to bring some work with you as you will be working on writing
your own memoir as well.
A copy of Susan’s book One Year to a Writing
Life will be given to each student. Status:
Open and accepting registrations |
HOW
TO WRITE ORIGINAL HORROR, SCI-FI, OR FANTASY
with David
Surface
2 THURSDAYS, 7-9pm
March 29 & April 5
Fee:
$90 (Surface returnees $80) Code: DSw12b
The challenge for any writer
is to make the characters and situations in their stories feel real and compelling
to the reader. For writers of supernatural or fantastical fiction, that challenge
can be twice as difficult, but well-worth trying. In this special intensive workshop
you will learn practical tools to help on make your fiction the best it can be.
We will look at how past and present masters of the genre have created believable
fantastical characters and situations on the page and then try those methods ourselves.
Furthermore, we will look at how to create fantastical, imaginative stories that
feel fresh and original (and therefore stand the best chance of catching and holding
your readers’ attention).
Status:
Registration for this class is closed |
VARIATIONS
ON BOOKBINDING:
A PRIMER FOR MAKING YOUR OWN CHAPBOOKS
with
Shanna Yarbrough
2 SATURDAYS, 10:30am-1:30pm
May 5 & 12
Fee:
$225 + $20 material fee* Code: SYw12a
In this two-session course, we will
examine two highly functional and stylish methods of binding a chapbook -- whether
you are interested in a creating a single volume or an edition of 100.
Using
blank** text pages, students will learn how to properly measure and cut/tear paper
for a text block, as well as the basic pamphlet stitch and a 5-hole variant. The
first class will focus on creating chapbooks with non-adhesive paper covers. The
second session will build upon these lessons and introduce students to constructing
pamphlets with cloth-covered boards for a presentation of their work that is both
durable and beautiful.
The finished books are intended as binding models
for your future use, but also make a great start on a manuscript chapbook. Discussions
will include where to purchase materials, pastemaking basics, and an overview
of page layout and printing options, as well as methods of efficiently producing
a larger edition of your work and where to sell it.
*$20 materials
fee includes a basic tool kit (bone folder, glue brush, scalpel and blades) and
supplies, including paper, backcloth and binder’s board for your projects. Please
bring a cutting mat with you to help protect the tables at our facility!
**If
you are interested in bringing in pre-printed pages of your own writing for this
workshop, please contact the instructor for layout and size requirements prior
to class.
Status:
Open and accepting registrations |
Winter
2012 Workshops for Young Writers
To register, click
here. |
| WORDS
WITH WINGS: CREATIVE WRITING FOR 5th-7th GRADERS
with
Kate Gallagher
Session 1: 6 Wednesdays, 4-5:30pm, Feb
1-Mar 14 (No Class: Feb 22)
Fee: $205 (Gallagher returnees $190) Code:
KGw12a
Session 2: 9 Wednesdays, 4-5:30pm, Mar 28-May 30
(No Class: April 11)
Fee: $305 (Gallagher returnees $290) Code: KGw12b
We’re
pleased to offer a workshop for middle-grade students as a bridge between our
children’s and young adult classes. Students will further their exploration of
poetry through form, voice, metaphor, and will experiment with narrative through
shape and point of view in characterdriven stories. We will also look at how to
critique constructively, and to rethink and develop our work through revision.
The only prerequisite for this course is that you love to write! Session
1: Registration for this class is closed
Session
2: Registration
for this class is closed |
LEARNING
TO SEE™: CREATIVE WRITING FOR TEENS AGE 14+
with
Brenda Connor-Bey
13
SATURDAYS, 3-5pm
Feb 4 - May 19 (No class: Feb 25; Apr 7, 21)
Fee:
$500 (Connor-Bey returnees $490) Code: BCBw12a
Young writers will be
encouraged to find their own voices and develop their visions. Participants will
be challenged to use all of their personal resources to dig beneath the surface
and to express what their imaginations have created. The sounds of words and the
images they create will be celebrated. Connor-Bey promises, “It’s not like school,”
and a small-group format will maximize individual attention. Status:
Registration for this class is closed |
JUNIOR
TIN PAN ALLEY - A CHILDREN'S SONGWRITING WORKSHOP
with
Garry Novikoff
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, 10am-12pm
May 19 & 20
Fee:
$125 Code: GNw12a
This is a two-day workshop lead by Garry
Novikoff, performing singer/ songwriter and winner of the 2011 ASCAP Foundation’s
Joe Raposo Award for Children’s Music. In a highly dynamic and creative atmosphere,
children will harness their innate songwriting skills. They will learn about rhythm,
rhyme, melody and song structure, and how to identify these elements in contemporary
popular tunes. By the end of the workshop we will have created two original songs
from start to finish. Also included will be a brief performance by Garry. (This
class is especially for children in 3rd through 6th grade.) Status:
Open
and accepting registrations |
The
Hudson Valley Writers’ Center at The Scarsdale Library
We
at the HVWC are proud to announce this new partnership with our friends and neighbors
at the Scarsdale Public Library.
MAKING IT REAL:
A WORKSHOP FOR YOUNG WRITERS
with David Surface
8
TUESDAYS, 6-7:30
Feb 14 - Apr 10 (No Class: Feb 21)
Tuition: $275
Code: DSw12sl
What do you want to write? Short stories? Poems? Maybe
even a novel? In this special workshop for young writers, you’ll learn the secrets
of turning ordinary writing into extraordinary writing and make your words come
to life on the page. In eight weekly sessions, young writers will work closely
with an award-winning writer and educator who will offer expert feedback on ongoing
writing projects and stimulating writing exercises that will help students become
more engaged and resourceful writers.
The workshop will culminate in public
reading featuring the young writers’ work and a celebration.
*These
workshop will take place at Scarsdale Public Library – 54 Olmsted Road Scarsdale,
NY. Status:
SOLD
OUT ! |
|
The
Hudson Valley Writers’ Center at William E. Cottle School
The HVWC will once again partner with our friends and
neighbors at the William E. Cottle School in Eastchester’s Tuckahoe School District.
These two workshops will be held on the campus of the William E. Cottle School*
but will be registration will be open to the general public.
WORDS
WITH WINGS: CREATIVE WRITING FOR 3rd-5th GRADERS
with
Kate Gallagher
Session 1: 6 MONDAYS, 3:15-4:30, Mar
5 - Apr 16 (No Class: Apr 9)
Tuition: $180 Code: KGw12wec1
Session
2: 6 TUESDAYS, 3:15-4:30, Mar 6 - Apr 17 (No Class: Apr 10)
Tuition:
$180 Code: KGw12wec2
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. How do these things work their way
into stories and poems? This class will stimulate your senses and your imaginations,
allow you to explore various writing techniques, and share ideas in a comfortable
setting. All levels welcome.
*These workshops will take place at the
William E. Cottle School – 2 Siwanoy Boulevard in Eastchester, NY. Through this
partnership the HVWC is able to waive the $25 administrative fee for these classes
to all William E. Cottle School Students.
Status:
Registration
for this class is closed return
to top
|
|
Please
note that there is a nonrefundable $25 administrative fee per workshop
for students
who
are NOT members of the Writers' Center (HVWC).
($15 for our shorter one and two-day workshops)
|
For
further information on any of our workshop offerings, call the HVWC at 914.332.5953
or email us at info@writerscenter.org |
|
Recent Workshop Catalogs:
Fall
2011
Summer
2011
Winter/Spring
2011
Fall 2010
|
