A generative workshop that explores the boundaries of poetry. The intersection of poetry and prose offers a range of possibilities for style and subject. In this course, we will write together, and we will discuss poetic elements found in sentences. No previous writing experience is needed. “Thank you Ruben Quesada for an incredible class. It was full of fascinating information and the prompts Ruben gave us inspired my generative work (and from the other poets, you could tell it was the same for them)! Ruben also cultivated a space of openness and sharing that was truly remarkable for such a short class. He is a fantastic addition to the Attic, and I sincerely hope to take classes with him in the future. I most definitely would…
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A generative workshop that explores the boundaries of poetry. The intersection of poetry and prose offers a range of possibilities for style and subject. In this course, we will write together, and we will discuss poetic elements found in sentences. No previous writing experience is needed. “Thank you Ruben Quesada for an incredible class. It was full of fascinating information and the prompts Ruben gave us inspired my generative work (and from the other poets, you could tell it was the same for them)! Ruben also cultivated a space of openness and sharing that was truly remarkable for such a short class. He is a fantastic addition to the Attic, and I sincerely hope to take classes with him in the future. I most definitely would…
Comments closedMeeting every other week for sixteen sessions, this ongoing and supportive writing community both studies aspects of craft and shares work for feedback in a multi-genre, generative approach. | Maximum: 12 writers Required to join: email letter of interest describing your experience writing and what you’re working on. Email with required letter of interest Schedule Nov 8 + 22 Dec 6 Jan 3 + 17 + 31 Feb 7 + 21 Mar 7 + 21 Apr 4 + 18 May 2 + 16 June 6 + 20 NOTE: Click to sign up for a free Zoom account. Teacher: Wendy Willis Time: Mondays, Nov 8 – June 20, 2022, 5:30 – 8pm Pacific Time, every other week, 16 sessions Location: Zoomoom | Online Workshop Total Fee: Discounted Early Registration is due seven (7) days…
Comments closedFlash nonfiction, simply put, is true-to-life writing defined by extreme compression. It’s saying what you’ve got to say using as few words, and as much beauty, as possible. An endlessly accessible, playful, potent form, flash nonfiction is evermore popular; from Brevity to Barren, The Forge to The Sun, legions of journals are eager to publish great flash. This class is designed for writers who have taken the Attic’s Intro to Flash Nonfiction course, but it’s open to all writers. Over five weeks, students will read some stellar flash nonfiction, generate new writing, workshop works-in-progress, and move toward submitting their work for publication. | Maximum: 12 writers Register for this workshop NOTE: Click to sign up for a free Zoom account. Teacher: Brian Benson Time: Tuesdays, Nov 2 to…
Comments closed“There is no greater burden than carrying an untold story.” ~ Maya Angelou We live in a time when it is more important than ever for us to tell the stories of our lives. We are inundated with more information than we can ever process and while we communicate with more people via social media, we feel increasingly detached from the feeling of community. In short, we lack enough well-crafted human stories. Stories summon our imagination to experience the life of another and through that experience to better understand the other, as well as ourselves. This workshop is for the one who wants to discover how to identify her/his compelling story and how to create a work that will grab readers and take them on…
Comments closed“There is communion of more than our bodies when bread is broken and wine drunk.” ― M.F.K. Fisher Slowly, family and friends are starting to gather again, in backyards, front porches, in kitchens, and around tables. We are breaking bread again. In this five-week class we will be exploring some of the tastiest poems written about food & drink while also writing our own. Come join me and let’s eat poetry together. Register for this workshop NOTE: To protect everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re offering our workshops via Zoom. All students must first sign up for a free Zoom account. Setting it up is easy. And we can help you with questions, if needed. For each class, you’ll receive a Zoom “invitation,” from the instructor. Click the link…follow…
Comments closedNothing is more intriguing than the idea of telling your true-life story – until the moment you realize you have a terrible memory, there are some pesky facts that are both inconvenient and unavoidable, and your spouse (who has a terrific memory) promised to kill you in your sleep if you ever wrote about them. Enter the autobiographical novel, a timeless genre that is based on the truth but not bound by it. The AN can be a faithful recounting of an event in your life, or a loosely related tossed salad of facts seasoned with fantasy. There’s a reason why everyone from Charles Dickens to Maya Angelou has written one. Through in-class prompts and take-home assignments, this 8-week course will help students conceive, structure and begin an autobiographical novel. Participants…
Comments closedTension – it’s not just for thrillers! Tension draws writer and reader into any story and evokes more deeply human experience. The constant adjusting of tension affects pacing and drives story in countless ways: interactions among characters, sentence structure, and even word choice. We’ll use excerpts from published works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry as well as work submitted weekly by participants to explore how the use of tension can create a vivid, visceral narrative. | Maximum: 12 students Register for this workshop NOTE: To protect everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re offering our workshops via Zoom. All students must first sign up for a free Zoom account. Setting it up is easy. And we can help you with questions, if needed. For each class, you’ll receive a Zoom “invitation,” from…
Comments closedPersonal Essays and memoir represent some of the most adventurous writing today. Pushing narrative boundaries, utilizing traditional and nontraditional forms, this type of writing explores individuality and the minutiae of life unlike any other form. This workshop will help students explore the world of memoir and personal essay writing and understand both traditional and nontraditional narrative strategies available to them. Though the class will be run as a classic workshop, where students will submit their work to be reviewed in class, it will also combine craft lectures, outside reading, and in-class exercises. Students are expected to workshop twice. This will include their original essay submitted to class plus a revision. | Maximum: 12 writers Register for this workshop NOTE: To protect everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re offering…
Comments closedThe Creative Nonfiction (CNF) Studio is based on the idea that inspiration, accountability, and community are essential to every writer’s growth. The CNF Studio meets weekly for multi-month sessions, and its curriculum is designed to help you deepen your writing through a keener understanding of both literary craft and your own voice. The CNF Studio is open to applications from all writers, and members often return for multiple sessions. This creates the Studio’s special experience: a consistent, deep, and supportive study of your writing in the company of other writers. Each weekly session includes a close-reading and discussion of a selected work of creative nonfiction, a roundtable reading of take-home prompts, and in-depth critique of several works-in-progress. Over the course of their time in the CNF Studio,…
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