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DTSTAMP:20260506T091029
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UID:10000119-1777593600-1780271999@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:REPLAY | The Magic of Micro Prose: Find Your Story in 300 Words or Less
DESCRIPTION:Unlock your storytelling potential and share your words with captivating brevity.\n\n\n\nREPLAY INCLUDES : VIDEO\, CHAT SCRIPT\, AUDIO FILE\, SLIDES\, HANDOUT\, AND TRANSCRIPT & MORE \n\n\n\nMicro prose—stories told in 300 words or less—provides an opportunity for more\, not less. Learn how this short but versatile form can amplify your creative nonfiction work (memoir and personal essay) and even poetry and fiction.  \n\n\n\nWe’ll look at examples of micro in the world\, how you can begin writing micro right away\, and submission opportunities as you ready your work for the world. Darien will share her methods for drafting and crafting micro prose\, and lead an in-class exercise so you can try it for yourself.  \n\n\n\nIf you’ve ever been curious about micro\, now’s a great time to add this powerful form to your writer’s toolbox. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nLEARN about micro prose and its storytelling superpowers\n\n\n\nEXPLORE micro prose possibilities for creative nonfiction\, fiction or poetry projects\n\n\n\nCONSIDER submission and publication options for your own micro prose work \n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers who …\n\n\n\n\nwant to explore new ways to generate material\n\n\n\nare interested in learning more about short-form writing\n\n\n\nare ready to experiment with different ways of telling a story\n\n\n\nwant to publish short work as they write toward longer projects\n\n\n\nwant to deepen their literary craft\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDarien Hsu Gee is an international bestselling author published by Penguin Random House and the third Mark Twain Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at the University of Connecticut\, following Alexander Chee and Justin Torres. Her work spans genres\, from novels translated into eleven languages to award-winning micro prose and poetry collections. She is the executive editor of Nonwhite and Woman: 131 Micro Essays on Being in the World (IPPY Silver Award) and the author of Allegiance (IPPY Bronze Award)\, Other Small Histories (Poetry Society of America Chapbook Fellowship)\, and Writing the Hawaiʻi Memoir (Ka Palapala Poʻokela Award of Excellence). \n\n\n\nA recipient of a Sustainable Arts Foundation grant and a Vermont Studio Center fellowship\, Darien teaches creative nonfiction at UCLA Extension and Hugo House. She also leads specialized micro prose workshops through her platform\, Writer-ish\, and publishes two Substacks: Writer-ish\, focused on the art of micro prose\, and Drafts\, Deals & Detours\, a real-time look at the working writer’s life. \n\n\n\nHer service to the literary community includes board work with Short Reads and Flash Fiction Institute. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\nBecause the replay is delivered instantly upon purchase\, all sales are final. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/replay-the-magic-of-micro/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://writingcraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Gee.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260506T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260506T160000
DTSTAMP:20260506T091029
CREATED:20260409T154710Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260430T163553Z
UID:10000115-1778079600-1778083200@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:WEBINAR | The Art of Book Reviewing: Discovering Connection through Critique
DESCRIPTION:In a crowded publishing marketplace\, professionally reviewing books is a way to network and build your byline.\n\n\n\nFocus: Creative Nonfiction though LARGELY THE PRINCIPLES APPLY ACROSS GENRES \n\n\n\nBook reviewing is a time-tested\, excellent way to connect with literary venues and network with writers further along in their careers. Whether you have a manuscript of creative nonfiction well underway or are just beginning to break into essay or memoir writing\, reviewing also allows you to practice critical approaches to writing that transfer to resolving thorny issues in your work.  \n\n\n\nIn a time of thumbs up or thumbs down and dashed-off Goodreads reviews of “this sucked” or “loved it\,” there’s an art to book reviewing—and a need for a blending of personal and critical analysis. But there are many different types and formats of book reviews and countless outlets that accept them\, so it may be difficult to know where to get started.  \n\n\n\nIn this webinar we will outline different types of book reviews and outlets\, learn the do’s and don’ts (and the value!) in the writing and publishing process of book reviews\, and take home craft tools to create a successful review of your own. \n\n\n\nCan’t make it live? No worries—a replay will be available to all registrants. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nLEARN do’s and don’ts of book review pitching and writing\n\n\n\nGAIN PERSPECTIVE on reviewing as a means of elevating your own writing and others’ \n\n\n\nDISCOVER how searching for comps in a book review helps find comps for your own manuscript\n\n\n\nLEARN how the practice of analysis and critique leads to stronger writing\n\n\n\nDISCOVER venues for your reviews and the expectations for different outlets\n\n\n\nLEARN how reviewing is a valuable networking tool in the creative nonfiction and independent publishing communities\n\n\n\nDECONSTRUCT a sample review structure\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers and readers of creative nonfiction who …\n\n\n\n\nhope to professionally network with others in the field\n\n\n\nseek practice pitching both critical and creative work\n\n\n\nare interested in book reviewing but not sure how to start\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBrooke Champagne is a native New Orleanian and the award-winning author of Nola Face: A Latina’s Life in the Big Easy\, named a Best Book of 2024 from Kirkus Reviews.  Her book of cultural criticism and reportage\, Drive-Thru Daiquiri\, is forthcoming with LSU Press.  Champagne serves as Book Reviews Editor for River Teeth: A Journal of Narrative Nonfiction.  She is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing in the MFA Program at the University of Alabama. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nBefore the replay is sent\, you may request a refund less a $10.00 processing fee. For a refund\, EMAIL us at info@WritingCraft.com. Canceling your Zoom invite will not initiate this process. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/the-art-of-book-reviewing/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://writingcraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Champagne.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260513T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260513T163000
DTSTAMP:20260506T091029
CREATED:20260412T152910Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T144348Z
UID:10000117-1778684400-1778689800@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Call and Response: Writing Beginnings and Endings in Essays
DESCRIPTION:What tone to strike at the start? And how to shape an ending that responds? Learn how to make your essays move.\n\n\n\nFor Personal Essays \n\n\n\nEssays sing. Beginning sentences open the tune—and connect to the endings in how the song ends. An essay’s opening says something about what the writer wants to explore through different lenses or truths. The beginning can nail the “what\,” the essence of an essay’s quest\, through an image or inflection or voice or rhythm of language (“It was the best of times\, it was the worst of times”).  \n\n\n\nEssays move. Writers listen for a change—a mini-epiphany\, an angle through the mind’s eye that frames in a fresh way\, or a phrase like prayer in structure and sound. What might the last line say in response to the first? If beginnings and endings are siblings\, what is the connection that links them? How might the closing not just echo the opening but instead extend it\, go beyond what’s there? \n\n\n\nIn this practice-driven webinar (be ready to write)\, Jonathan Callard will guide you through possibilities in shaping strong openings and closings in essays and how they can work together to inspire movement and revelation in your work. \n\n\n\nCan’t make it live? No worries—a replay will be available to all registrants. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nEXPLORE key elements of strong openings in essays and how to express them on the page.\n\n\n\nDISCOVER how closings can respond to openings to deepen a piece and ways to write strong closings.\n\n\n\nLEARN how beginnings and endings can work with a “what”—a tension/question—to create a transformative essay that pivots toward a change/shift\, a “then.”\n\n\n\nPRACTICE writing your own openings and closings in real time\, guided by exercises designed to unlock movement and revelation in your essays.\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers who …\n\n\n\n\nfeel stuck on how to begin or end their pieces\n\n\n\nwant to play with structure of narrative or idea\n\n\n\nwant to hone their essays to engage agents\, editors\, and readers\n\n\n\nwant to understand how a central tension or question can guide an essay\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJonathan Callard is a writer\, editor\, and teacher who helps writers shape stories and find their voice. The winner of the Prairie Schooner Creative Nonfiction Contest judged by National Book Award honoree Sarah M. Broom\, his work has appeared in Prairie Schooner\, PublicSource\, Creative Nonfiction\, Hotel Amerika\, Gulf Coast\, Image\, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review\, Pittsburgh Magazine\, Arts & Letters\, and the Dallas Morning News\, among others\, and has earned fellowships from the Ragdale Foundation\, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts\, and the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts. Having previously taught for the Creative Nonfiction Foundation\, he currently offers writer-mentoring services and also teaches for the University of Pittsburgh\, where he received an MFA in nonfiction writing. He lives in Pittsburgh\, Pennsylvania. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\nBefore the replay is sent\, you may request a refund less a $10.00 processing fee. For a refund\, EMAIL us at info@WritingCraft.com. Canceling your Zoom invite will not initiate this process. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/call-and-response/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://writingcraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Callard.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260520T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260520T170000
DTSTAMP:20260506T091029
CREATED:20260422T175949Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260424T205404Z
UID:10000120-1779289200-1779296400@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Mind the Gaps: Writing Less While Saying More
DESCRIPTION:Beyond show-don’t-tell\, create powerful scenes through details\, images\, and juxtaposition.\n\n\n\nFor Fiction Writers\, Memoirists\, and Essayists \n\n\n\nOur strongest writing makes the reader feel with our characters/our narrator selves. But too often\, we over-write—spelling out emotions\, explaining through dialogue\, interrupting memoir scenes with reflection or novel scenes with backstory—so that readers are watching someone else have an experience. By paring down our prose to singular details and powerful images\, we give room for the reader to “lean in” to the story\, actively assemble information\, and share the discoveries\, realizations\, tears\, and laughter on the page. \n\n\n\nIn this interactive webinar (let’s call it a workshop!) we’ll prune text\, remove summaries to let details stand\, and use gestures and images to create meaning and feeling. We’ll examine how to “score” text by arranging it on the page\, making the visual processing of words and white space part of the reader’s experience. In published examples from fiction and memoir\, we’ll learn how juxtaposition\, high-context dialogue\, and purposeful repetition give emotional punch. And we’ll challenge ourselves to create endings without explanations that resonate in the reader’s mind long after they’ve closed the book. \n\n\n\nRaise your craft level and gain a tool kit. In-class writing time and live editing will give you a chance to apply this to your writing right away. \n\n\n\nCan’t make it live? No worries—a replay will be available to all registrants. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis is a TWO-HOUR class\, with 20 minutes of writing time in the middle. \n\n\n\n\n45 minutes – Learn a new tool kit of writing techniques to give fewer words more power.\n\n\n\n5 minutes – Q&A to fully understand and apply the techniques.\n\n\n\n20 minutes – Revise a scene from your novel\, memoir\, short story\, or essay using your new tools. Allison will continue taking questions in the chat. \n\n\n\nOPTIONAL: Volunteer for live editing and upload your revised scene as a Word doc or docx to a Google Drive (link will be provided IN CLASS; no pages accepted early).\n\n\n\n40 minutes – Allison will live-edit volunteer pages on screen\, noting where the writer is succeeding and what revisions could make the prose even more effective. She’ll call out specific techniques and tips for everyone to apply to their own work. \n\n\n\n10 minutes – additional Q&A and more on applying this work to your writing.\n\n\n\n\nIn this workshop you will: \n\n\n\n\nHEAR how the interplay of said and unsaid makes dialogue more powerful\n\n\n\nSEE how scoring text on the page establishes distance and attitude\, smooths transitions\, and increases dramatic tension\n\n\n\nDISCOVER ways to increase emotional power on the page through specific details\n\n\n\nAPPLY the tools and techniques to your own scene\, essay or story\n\n\n\nCREATE powerful emotional connection with deliberate craft choices\n\n\n\n\nThis Course is ideal for writers who are …\n\n\n\n\nNovelists who want readers to feel what the characters are feeling\n\n\n\nMemoirists and essayists who want to write powerful emotions without over-explaining their own feelings or over-using reflection.\n\n\n\nCreative writing students and graduates of MFA programs who want to expand their writing craft with conscious practice.\n\n\n\nDevelopmental editors who want to grow their knowledge of white space\, details\, and juxtaposition in prose and better communicate that knowledge to their author clients.\n\n\n\nWriters hearing feedback that they are “telling” or info-dumping on the page\n\n\n\nWriters struggling with realistic dialogue\, whether recreating a remembered scene or writing fiction.\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAllison K Williams is the author of Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro From Blank Page to Book. She has edited and coached writers to Big Five and literary/university publishing deals and the New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists. She’s guided essayists and humorists to publication in media including the New Yorker\, Time\, the Guardian\, the New York Times\, McSweeney’s\, Refinery29\, Hippocampus\, the Belladonna and TED Talks. As Social Media Editor for Brevity\, she inspires thousands of writers with weekly blogs on craft and the writing life.As a memoirist\, essayist\, and travel journalist\, Allison has written craft\, culture and comedy for National Public Radio\, CBC-Canada\, the New York Times\, the Christian Science Monitor\, Creative Nonfiction\,McSweeney’s Internet Tendency\, Kenyon Review Online\,Travelers’ Tales and Flash Nonfiction Funny. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\nBefore the replay is sent\, you may request a refund less a $10.00 processing fee. For a refund\, EMAIL us at info@WritingCraft.com. Canceling your Zoom invite will not initiate this process. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/mind-the-gaps/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://writingcraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Event-Template-1-6.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260527T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260527T161500
DTSTAMP:20260506T091029
CREATED:20260409T161303Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T144423Z
UID:10000116-1779894000-1779898500@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Blurb Clinic: The 150 Words That Hook Agents\, Editors\, and Readers
DESCRIPTION:Write your book’s “blurb”—the sharp\, versatile pitch for submissions\, promotion\, and marketing that defines what your book is and why it matters.\n\n\n\nAll Genres \n\n\n\nWhether you call it “jacket copy\,” an “extended pitch” or the meat of your query\, your book’s blurb is critical. This short piece of persuasive copy determines whether someone reads on\, requests the manuscript\, or buys the book. Just 150 words do a lot of heavy lifting: positioning your book in the market\, introducing your protagonist and stakes\, and making a promise that reading will be worth the commitment.  \n\n\n\nBut many writers get stuck with blurbs that sound generic or interchangeable with another author’s book. Shortcuts\, AI\, and borrowed language won’t sum up the heart of 100\,000 words. You have to step inside your book and ask what it is truly offering—and then stress-test whether or not your manuscript delivers on that promise. \n\n\n\nWhen I finally arrived at the right 150 words for my own memoir/reported nonfiction project\, everything fell into place. I received thoughtful\, encouraging passes instead of crickets\, and in a very short period of time\, two offers of publication. As I wrote and revised\, the blurb became a microcosm of my story’s logic and the reason someone would choose my book over anything else in front of them. \n\n\n\nAgents are looking for the blurb in your query letter (and will use it to sell your book to publishers). Editors are looking for the blurb in your book proposal. Marketers are looking for the blurb in your materials. And most importantly\, your readers are looking to be fulfilled by the blurb’s promise. They want to read your book; give them every chance to be excited. This session shows you how to make those 150 words count. \n\n\n\nCan’t make it live? No worries—a replay will be available to all registrants. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nDEFINE what a blurb is (and is not) and see how it functions across queries\, proposals\, websites\, and sales materials\n\n\n\nANALYZE real blurb examples to see how a clear\, compelling story or concept is expressed in 150 words\n\n\n\nSTRUCTURE a blurb for yourself that introduces the protagonist/author\, stakes\, and take-away (without summarizing the entire book!)\n\n\n\nIDENTIFY and AVOID common pitfalls that weaken blurbs\, including generic language and over-reliance on trends\n\n\n\nEVALUATE whether your blurb makes a promise your manuscript actually delivers on\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers who are …\n\n\n\n\nnot getting responses from their query letters or book proposals\n\n\n\nplanning to self-publish and needing strong sales copy for online retail pages and author websites\n\n\n\nfinished with their manuscript and need to articulate what the book is about\n\n\n\nstruggling to describe their book clearly\, concisely\, and in a compelling way\n\n\n\ngetting stuck in the weeds of their book and need to refine the premise\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMichelle Cutler is an award-winning screenwriter\, storytelling coach\, and developmental editor specializing in true stories and memoir\, as well as an enthusiastic teacher. She has written more than 1\,700 advertising campaigns for global brands\, humanizing brand copy for short form content. She holds an MFA in film from NYU and a diploma in advanced creative writing nonfiction from Cambridge. She is currently writing I WON’T LET YOU DIE ALONE\, a reported memoir from the trenches of modern elder caregiving for Bloomsbury. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\nBefore the replay is sent\, you may request a refund less a $10.00 processing fee. For a refund\, EMAIL us at info@WritingCraft.com. Canceling your Zoom invite will not initiate this process. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/blurb-clinic/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://writingcraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Cutler.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260603T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260603T163000
DTSTAMP:20260506T091029
CREATED:20260427T215933Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260427T220911Z
UID:10000122-1780498800-1780504200@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Making Memoir Real: Captivate Your Readers with Dynamic Settings & Characters
DESCRIPTION:Dropping our readers into a particular time\, a particular place\, populated by particular people\, is essential to making readers care about our stories. Learn to create vibrant\, convincing reality on the page.\n\n\n\nFor Memoirist and Essay Writers \n\n\n\nMemoir is a juggling act. As writers\, our job is to bring the potent emotional stakes of our story to the page right from the beginning\, introducing conflicts and launching the book’s dynamic journey. But equally important is establishing the story’s reality and dropping our readers into a particular time\, a particular place\, populated by particular people. This is how readers begin to care deeply and invest their hearts in our work. \n\n\n\nThis interactive webinar will closely examine the techniques of setting and characterization—often taught in fiction workshops—and how important they are to memoir. We will study the difference between mere “description” and active\, dynamic detail and movement. Prompts will be provided for new work and for work-in-progress. \n\n\n\nCan’t make it live? No worries—a replay will be available to all registrants. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nDISCOVER how to transplant readers directly into the world of your memoir through vivid\, specific detail\n\n\n\nLEARN the craft of characterization techniques borrowed from fiction and applied to true stories\n\n\n\nIDENTIFY the difference between static description and dynamic\, active detail that propels your narrative forward\n\n\n\nPRACTICE writing prompts designed to deepen both new work and works-in-progress\n\n\n\nEXPLORE how to establish emotional stakes early while simultaneously grounding readers in time\, place\, and character\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers at any level who…\n\n\n\n\nwould  like their work to immediately capture attention\, to engage agents\, editors and—most of all—readers\n\n\n\nstruggle with “Why would anyone care about my story?”\n\n\n\nworry their prose is moving too slowly\, that they may be “explaining too much” and showing too little\n\n\n\nare insecure about their storytelling skills (that’s all of us)!\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOne of our most popular and beloved presenters\, DINTY W. MOORE\, is the author of the memoirs Between Panic & Desire and To Hell With It and the writing guides Crafting the Personal Essay and The Mindful Writer\, among other books. He has published essays and stories in Harper’s\, The New York Times Magazine\, Georgia Review\, Kenyon Review\, Southern Review\, Short Reads\, and elsewhere. He is founding editor of Brevity\, the journal of flash nonfiction. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\nBefore the replay is sent\, you may request a refund less a $10.00 processing fee. For a refund\, EMAIL us at info@WritingCraft.com. Canceling your Zoom invite will not initiate this process. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/making-memoir-real/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://writingcraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Moore.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260607T150000
DTSTAMP:20260506T091030
CREATED:20260427T214703Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260430T174411Z
UID:10000121-1780750800-1780844400@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:SEMINAR | Give Sorrow Words: Grief Writing as Sanctuary
DESCRIPTION:Learn to write compelling pieces that go beyond self-healing to provide paths through grief and sanctuary for your readers.\n\n\n\nLive on Zoom | Saturday & Sunday\, June 6-7 | 1:00-3:00 pm EDTFor All Writers \n\n\n\nArt serves a vital role as witness to events and emotions we have trouble naming. We know which poem arrived at just the right time in our lives\, which song helped us imagine a path through deep feelings\, and which book helped us navigate our grief. \n\n\n\nBut what makes those pieces resonate in readers’ hearts? How does writing foster empathy? How can language\, with its strengths and inadequacies\, help us build sanctuaries within ourselves and where others can go to be witnessed and held? \n\n\n\nTaught by one of our most knowledgeable and empathetic presenters\, this deeply experiential seminar is a hybrid of generative writing and craft conversation. We’ll begin with a gentle writing practice to help you gather the glimmers of your own grief; then move into craft conversation and generative writing portals. grief\, \n\n\n\nWe’ll discuss key craft elements in published poetry\, how they can elevate emotional subjects from sentimentality to specificity\, and connect readers to an emotional experience.   \n\n\n\nWe’ll examine a variety of grieving experiences through the lenses of reckoning\, regret\, remembrance\, ritual\, revitalization\, and restoring (re-story-ing). This framework will offer six possible portals into exploring and writing about your own grief\, creating a sanctuary for your soul and the souls of others.  \n\n\n\nWe will have space for optional sharing at the end. In the seminar’s confirmation email\, you’ll receive a packet of recommended prep work\, containing additional optional readings and links to (very) short films on grief. After the class\, you’ll receive the seminar recording\, slide deck\, and all poems used for our conversation. \n\n\n\nPlease be prepared to write. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this interactive 2-Day live seminar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nLEARN key craft elements that help dramatize emotion\n\n\n\nUNDERSTAND the difference between sentimentality and sentiment\n\n\n\nANALYZE poems addressing different aspects of grief\n\n\n\nENGAGE with your own grief to create six new portals to longer work\n\n\n\nPRACTICE writing through different lenses on grief\n\n\n\nIMAGINE how writing can serve as sanctuary to self and others\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis course is ideal for writers in all genres who are interested in using language to help meet personal and collective grief.\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔Think you might miss class? No worries\, replays will be available 3 business days after the event. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR Instructor\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFunny\, kind\, and direct\, Laraine Herring is a popular CRAFT TALKS presenter and one of our strongest voices on deeply personal writing that powerfully connects with readers. \n\n\n\nLaraine’s memoir\, A Constellation of Ghosts: A Speculative Memoir with Ravens\, was released in 2021 from Regal House. She’s the editor of the anthology Becoming Real: Women Reclaim the Power of the Imagined through Speculative Nonfiction (Pact Press\, 2024)\, and a trilogy of writing books from Shambhala\, including Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice. A retired professor of creative writing and psychology\, Lariane has worked with writers for thirty years. She’s also an illustrator and a grief counselor\, and creator of The Grief Forest: a book about what we don’t talk about. She founded the online ‘zine Hags on Fire\, a place for women to share stories about menopause\, and co-designed The Imaginal Memoir Cave immersion program with Gayle Brandeis. Laraine’s work has appeared in The New York Times\, Tiferet\, The Rumpus\, The Manifest-Station\, and many more. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in Counseling Psychology and lives in the mountains of northern Arizona with many cats. \n\n\n\nStudent Testimonials \n\n\n\n“Laraine helped my book tell me what it wants to be and challenged me to do the work to get it there. I am grateful for her intuitive\, empathic\, supportive approach\, and for her enthusiasm when I arrived at the realizations she was hoping I’d get to as I did that work. Laraine’s skills are many\, and she is fantastic to work with. She is dedicated\, direct\, detailed\, dependable\, and delightful.” \n\n\n\n— Meg Weber\, author of A Year of Mr. Lucky (Sincyr Publishing) \n\n\n\n“Through Laraine’s authentic nature and ability to listen\, I learned that writing is as much an act of bravery and strength as it is about being gentle and flexible. I can’t wait to be one of her students again!” \n\n\n\n— Naomi Kaplan \n\n\n\n“Without a doubt\, Laraine is the most generous\, inspirational and challenging writing instructor I have ever met. Using provocative writing exercises\, she guided me through creative discovery\, helping reveal ideas and truths I had previously locked away. She challenged me to delve deeper into my story\, even if it meant going into the dark hidden corners.” \n\n\n\n— Janine Weyers \n\n\n\n“Laraine opened doors inside my mind and created space for me to come into relationship with my writing in a refreshing way that was all my own. I had more than one breakthrough working with her. With ease and honesty\, she created an authentic\, interesting and inviting space to grow.” \n\n\n\n— Grace Welker \n\n\n\n“Laraine encourages students to dig deep. She provides original\, interesting exercises designed to pull past the first obvious idea and find the more compelling material underneath. She is as invested in students’ work as the students themselves.” \n\n\n\n— Janet Burrue \n\n\n\nTHE FINE PRINT \n\n\n\nWe understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course\, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers. \n\n\n\nBefore the class\, you may request a refund less a $10.00 processing fee. \n\n\n\nPlease keep in mind that no refunds or credits will be issued after class begins. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/give-sorrow-words/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Seminars
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260610T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260610T163000
DTSTAMP:20260506T091030
CREATED:20250508T193202Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260502T164105Z
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SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Self-Publishing Foundations: Prepare\, Plan and Promote for Long-term Success
DESCRIPTION:Savvy book marketers know that successful promotion starts long before publication.\n\n\n\nAll Genres \n\n\n\nSet yourself up for lasting success with key decisions to make and actions every self-publishing author should take before publication—steps that significantly impact how well your book will market once it’s out in the world. While these elements aren’t always labeled as “marketing\,” neglecting them can limit your book’s reach and longevity. \n\n\n\nWhat can you do when you’re not active on social media (and should you be)? When marketing\, where should you spend and where should you save? How can you connect with other authors as colleagues\, early readers and potential blurbs? Through David’s expert experience and case studies showing how people with limited free time put these principles to work to achieve their goals\, you’ll understand how to weave marketing strategy into the publishing process itself\, so your book launches stronger and stays marketable for the long haul. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nLEARN the “forever decisions”: the 9 things you cannot change without republishing your book.\n\n\n\nUNDERSTAND the 5 types of comp titles research and how each contributes to a successful launch.\n\n\n\nDISCOVER why creating a distribution plan is the first and most important step in self-publishing.\n\n\n\nGET THE NITTY-GRITTY on how to coordinate print book pre-ordering using IngramSpark and Amazon KDP to meet deadlines\, make/save money\, and avoid publishing the wrong version of your book.\n\n\n\nLEARN the A-B-C list method for reaching testimonial writers\, influencers\, and readers/buyers.\n\n\n\nFORMULATE a review strategy: a framework for seeking and using editorial and customer reviews during book preparation.\n\n\n\nKNOW HOW TO LEVERAGE the strengths of self-publishing when it comes to distribution\, pricing\, media outreach\, and contacting influencers.\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for Writers who…\n\n\n\n\nWonder if self-publishing is right for them\n\n\n\nNeed to know more about self-directed marketing\, even if they’re publishing traditionally\n\n\n\nWant to build connections with readers long before their book is released\n\n\n\nUnderstand better with detailed case studies of how other authors “did it”\n\n\n\nDon’t have vast sums of money for marketing\, or vast amounts of time to spend online\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\nOriginally presented on June 3\, 2026 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDavid Wogahn is the author of six self-published books\, including the Countdown to Book Launch® series of publishing guides and the Before the Launch workbook. In 2012\, he became the author of the first LinkedIn Learning course on the topic of self-publishing (Lynda.com at the time).David is a frequent speaker and trainer and has given presentations for the Independent Book Publishers Association\, IBPA Publishing University\, the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi)\, the Independent Writers of Southern California\, the Santa Barbara Writers Conference\, and Jane Friedman\, among other publishing professional organizations.Before founding the author services firm AuthorImprints.com in 2011\, David worked for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee and the Los Angeles Times\, and was co-founder and COO of the first online publisher of sports-team branded websites known today as the CBS College Sports Network. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\nBefore the replay is sent\, you may request a refund less a $10.00 processing fee. For a refund\, EMAIL us at info@WritingCraft.com. Canceling your Zoom invite will not initiate this process. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/self-publishing-foundations/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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ORGANIZER;CN="David Wogahn":MAILTO:davidw@authorimprints.com
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260614T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260705T163000
DTSTAMP:20260506T091030
CREATED:20260419T152119Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260429T171451Z
UID:10000118-1781449200-1783269000@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:4-WEEK WORKSHOP | Writing From Photographs: From Image to Essay
DESCRIPTION:Photographs are a powerful source for creative nonfiction. Learn practical approaches to bring them to life as scenes\, draft an essay\, and get personal feedback. \n\n\n\nLimited to 12 memoirists\, essayists\, and creative nonfiction writers \n\n\n\nLive On Zoom | Sundays\, June 14 – July 5\, 2026 | 3-4:30 pm eastern \n\n\n\nStarting a nonfiction piece can often feel daunting\, despite having stories and experiences you wish to tell. Memories may feel incomplete—and can be inaccurate. But photographs can inspire your process and provide a starting point for our writing\, serving as an object\, an image\, and a memory touchstone. When used as prompts for our writing\, pictures can become rich reservoirs of personal and cultural history. Drawing on photographs that intrigue\, haunt\, or conjure forgotten memories\, this four-week course explores the rich possibilities that photographs can serve in prompting your nonfiction writing and developing your craft.You’ll work with your own photographs\, inspiring your writing with concrete moments to describe\, reflect\, and expand on. At the end of the four weeks\, you’ll have a short essay or the start of a longer piece.This small-group\, workshop-format course will include instructor feedback on 1\,000 words. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOver these three weeks\, you will …\n\n\n\n\nLEARN techniques of nonfiction narrative\, including writerly presence\, details and description\, and the art of scene-making\n\n\n\nDISCOVER how to use photographs to create richly imagined narrative nonfiction stories\n\n\n\n EXPLORE the possibilities of your own photographs as prompts for expressive essays and scenes \n\n\n\nEXPERIMENT with crafting and refining narrative nonfiction both individually and with guided workshopping\n\n\n\n\nSchedule\n\n\n\n\nWeek 1. Photographs and StoriesWe will look at how writers find stories in photographs and consider the different approaches a photograph can prompt. Then we’ll experiment with low-stakes writing inspired by your own photographs.\n\n\n\nWeek 2: Incomplete PhotographsExplore how to turn a photograph into a scene\, filling what is outside the frame and delving into memory and experience in the process. We will consider ways of crafting compelling descriptions and writerly presence. \n\n\n\nWeek 3. Expanding the WritingExpanding on the work from Week 2\, this week will focus on refining a draft of an essay. We will uncover ways of giving focus and depth to the developing piece towards a more richly textured draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 4. Revision and CritiqueThe final week offers guided group feedback\, helping each other in thinking about directions for giving the writing a more solid frame and focus. \n\n\n\n\nThis course is for beginning and intermediate writers who want to\n\n\n\n\nexplore elements of creative nonfiction that draw on memory and experience \n\n\n\nexperiment with how photographs can prompt stories \n\n\n\nrefine their prose style and techniques\n\n\n\nlearn practical approaches to nonfiction storytelling \n\n\n\nhave a pile of photographs to inform their memoir…but aren’t sure how to use them\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔Think you might miss a class? No worries\, replays will be available. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJames Polchin is a writer and cultural historian\, and a clinical professor at New York University. He is the author of Indecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewall\, a finalist for an Edgar Award\, and Shadow Men: The Tangled Story of Murder\, Media\, and Privilege That Scandalized Jazz Age America. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review\, Slate\, TIME\, Huffington Post\, CrimeReads\, Paris Review\, Rolling Stone\, The New Inquiry\, Brevity\, and the Gay and Lesbian Review. He has been interviewed about his work by BBC4 Radio\, NPR\, Advocate\, The American Scholar\, CrimeReads\, Bookforum\, and Publishers Weekly\, among others. \n\n\n\nTestimonials from past students:\n\n\n\n“He really created a transformative course. His insightful comments on everyone’s writing were really superb\, encouraging revision while also providing inspiration and direction.”  \n\n\n\n“I appreciated the thoughtful feedback and helpful questions.” \n\n\n\n“I was surprised by how much I was able to generate in a short time and in a way that felt fresh to me. The course opened up new pathways to consider.” \n\n\n\n“Big thanks to James for a class that fed my writing and my heart.”  \n\n\n\nTHE FINE PRINT \n\n\n\nWe understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course\, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers. \n\n\n\nBefore the first class\, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).After class begins\, you may request a refund for the remaining value of the course (less a $25 processing fee). \n\n\n\nNo credits or refunds will be available after the 1st class. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/writing-from-photographs/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshops and Masterclasses
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260701T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261230T160000
DTSTAMP:20260506T091030
CREATED:20250414T172552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260424T191737Z
UID:10000018-1782918000-1798646400@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:SEASON PASS | Webinar Subscription Special
DESCRIPTION:Unlock every CRAFT TALKS webinar from July to December 2026 (plus office hours) with one simple pass!\n\n\n\nYour Season Pass includes automatic registration\, live access\, replays\, and follow-up materials for every CRAFT TALKS webinar through December 2026. You’ll also get exclusive office hours with writing coach and editor Allison K Williams—your chance to ask questions\, meet other writers\, and receive feedback on your pages. \n\n\n\nHere’s what that means…\n\n\n\nSeason pass holders are registered for all webinars from July 1 to Dec 30\, 2026—that’s 23 dynamic lectures packed with insights\, practical exercises\, and expert advice. No sign-ups. No stress. Fewer marketing emails. Less worry about missing the next great webinar. \n\n\n\nFor each webinar\, you’ll receive:\n\n\n\n\nLive access to each session where you can ask questions\, join the lively chat\, and take away ideas you can put into action immediately.\n\n\n\nDownloadable materials and follow-ups for 30 days—delivered to your inbox within 3 business days.\n\n\n\n\nPlus\, drop-in office hours with Allison!\n\n\n\nThree hours with writing coach\, editor\, and co-founder of CRAFT TALKS\, Allison K Williams (dates TBD)\, where you get to: \n\n\n\n\nAsk questions about craft\, publishing\, and next steps in your writing life\n\n\n\nLearn from watching live edits on submissions\n\n\n\nReceive personalized feedback on every page submitted\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThroughout the season\, learn from acclaimed teachers and authors on everything from story and structure to publishing and the writing life. *Webinar topics include:\n\n\n\n✍️ Lyrical Writing with Bethany Jarmul🔍 Finding New Avenues\, Finding New Material with Dinty W. Moore🎬 The Art of the Cinematic Close-Up with Ethan Gilsdorf🌿 Nature Writing with Megan Baxter🖼️ Writing the Image+Text Essay with Chelsea Biondolillo📖 Novel Writing Essentials with Allison K Williams📰 Launching and Growing a Substack Newsletter with Becky Tuch🧵 Crafting Successful Braided Memoir with Heather Sellers💡 How Curiosity Fuels Craft with Dinty W. Moore💰 Publishing Possibilities: Dollars and Sense with Kristin Owens🍽️ Food Writing with Grace Hwang Lynch👤 Writing in First-Person: Getting Past “I” with Amy L. Bernstein🚀 Publish Without Gatekeepers with Allison K Williams📝 Literary Short Forms: Prose Poetry\, Flash Fiction\, and Micro Memoir with Heather Sellers🪞 The Art of Reflection in Memoir with Katie Bannon📚 Research Strategies for CNF with Michael Copperman⏰ The Art of Time in Fiction with Sherrie Flick❤️ Finding the Heart of Your Memoir with Laraine Herring✏️ The Art & Craft of Revising Memoir with Dinty W. Moore⚡ Sentencing: Packing Power Inside Every Line with Heather Sellers🌊 The Art of the Braided Essay with Katie Bannon \n\n\n\n*Subject to change \n\n\n\nWant a season of learning\, feedback\, and progress?It’s already on the calendar. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nYou can read more about the Season Pass from subscriber Char Wilkins. “As a Writer\, I Should Be Committed: How Community Saved Me.” \n\n\n\nSeason Pass Holders Say…\n\n\n\n“Craft Talks always either add to a skill I have or teach me something about writing I don’t do/haven’t explored yet. The reminders once a week or so to trust your reader and focus your revisions\, etc. are helpful! And I heart Office Hours.” –Jenna N. \n\n\n\n“Just deep thanks to Sharla and Allison for consistently excellent programming\, delivered so professionally\, with rarely a glitch. Plus\, thanks for making it fun.” –Donna C. \n\n\n\n“It’s an intensive MFA program at a phenomenal price!” — Marcy D. \n\n\n\n“I really love having the opportunity to learn from such a varied group of excellent writers and to invest in my own development as a writer.” –Laura C. \n\n\n\n“I was lucky to have my work reviewed by Allison during office hours—a *huge* value for me. I feel more confident in the viability of my writing in the marketplace & more capable of making decisions about publication\, promotion\, platform\, etc.” — Marj H. \n\n\n\n“The talks really stay with me. I spend weeks and sometimes even months reflecting on them.” — Becs T. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Fine Print\n\n\n\n✨ This is a limited opportunity\, and we’re excited about our commitment to you! \n\n\n\n📅 Can’t attend live? No worries! You’ll always get the recording and can download the webinars to watch at your convenience. \n\n\n\n🚫 No refunds after Jul 1st. \n\n\n\n❌ The Season Pass does not include Seminars\, Intensives\, or Workshops or Masterclasses. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/season-pass/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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