Oct
18
to Dec 13

Denver, CO

  • Lighthouse Writers Workshop (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

WRITING WORKSHOP — INTRO TO WRITING THE NOVEL
Lighthouse Writers Workshop

Calling all daytime writers who aspire to write a novel or have already started the ambitious task. This course will aim to provide direction and guidance, and we’ll also appreciate the camaraderie of writing with peers in an encouraging space. For the first four to five weeks, we’ll break down the process of writing a novel, covering areas such as narrative structure, point of view, setting, character development, and use of language. During this time, writers can expect in-class writing exercises, discussion, and short lectures. For the remaining weeks, everyone will have the chance to workshop up to ten pages of their work-in-progress in a positive, constructive environment. Above all we’ll tackle this challenge together, never losing sight of what we love about writing in the first place. 

This is an in-person class that meets Wednesdays from 10am to noon MDT from October 18 to December 13. This class will skip Thanksgiving week.

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Jun
14
1:30 PM13:30

Denver, CO

WRITING WORKSHOP — A WHOLE VIBE: MOOD, TONE, AND ATMOSPHERE IN FICTION
Lighthouse Writers Workshop’s Lit Fest

It can be hard to pin down this hallmark of great prose. Writing that delivers a distinctive emotional timbre is one of the most challenging—and sought-after—skills. And it is a skill, even though it can seem like sorcery when a writer successfully conjures a unique tone, a quality of expression that sweeps readers inside the story. In this seminar, we’ll demystify mood, tone, and atmosphere by viewing these devices as matters of pacing, diction, character development, narrative structure, and more. Open to prose writers of all levels.

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Apr
29
10:00 AM10:00

Denver, CO

WRITING WORKSHOP — HOW TO BE LESS AFRAID OF OMNISCIENT POV
Lighthouse Writers Workshop

An omniscient narrator—that godlike knowing, the bird’s eye view—holds the potential to zoom deeply into characters’ minds while also panning out to take in the wider sweep of place, time, and history. For an author, that’s a lot to juggle! In practice, omniscient narration exists in degrees, and it’s up to us to decide how all-seeing our narrators are, a task that demands not only a slew of narrative choices, but also a certain finesse to pull off. In this seminar, we’ll tackle the scope of omniscience by learning to shape it to the specific needs of our fiction. Through a mixture of lecture, discussion, and writing exercises, you’ll leave with greater confidence in wielding this challenging (and beautifully capacious) point of view.

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Feb
18
1:00 PM13:00

Denver, CO

YOUTH WRITING WORKSHOP (AGES 11-13) — MYTHS AND MYTHICAL CREATURES
Lighthouse Writers Workshop

From dragons to Gorgons, we use myths to express wonder and fear about the world around us. In this workshop, we’ll examine classic and contemporary myths—alongside an array of mythical creatures—before diving into our own mythmaking. You’ll revise old myths and give life to new ones, tapping into your own unique voice and experience. You’ll leave with several pieces of original work, as well as a stronger understanding of the foundations of storytelling.

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Jun
14
1:30 PM13:30

Denver, CO

WRITING WORKSHOP — THE BAD IDEA FACTORY
Lighthouse Writers Workshop’s Lit Fest

Do you have a good idea for a story? Fantastic! This is not the class for you. In this seminar, we’ll bring to the table all our bad ideas: the terrible, frowned-upon ones, or at least those we perceive to be so. What if that second-person story about a space cat isn’t actually a bad idea? While we’re cheering on your space cat trilogy, we’ll also be examining the crossroads of writing and fear, the value and limits of experimentation, and how to judge when to let go of an idea and when to lean in. Open to storytellers of all forms.

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Jun
13
1:30 PM13:30

Denver, CO

WRITING WORKSHOP — THE MAGIC OF METAPHOR IN PROSE
Lighthouse Writers Workshop’s Lit Fest

Many of us aspire to elevate our prose to the level of poetry. But how do we achieve that while also honoring that figurative language in many ways operates differently in prose? In this seminar, we’ll tackle that question by taking a deep dive into metaphor. Through examples and practice, we’ll learn to craft metaphors that not only are striking, but also serve our narratives, furthering character, setting, and plot. But even as we recast metaphor as workhorse rather than ornament, we’ll still swoon over these well-wrought constructions, things of beauty in themselves.

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Jun
7
1:30 PM13:30

Online Writing Workshop

THE LIVING OBJECT IN PROSE
Lighthouse Writers Workshop Lit Fest

Objects are hardly mute. In prose, they are no less alive than characters, as ready to confess as conceal. It’s often through objects that characters discern or ignore truths about their own existence (think Proust’s madeleine; Beattie’s bowl in “Janus”). As we write about objects, we’ll give our sensory language muscles a workout and learn the skillful balance of the concrete and abstract in our work. Above all, we’ll listen to what objects have to say, anticipating the moment in which they resist our imposed meanings to surprise us with different stories altogether. All levels fiction and nonfiction writers welcome.

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Jun
6
1:30 PM13:30

Online Writing Workshop

THE HIDDEN POWERS OF SETTING
Lighthouse Writers Workshop Lit Fest

Right away we can dispense with the idea of setting as a frame. Writers know it’s more immersive and alive than that. But how comfortable do we really feel when managing the dynamics of setting? Are we tapping into the full potential of place in our writing? We’ll develop a working skillset, including how setting can further plot and how to convey historical context without sounding like we’re reporting on it, but we’ll pay equal attention to the conceptual work of place, such as the power of marginalized spaces reclaimed and reimagined. Fiction and nonfiction writers of all levels welcome.

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Jun
30
2:00 PM14:00

Online Writing Workshop

THE RELIABLE UNRELIABLE NARRATOR
Lighthouse Writers Workshop’s Lit Fest

What constitutes an unreliable first-person narrator? Being untrustworthy? Deliberately deceitful? Emotionally distant? If our unreliable narrators are too slippery, we risk alienating readers. We’ll examine the gamut of ways unreliable narrators show up in texts, while also discussing our authorial responsibilities toward them. Through examples and exercises, we’ll learn how to balance our unreliable narrators’ flaws with their roles as the primary voice of the text. Open to fiction writers of all levels.

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Jun
19
2:00 PM14:00

Online Writing Workshop

THE LIMIT’S THE SKY: PURSUING FORMAL CONSTRAINTS IN PROSE
Lighthouse Writers Workshop’s Lit Fest

As prose writers, we necessarily limit ourselves with formal choices: point of view, setting, etc. But what about further constraints? What if you want to write your novel as a series of text messages? Or use an unconventional structure for your otherwise conventional story? We’ll discuss the rewards of formal restrictions, including the way our creativity strengthens when it has something to push against, but we’ll also talk through the risks, such as a device becoming gimmicky. We’ll be interested in both the experimental (think Cortázar’s Hopscotch or the Oulipo writers) and subtler formal constraints. Fiction and nonfiction writers welcome.

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Jun
17
12:30 PM12:30

Online Brown-Bag Business Panel

THE GRIPE SESSION
Lighthouse Writers Workshop Lit Fest

Speakers: Andrea Bobotis, Michelle Dotter (Dzanc Books), Erika Krouse, BK Loren, Eric Smith (P.S. Literary)

Agents, editors, writers: We all come at writing from different angles. Rarely do we have a forum in which we can all talk with one another, share our grievances and joys (about writing, selling, editing, teaching), and, with any luck, come to understand one another. Leave this panel with a deeper understanding of the role of each player in writing and publishing in various forums.

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Jun
12
2:00 PM14:00

Online Writing Workshop

HOW TO WRITE GORGEOUS PROSE (AND PUT IT TO WORK)
Lighthouse Writers Workshop’s Lit Fest

Our fear of purple prose is holding us back. Lush writing, often judged as indulgent and old fashioned, can actually be resourceful and cutting edge. We’ll discuss and practice the rigor of writing beautifully, such as how a delicate touch with syntax can create tension, how fertile images can advance plot, and how figurative language is capable of deepening what we know of character and setting. Through it all, we’ll never lose sight of the profound pleasures of writing gorgeous prose. Audible gasps welcomed. Open to fiction and memoir writers of all levels.

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Nov
22
5:30 PM17:30

Denver, CO

FRIDAY 500: THE STORY OF A BOOK
Lighthouse Writers Workshop

Join me for this short talk and Q&A. I’ll give the lowdown on my journey of writing and getting my debut novel published before answering your questions. Tattered Cover will be on site to sell my books, and I’m happy to sign books as well.

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Nov
2
2:15 PM14:15

Baton Rouge, LA

  • Louisiana State Capitol Building (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

LOUISIANA BOOK FESTIVAL
The Importance of Story and the Power of Words

I’ll be on this panel with author Susan Cushman. Panel from 2:15pm to 3:00pm in Senate Committee Room A. Book signing afterwards in the Barnes & Noble Bookselling Tent from 3:15pm to 4pm.

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Oct
12
1:00 PM13:00

Nashville, TN

SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
Southern Divides and Familial Bonds: Two Novels

I’ll be presenting on this panel with the novelist Kim Michele Richardson. Location: Nashville Public Library Special Collections Room. I’ll talk about my debut novel, The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt, and afterwards I’ll sign books in the Signing Colonnade (different site) from 2:00-2:30pm.

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