Lectures
Literary Citizenship: What It Is and How to Do It
Crystal Oliver
In this lecture, we will explore the concept of literary citizenship and discuss ways to become more engaged in the literary community. We will define literary citizenship, discuss the benefits of being a literary citizen, and provide tips on how to get involved.
The Great Art of Writing Trauma
Eva Freeman
There has been a recent spike in narratives that deal with intergenerational trauma. Voices that we have never heard before are articulating these experiences in vivid detail. And yet they find themselves very much within an ongoing American literary tradition. This lecture will explore Faulkner, Morrison, Ward, and that master of writing trauma, Hemingway, in an effort to identify hallmarks of the form and perhaps most importantly, the impact writing this material has on the writer.
History and Fiction
Nadeem Zaman
There’s historical fiction and then there’s fiction that’s in conversation with history, or involves history as its backdrop. I will share my methods of doing research, writing fiction against historical events, and remaining true to facts while creating a story entirely of my own making.
Craft Talks
Literary Translation and New Relations
Heather Green
Essayist and translator Kate Briggs defines the role of translator as “writer of new sentences on the close basis of others, producer of relations.” In this talk, we’ll consider some of the joys and possibilities of literary translation, read several translations of a text and experiment with the creation a new version, and discuss English-to-English translation as a possible revision strategy for one’s “original” work.
How It Felt to Me: On Journaling
Crystal Oliver
In her essential essay, “On Keeping a Notebook,” Joan Didion reflects on how record-keeping helps us “keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be.” This lecture explores Didion’s premise, along with the art and act of journaling and how it can serve our creative output. By the end of this session, you’ll be inspired to keep ‘some kind of record’ to serve as a portkey to the memories of who and what you never imagined you could forget.
Architect of Your World: Build Strong Stories with Structure & Revision
Melissa Scholes Young
This talk will consider craft approaches to structure in stories and the role of revision. From beat sheets to heroine journey models to world building, we’ll discuss creating our own maps for the stories we most want to tell.