Description
Sunday, Mar 23, 1-4pm
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants
Hybrid Workshop*
The late great author Dorothy Allison famously advised us all to “write to our fear.” Often, though, that brave act results in scenes and lines that reveal ourselves in ways that may make us cringe. We are tempted to cut or sanitize those moments, but I’m here to ask if our stories and poems can be great – or even very good – if they don’t take some sort of calculated risk, whether that risk be such a revealing scene or a disruptive image, turn, or shift in style. Furthermore, once the text does take that risk, can it ultimately be about anything else? How do we identify the “points of no return” in our work, and how do we maximize their impact? We will begin by defining different types of risks fiction writers and poets take in their work and then discuss how the authors of various texts have managed and mitigated them. The goal is help us assess not only whether to take big chances in our work, but when and how. Over the course of the hour, we will discuss work by authors up and down the “risk” spectrum: Hanya Yanagihara, Andre Aciman, Sharon Olds, Albert Goldbarth, and Lucia Berlin, among others.
There is no advance reading for this workshop, but please come prepared to talk about a scene or “move” in one of your works of fiction or poetry that you consider “risky” or at least about which you have some anxiety or uncertainty. If nothing comes to mind, please come prepared to discuss a work-in-progress that might benefit from a shake-up as a way of raising the stakes.
*This workshop will take place at the QWF Office (Room 3, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec) with up to 2 virtual spots for participants who are unable to attend in-person because of distance or disability. By default, all workshop registrations are for in-person spots. If you can’t attend in person and would like to request a virtual slot, contact Riley at riley@qwf.org and wait for confirmation before registering. Please do not register until after you receive confirmation that there is a virtual spot for you.
