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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261008T200000
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SUMMARY:Writing for Games and Interactive Media
DESCRIPTION:Eight Thursdays\, Oct 8–Nov 26\, 8:00–10:00 p.m.\nOpen to all\nLimited to 12 participants\nHybrid workshop* \n  \nInteractive storytelling isn’t just for videogames\, tabletop or board games. Immersive theatre\, public art installations\, museum exhibits\, and educational experiences can all spring to life from narrative techniques that place the audience at the centre of the experience. \nIn this workshop\, we’ll develop foundational storytelling skills that you can use in your own interactive projects\, or to build your knowledge to work as a storyteller in interactive media\, including games. \nWe’ll begin with evergreen writing skills\, like character\, worldbuilding and dialogue\, and then consider the audience as a character\, branching narrative and stories that respond to audience inputs and actions\, and what all of this means for plot and structure. \nFinally\, we’ll discuss how to collaborate with other disciplines to make each part of an experience tell one great story. \n  \nEach session will include: \n\nA lecture and discussion of the topic of the week\nA participant-led analysis of an interactive story\nA generative writing exercise for hands-on practice\nTime for advice and Q&A about personal interactive projects\n\n  \nNotes:  \nSharing in-session writing is optional. Given the collaborative nature of interactive media\, occasional group work will be encouraged. \nNo special equipment is necessary. Please bring a notebook\, pen\, and all the curiosity and enthusiasm you can muster. You may bring a laptop or tablet if it’s your preference\, but all exercises can be completed with a pen and paper. \nThis is a human-led workshop about human-made experiences for human audiences. While we may employ technology in the pursuit of this goal\, this is not an appropriate space to use AI (like LLMs) or to undertake AI projects. \n  \nRecommended Reading: \nThe Game Narrative Kaleidoscope\, collated by Jon Ingold (https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/) \nThis anthology of over 100 current narrative practitioners\, writing about the topics that move them also has a free podcast\, in which contributors are interviewed. \nEmily Short’s Interactive Storytelling: Narrative and games and new media (https://emshort.blog) \n  \n*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 would like to request a virtual slot\, contact John at john@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot\, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you. \n  \nFormer theatre kid Jill Murray has designed and written for videogames since 2011. She has over 25 games to her name\, from AAA titles (Shadow of the Tomb Raider) to big indie games (Subnautica: Below Zero)\, and small ones (The Big Con). Her art games have been showcased at the Young V&A museum\, and poetry festivals in the UK. She previously published two young adult novels and is now completing her MFA in Creative Nonfiction. She has taught game design and writing in workshops and classes to writers of all stripes and is excited to do it again. \n  \nSocial Media: Bluesky: @jillmurray.bsky.social\, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-murray/
URL:https://qwf.org/event/writing-for-games-and-interactive-media/2026-10-08/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261008T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261008T193000
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SUMMARY:Expanding Our Poetic Range Through Memory\, Place\, and the Senses
DESCRIPTION:Eight Thursdays\, 5:45–7:45 p.m.\nOpen to all\nLimited to 12 participants\nHybrid workshop* \n  \nHow\, as writers\, can we break the surface of the everyday and go deep? This workshop is for poets of any level of experience who are seeking to expand the range of their subject matter. Over the eight sessions of the workshop\, we will take some time to dwell in the places our writers’ sensibility can travel when we tune into our senses and journey into memory and place. \n  \nThe aim of the workshop will be to generate a rich pool of new material\, from which our best work can emerge. Workshops will consist of in-class writing exercises\, weekly writing assignments\, and time for participating poets to receive constructive feedback from the workshop leader and their peers. As a group\, we will also perform close readings of works by a range of published writers that constellate around a series of themes selected to help us mine our own memories and sensory experiences of the world around us. Some proposed themes include: a child’s-eye view: writing through the lens of childhood; lost and found: orienting through poetry; (re)mapping our world: a sense of place; entering the myth: poetic exchanges with mythology; and mapping the landscape of the body. \n  \nYou will be encouraged\, for the duration of the course\, to “apprentice” yourself to the work of a published poet of your choice\, whose voice will be a steady and nourishing guide as you work on your own material. You will also have the opportunity (though it is by no means obligatory) to read your own work aloud\, both as a practice tool for giving future poetry readings\, and to “lend an ear” to the editing process. The workshop will be a safe and friendly space\, with an emphasis on diving into the messiness of creation and getting excited about new ideas. \n  \n*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 would like to request a virtual slot\, contact John at john@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot\, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you. \n  \nKelly Norah Drukker is a Montréal-based poet and nonfiction writer. Her poetry collection Small Fires (McGill-Queen’s University Press) won the A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry and the Concordia University First Book Prize\, and was a finalist for the Grand Prix du livre de Montréal. Petits feux\, the French-language translation\, was published by Le lézard amoureux in 2018. Most recently\, Kelly’s work has appeared in The Goose: A Journal of Arts\, Environment\, and Culture in Canada\, The Temz Review\, Burning House Press (UK)\, and Rabbit Poetry (Australia). Kelly holds an MA in English and Creative Writing and a PhD in interdisciplinary Humanities from Concordia University.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/expanding-our-poetic-range-through-memory-place-and-the-senses-2/2026-10-08/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261007T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261007T193000
DTSTAMP:20260731T122321Z
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SUMMARY:Narrative Non-Fiction: Creating Scenes
DESCRIPTION:Eight Wednesdays\, Oct 7–Dec 2\, 5:45–7:45 p.m. (no meeting Oct 28) \nOpen to all\nLimited to 12 participants\nHybrid Workshop* \nNarrative non-fiction took off in the 1960s\, when writers like Tom Wolfe\, Joan Didion\, and Gay Talese started using the techniques of fiction writers to tell true stories. Sometimes called New Journalism\, the genre exploded when fiction writers like Truman Capote and Norman Mailer switched over to non-fiction\, attaining major critical and popular success. The ever-increasing demand for non-fiction writing highlights readers’ desire to connect with stories that make sense of their surroundings. \nNarrative non-fiction blends reporting\, research\, and storytelling. In this workshop we’ll learn about how to write scenes that are true to life. Instead of simply stating what\nhappened\, or recounting events chronologically\, we’ll explore how to create a scene\, as a screenwriter or novelist or non-fiction author might. Your task will be to impose a narrative on reality – and make it interesting to readers. We’ll talk about the techniques behind writing about your own experience\, and about documenting other people’s lives. We’ll discuss what constitutes non-fiction – and what doesn’t. We’ll also speak about mining rich veins of source material from dusty old books\, or weird scientific studies\, or unusual academic treatises. \nEach of you will be asked to present one piece of writing to the group\, which will be workshopped by the group. (Participants will read and discuss each other’s writing.) I will also hand out some examples of narrative non-fiction to illustrate what it is we’re speaking about. These will also inform and inspire your own work in the workshop. No advance work is required for the workshop\, but do have an idea of what you’d like to work on in our time together. In our second session\, we’ll be discussing what each student plans on workshopping. \n*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 would like to request a virtual slot\, contact John at john@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot\, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you. \n  \nAdam Leith Gollner is the author of The Fruit Hunters (a New York Times Editors’ Choice) and The Book of Immortality (recipient of The QWF’s Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction)\, as well as several collaborative books on nature\, art\, and literature. A contributing editor at Vanity Fair\, and the former editor of Vice Magazine\, his work has been published by The Paris Review\, The New Yorker\, GQ\, and The New York Times. His forthcoming non-fiction book is the story of an amateur art sleuth who tracks down lost masterpieces—and who cracked one of the most confounding art heists in American history. \nsocial media: @adamgollner
URL:https://qwf.org/event/narrative-non-fiction-creating-scenes-2/2026-10-07/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261006T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261006T220000
DTSTAMP:20260910T214538Z
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SUMMARY:The Art of the Braided Essay (Tuesdays)
DESCRIPTION:Eight Tuesdays\, Oct 6–Dec 1\, 5:45–7:45 p.m. (no meeting Oct 13)\nOpen to all\nLimited to 12 participants \n  \nCreative nonfiction thrives on surprising connections and shocking twists. The essay in particular is a form that often seeks to find truth by bringing together disparate narratives. Creating depth and tension through unexpected juxtaposition of themes\, images and even styles\, it allows us to examine a subject anew from multiple angles–personal\, historical\, cultural\, whatever catches your imagination! \n  \nBut how do you find those different threads\, and once you’ve got them\, how do you structure your thoughts? How do you go from a mass of disparate observations to a cohesive\, powerful and surprising work of creative nonfiction? \n  \nThat’s where braiding comes in. As essayist Nicole Walker writes\, “radical braiding is a foundation of creative nonfiction.” It exists in almost every mode\, from personal essay to literary journalism. It even pops up in fiction. Braiding narratives can bring breadth to a personal story\, intimacy to a scientific subject\, and drama to the mundane. As with the hairstyle\, a braid can be neat or messy\, simple or endlessly complex\, with a pattern that breaks apart only to come together in the end as a fascinating\, unexpected whole. \n  \nWhether you’re starting a new project or looking to bring fresh complexity to a work in progress\, this eight-week workshop will offer a deep dive into the craft of braiding. Through readings\, writing activities and peer and instructor feedback\, participants will learn from writers who use the form with great skill and apply that knowledge to their own work. Participants should be prepared to complete the session with a draft of a braided essay. \n  \nBefore our first meeting\, please read “The Braided Essay as Social Justice Action” by Nicole Walker and come prepared to write! \n  \nErika Thorkelson is the author of two forthcoming books of creative nonfiction: How to Look at a Volcano\, an essay collection that explores the intimate effects of large-scale instability and disaster\, both human made and natural (Book*Hug Press 2027)\, and Clumsy\, a memoir about growing up poor and nerdy on the prairies at the end of the 20th Century (NeWest Press 2028). Her work has appeared in local and national publications including Geist\, Prairie Fire and The Walrus. Her essay “A Girl Needs a Mech Suit” will appear in the Best Canadian Essays 2027. \n  \nhttps://linktr.ee/ethorkel
URL:https://qwf.org/event/the-art-of-the-braided-essay-tuesdays/2026-10-06/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261006T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261006T220000
DTSTAMP:20260731T122321Z
CREATED:20260723T205536Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260731T122321Z
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SUMMARY:Getting Elemental: Fundamentals of Short Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Open to all \nLimited to 12 participants \nHybrid workshop* \n  \nWorkshop Description: Getting Elemental: Exploring the Fundamentals of Short Fiction is a two-month long\, weekly 2-hour workshop that focuses on a different element of style each week. These topics include; setting\, character development\, dialogue\, description\, voice\, theme\, point of view\, and structure. \nIn a satisfying short story\, all the elements of fiction listed above are working in concert to create an immersive world populated with complex characters. Of course\, all of these elements are overlapping and influencing each other. However\, by focusing on one element per week\, we can try to understand how to make sure each element is in harmony with the others. \nOver the course of the workshop\, participants will submit one full-length story (2500-3000 words) to the group for discussion. In addition to the full-length story\, participants will have opportunities to share scenes generated in response to weekly prompts. \nThe critique of short scenes will focus on the elements of short fiction discussed in the exercises as well as on sentence-level decisions about diction and rhythm. By flipping between critiques of full stories and shorter pieces\, we will be able to have conversations that both delve deep into sentence level concerns and address big-picture structural questions. This format also allows participants multiple opportunities to share their work with the group. \nThis workshop centers on delivering and receiving feedback. Isolating what is and isn’t working in other people’s work is crucial to honing your own craft. Further\, learning to give incisive and compassionate feedback is a valuable skill that will help you build a writing community. \nParticipants should have a short story of 2500-3000 words prepared in advance of the first session of the workshop. \n  \n*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 would like to request a virtual slot\, contact John at john@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot\, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you. \n  \nEva Crocker is a writer and editor based in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal). She is the author of two critically acclaimed novels\, Back in the Land of the Living (House of Anansi Press 2023) and  All I Ask (House of Anansi Press 2020)\, which won the BMO Winterset Award. Her debut short story collection\, Barrelling Forward (House of Anansi Press 2015)\, won the Alistair MacLeod Prize for Short Fiction and the CAA Emerging Writer Award\, was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ Emerging Writers and the NLCU Fresh Fish Award for Emerging Writers\, and was a National Post Best Book. Her new short story collection\, Bargain Bargain Bargain\, will be published by McClelland & Stewart in 2027. \n  \nEva holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Humanities from Concordia University.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/getting-elemental-fundamentals-of-short-fiction/2026-10-06/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261005T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261005T220000
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SUMMARY:The Art of the Braided Essay
DESCRIPTION:Eight Mondays\, Oct 5–Nov 30\, 8:00–10:00 p.m. (no meeting Oct 12)\nOpen to all\nLimited to 12 participants \n  \nCreative nonfiction thrives on surprising connections and shocking twists. The essay in particular is a form that often seeks to find truth by bringing together disparate narratives. Creating depth and tension through unexpected juxtaposition of themes\, images and even styles\, it allows us to examine a subject anew from multiple angles–personal\, historical\, cultural\, whatever catches your imagination! \n  \nBut how do you find those different threads\, and once you’ve got them\, how do you structure your thoughts? How do you go from a mass of disparate observations to a cohesive\, powerful and surprising work of creative nonfiction? \n  \nThat’s where braiding comes in. As essayist Nicole Walker writes\, “radical braiding is a foundation of creative nonfiction.” It exists in almost every mode\, from personal essay to literary journalism. It even pops up in fiction. Braiding narratives can bring breadth to a personal story\, intimacy to a scientific subject\, and drama to the mundane. As with the hairstyle\, a braid can be neat or messy\, simple or endlessly complex\, with a pattern that breaks apart only to come together in the end as a fascinating\, unexpected whole. \n  \nWhether you’re starting a new project or looking to bring fresh complexity to a work in progress\, this eight-week workshop will offer a deep dive into the craft of braiding. Through readings\, writing activities and peer and instructor feedback\, participants will learn from writers who use the form with great skill and apply that knowledge to their own work. Participants should be prepared to complete the session with a draft of a braided essay. \n  \nBefore our first meeting\, please read “The Braided Essay as Social Justice Action” by Nicole Walker and come prepared to write! \n  \nErika Thorkelson is the author of two forthcoming books of creative nonfiction: How to Look at a Volcano\, an essay collection that explores the intimate effects of large-scale instability and disaster\, both human made and natural (Book*Hug Press 2027)\, and Clumsy\, a memoir about growing up poor and nerdy on the prairies at the end of the 20th Century (NeWest Press 2028). Her work has appeared in local and national publications including Geist\, Prairie Fire and The Walrus. Her essay “A Girl Needs a Mech Suit” will appear in the Best Canadian Essays 2027. \n  \nhttps://linktr.ee/ethorkel
URL:https://qwf.org/event/the-art-of-the-braided-essay/2026-10-05/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260714T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260714T190000
DTSTAMP:20260625T150026Z
CREATED:20260625T150026Z
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SUMMARY:Beyond Lovecraft: A Weird Fiction Writing Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Have you always wanted to write a strange and dark tale of your own? Whether you’re new to weird fiction or a passionate acolyte\, this two-hour creative writing workshop will give you the tools you need to write in a mode usually associated with H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. Looking beyond the cosmic horror genre Lovecraft spawned\, we will seek inspiration from a range of classic and contemporary writers of the weird\, such as Algernon Blackwood\, China Miéville\, Leena Kohn\, and Kelly Link\, among others. These authors’ fiction ranges from the Gothic to the surreal and their prose varies from florid and ornate to deceptively simple. While learning how to create a sense of the uncanny\, the sublime\, and the unknowable\, you will leave the workshop with pages of new writing and a seed for your own weird tale. \nWorkshop offered in English\, but participants are welcome to write in the language they are most comfortable with. \nInstructor: Matthew Rettino \nPlease sign up using the Google Form: https://forms.gle/bF3qikV4hZNxvc61A. \n$25 fee payment can be made out to Matthew Rettino by Interac etransfer: matthew.rettino@gmail.com.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/beyond-lovecraft-a-weird-fiction-writing-workshop/
LOCATION:Phoenix Books\, 5928 Sherbrooke Street West\, 5928 Sherbrooke St W\, Montreal\, QC\, H4A 1X7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260612T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260731T203000
DTSTAMP:20260612T134558Z
CREATED:20260525T151905Z
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SUMMARY:Writing Contemporary Short Fiction with Siavash Saadlou (Online course)
DESCRIPTION:Date and Time: Fridays\, June 12–July 31\, 6:30–8:30 p.m. ET \nThis intensive\, 8-week online workshop is designed for writers who want to break away from conventional narrative formulas and master the sharp\, subtext-driven landscape of contemporary short fiction. Moving past predictable plots\, we will analyze the technical mechanics of stories that feel alive\, dangerous\, and emotionally bruising. To anchor our craft lectures\, we will closely study the machinery of some of today’s most acclaimed contemporary voices\, reading award-winning work by Jamel Brinkley\, Jhumpa Lahiri\, Ottessa Moshfegh\, Emma Binder\, and Amber Caron. Each two-hour session pairs deep-dive structural analysis of these authors’ stories with immediate\, high-stakes writing sprints. This is a hands-on workshop. You will draft live\, dissect craft machinery\, and workshop your own fiction in a rigorous\, supportive environment modeled on top-tier MFA programs. By looking closely at how today’s masters engineer desire\, proximity\, and domestic friction\, you will learn to build short fiction that lingers long after the final sentence. \nMaximum number of participants: 12\nStandard Registration: $295 CAD\nQWF Members: $250 CAD \nAbout the instructor:\nSiavash Saadlou is a 2026 Rising Star\, selected by Writers’ Trust of Canada. His short stories\, essays\, and works of translation have appeared in Ploughshares\, Massachusetts Review\, and New England Review\, among other journals. He is the winner of numerous literary contests\, including the 2025 Conger Beasley Jr. Award for Nonfiction\, the 2024 McNally Robinson Booksellers Creative Nonfiction Prize\, and the 2023 Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize. \nView syllabus. \nTo register\, or if you have questions\, email Siavash Saadlou at siavash.saadlou@gmail.com.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/writing-contemporary-short-fiction-with-siavash-saadlou-online-course/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T163000
DTSTAMP:20260323T223136Z
CREATED:20260323T223131Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T223136Z
UID:10004879-1780752600-1780763400@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Borderlands: A QWF Springtime Writing Workshop in the Eastern Townships
DESCRIPTION:Borderlands are in-between places\, neither here nor there\, yet shot through with newness\, variability\, and change. Borders can be physical or spiritual. They can feel exciting or uncomfortable. They hold an element of uncertainty. \n\n\n\nThis writing workshop takes place over two three-hour Saturday sessions in Sutton\, Quebec. Sutton is a few minutes from the US border\, whose troubled or untroubled status has known eras filled with bloodshed\, sorrow\, and filial love and has experienced complex tensions today. Those of us who once crossed that border for an ice cream cone and a joyful waterfall swim may have a very different relationship with it now. \n\n\n\nSimilarly\, our own interior border crossings are fertile with meaning: perhaps you are navigating a border between youth and age\, or between health and frailty. Maybe you are in a process of losing or seeking something that profoundly affects how you are positioned in the world. Or maybe the past and the future have begun to feel intertwined instead of delineated\, thus altering time itself. \n\n\n\nThis writing workshop will give you space and time to think and write about borderlands—interior or exterior—in your current experience. We will use conversation\, art supplies\, writing prompts\, and writing materials to compose fluid-genre writing that helps us inhabit the uncertainty of the in-between places in our lives\, with curiosity and hope rather than resistance or fear. Please bring coloured pens or pencils and something on which to write\, such as paper or a notebook. \n\n\n\nOnce you have registered\, please send a brief description of no more than 250 words of a place you know or remember—a place that makes you feel something—to riley@qwf.org. The subject line should read “For Kathleen Winter.” \n\n\n\nKathleen Winter writes novels\, short stories\, memoir\, and essays. These include the novel\, Annabel\, and the Arctic memoir\, Boundless (Anansi)\, both of which won or were shortlisted for multiple Canadian and international awards. Her latest novel\, Undersong (Knopf Canada)\, is inspired by Dorothy Wordsworth’s late unpublished diaries. She is currently working on a book of poetry about a local mountain and its non-human voices. Winter was born in the U.K.\, grew up in Newfoundland\, and in 2010 moved with her family to Montreal. For the past five years she has lived in Sutton\, in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/borderlands-a-qwf-springtime-writing-workshop-in-the-eastern-townships/2026-06-06/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Spring-2026-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260530T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260530T163000
DTSTAMP:20260323T223136Z
CREATED:20260323T223131Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T223136Z
UID:10004878-1780147800-1780158600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Borderlands: A QWF Springtime Writing Workshop in the Eastern Townships
DESCRIPTION:Borderlands are in-between places\, neither here nor there\, yet shot through with newness\, variability\, and change. Borders can be physical or spiritual. They can feel exciting or uncomfortable. They hold an element of uncertainty. \n\n\n\nThis writing workshop takes place over two three-hour Saturday sessions in Sutton\, Quebec. Sutton is a few minutes from the US border\, whose troubled or untroubled status has known eras filled with bloodshed\, sorrow\, and filial love and has experienced complex tensions today. Those of us who once crossed that border for an ice cream cone and a joyful waterfall swim may have a very different relationship with it now. \n\n\n\nSimilarly\, our own interior border crossings are fertile with meaning: perhaps you are navigating a border between youth and age\, or between health and frailty. Maybe you are in a process of losing or seeking something that profoundly affects how you are positioned in the world. Or maybe the past and the future have begun to feel intertwined instead of delineated\, thus altering time itself. \n\n\n\nThis writing workshop will give you space and time to think and write about borderlands—interior or exterior—in your current experience. We will use conversation\, art supplies\, writing prompts\, and writing materials to compose fluid-genre writing that helps us inhabit the uncertainty of the in-between places in our lives\, with curiosity and hope rather than resistance or fear. Please bring coloured pens or pencils and something on which to write\, such as paper or a notebook. \n\n\n\nOnce you have registered\, please send a brief description of no more than 250 words of a place you know or remember—a place that makes you feel something—to riley@qwf.org. The subject line should read “For Kathleen Winter.” \n\n\n\nKathleen Winter writes novels\, short stories\, memoir\, and essays. These include the novel\, Annabel\, and the Arctic memoir\, Boundless (Anansi)\, both of which won or were shortlisted for multiple Canadian and international awards. Her latest novel\, Undersong (Knopf Canada)\, is inspired by Dorothy Wordsworth’s late unpublished diaries. She is currently working on a book of poetry about a local mountain and its non-human voices. Winter was born in the U.K.\, grew up in Newfoundland\, and in 2010 moved with her family to Montreal. For the past five years she has lived in Sutton\, in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/borderlands-a-qwf-springtime-writing-workshop-in-the-eastern-townships/2026-05-30/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Spring-2026-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260516T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260516T173000
DTSTAMP:20260415T170243Z
CREATED:20260413T174942Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T170243Z
UID:10004925-1778941800-1778952600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Embodied Writing - Wellspring Edition
DESCRIPTION:The wellspring is that which precedes effort: the body before interpretation\, breath before direction\, knowing before language takes shape. It is not made; it is met. \nWriting begins here\, where what has been gathering beneath the surface starts to rise—no longer hidden\, not fully formed\, but already moving through us like the ecstasy of sunlight in our veins. \nThis workshop invites you to write\, attuning to the source beneath thought\, and letting language surge through the body as it takes its rightful place in the world. \nOur practice will interweave: \n\nKundalini breathwork\nStretches & light movement\nCreative writing prompts & exercises\nMeditation\nAn optional sharing & discussion circle\nHomemade chai & a sweet treat\n\nWhat to bring: \nYour journal\, a pen\, comfy clothes\, and a willing heart. \nWhat to know: \nPens & paper will be available. Seating options will include chairs\, mats\, and back jacks. There will be space to move\, shift\, and settle as needed. \nAccessibility: \nThe space is on the 4th floor. There are a few steps leading up into the lobby where there is an elevator accessible. \nAbout the facilitator: \nMaya Khamala is a lifelong writer of many stripes. From poetry to grassroots journalism to creative nonfiction\, word is her bond. She has collaborated with visual artists\, and worked as a freelance copywriter and editor. She has a shiny little MA in Creative Writing to list among her credentials\, and is an emerging novelist. Maya has an extensive background in feminist\, anti-racist\, climate justice and Indigenous solidarity movements—work that has deeply informed the way she wields words. Aside from being a writer\, she is also a Kundalini Yoga teacher and Embodied Writing facilitator. She got into Kundalini as a way of healing from childhood trauma and its many lifelong manifestations in her body\, as well as to counteract being a writer who sometimes forgets to step away from the keyboard…and just breathe. \nAll are welcome. Limited spots. \n  \nSign up: https://heartfirekundalini.com/#events
URL:https://qwf.org/event/embodied-writing-wellspring-edition/
LOCATION:Studio 414\, 10 Avenue des Pins West #414\, Montreal
CATEGORIES:Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Square-wellspring.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260514T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260514T194500
DTSTAMP:20260107T182237Z
CREATED:20260107T182233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T182237Z
UID:10004789-1778780700-1778787900@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay (Thursdays)
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay?Theme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings:Sarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)Joan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”In-Class:Introductions & course goalsDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essayPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory failsHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and FragmentTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings:Sheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)Maggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)In-Class:Discussion: how fragment builds resonanceExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memoryHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and ConfessionTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings:Alicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)Leslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)In-Class:Confessional vs. performative honestyPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it toHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional RegisterTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings:Zadie Smith\, “Fail Better”Katherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of viewIn-Class:Discuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitanceExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)Homework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and FormTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)Eula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”In-Class:Discuss braiding personal + cultural historyExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)Homework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as CharacterTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings:Sheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)James Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)In-Class:Compare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertaintyPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POVHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and ResponsibilityTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings:Katherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, traumaAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”In-Class:Debate: what’s “too much” to share?Workshop 2–3 student essaysHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and CompressionTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)Joan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”In-Class:Revision strategies (How to “write coldly”)Prompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essenceHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic ExcavationTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings:None — focus on student manuscripts.In-Class:Half-class workshopIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”Discuss strategies for expansion vs. contractionHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication PathsTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings:None — focus on participant work.In-Class:Final peer workshopDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)Closing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practiceHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay-thursdays/2026-05-14/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260512T194500
DTSTAMP:20251211T190728Z
CREATED:20251211T190728Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190728Z
UID:10004717-1778607900-1778615100@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay? \n\n\n\nTheme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nIntroductions & course goals\n\n\n\nDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essay\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory fails\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and Fragment \n\n\n\nTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)\n\n\n\nMaggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscussion: how fragment builds resonance\n\n\n\nExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memory\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and Confession \n\n\n\nTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nAlicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)\n\n\n\nLeslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nConfessional vs. performative honesty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it to\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional Register \n\n\n\nTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nZadie Smith\, “Fail Better”\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of view\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitance\n\n\n\nExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and Form \n\n\n\nTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso replaced here to avoid repetition →NEW reading:\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)\n\n\n\n\n\nEula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss braiding personal + cultural history\n\n\n\nExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as Character \n\n\n\nTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)\n\n\n\nJames Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nCompare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertainty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POV\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and Responsibility \n\n\n\nTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, trauma\n\n\n\nAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDebate: what’s “too much” to share?\n\n\n\nWorkshop 2–3 student essays\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and Compression \n\n\n\nTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nRevision strategies (How to “write coldly”)\n\n\n\nPrompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essence\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic Excavation \n\n\n\nTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on student manuscripts.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nHalf-class workshop\n\n\n\nIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”\n\n\n\nDiscuss strategies for expansion vs. contraction\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication Paths \n\n\n\nTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on participant work.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nFinal peer workshop\n\n\n\nDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)\n\n\n\nClosing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practice\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay/2026-05-12/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260507T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260507T194500
DTSTAMP:20260107T182237Z
CREATED:20260107T182233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T182237Z
UID:10004788-1778175900-1778183100@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay (Thursdays)
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay?Theme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings:Sarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)Joan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”In-Class:Introductions & course goalsDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essayPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory failsHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and FragmentTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings:Sheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)Maggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)In-Class:Discussion: how fragment builds resonanceExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memoryHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and ConfessionTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings:Alicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)Leslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)In-Class:Confessional vs. performative honestyPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it toHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional RegisterTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings:Zadie Smith\, “Fail Better”Katherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of viewIn-Class:Discuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitanceExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)Homework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and FormTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)Eula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”In-Class:Discuss braiding personal + cultural historyExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)Homework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as CharacterTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings:Sheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)James Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)In-Class:Compare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertaintyPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POVHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and ResponsibilityTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings:Katherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, traumaAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”In-Class:Debate: what’s “too much” to share?Workshop 2–3 student essaysHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and CompressionTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)Joan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”In-Class:Revision strategies (How to “write coldly”)Prompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essenceHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic ExcavationTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings:None — focus on student manuscripts.In-Class:Half-class workshopIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”Discuss strategies for expansion vs. contractionHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication PathsTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings:None — focus on participant work.In-Class:Final peer workshopDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)Closing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practiceHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay-thursdays/2026-05-07/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260505T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260505T194500
DTSTAMP:20251211T190728Z
CREATED:20251211T190728Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190728Z
UID:10004716-1778003100-1778010300@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay? \n\n\n\nTheme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nIntroductions & course goals\n\n\n\nDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essay\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory fails\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and Fragment \n\n\n\nTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)\n\n\n\nMaggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscussion: how fragment builds resonance\n\n\n\nExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memory\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and Confession \n\n\n\nTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nAlicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)\n\n\n\nLeslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nConfessional vs. performative honesty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it to\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional Register \n\n\n\nTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nZadie Smith\, “Fail Better”\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of view\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitance\n\n\n\nExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and Form \n\n\n\nTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso replaced here to avoid repetition →NEW reading:\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)\n\n\n\n\n\nEula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss braiding personal + cultural history\n\n\n\nExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as Character \n\n\n\nTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)\n\n\n\nJames Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nCompare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertainty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POV\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and Responsibility \n\n\n\nTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, trauma\n\n\n\nAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDebate: what’s “too much” to share?\n\n\n\nWorkshop 2–3 student essays\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and Compression \n\n\n\nTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nRevision strategies (How to “write coldly”)\n\n\n\nPrompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essence\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic Excavation \n\n\n\nTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on student manuscripts.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nHalf-class workshop\n\n\n\nIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”\n\n\n\nDiscuss strategies for expansion vs. contraction\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication Paths \n\n\n\nTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on participant work.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nFinal peer workshop\n\n\n\nDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)\n\n\n\nClosing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practice\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay/2026-05-05/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T220000
DTSTAMP:20251211T190726Z
CREATED:20251211T190726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190726Z
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SUMMARY:Slantwise: Writing the Prose Poem
DESCRIPTION:For poets\, prose writers\, and curious in-betweeners. All levels welcome. \n\n\n\nWhat happens when a poem refuses the line? Or when a paragraph shifts under the influence of rhythm\, repetition\, and associative logic? The prose poem claims a wonderfully hybrid space between genres. It’s written using sentences as units of meaning but driven by compression\, imagery\, voice\, and lyric intensity. What actually differentiates poetic prose from a prose poem? The ambiguity itself can be useful creative fuel. \n\n\n\nOur workshop will invite poets to explore possibilities beyond the line break\, and prose writers to loosen their attachment to traditional narrative. Each week\, we will: \n\n\n\n\nRead and discuss a prose poem and/or short craft-focused text\n\n\n\nRespond to a generative writing prompt meant to inspire new writing\n\n\n\nWorkshop participants’ pieces in a supportive and inclusive environment\n\n\n\n\nWe’ll also explore a range of prose poem variations such as the haibun\, list poems\, persona poems\, collage-based prose\, constraint-driven pieces\, and more. \n\n\n\nExpect some reading and drafting to happen outside of the workshop. Our shared time will be devoted to generative discussion and thoughtful feedback. Prior workshop experience is helpful but not necessary. Either way\, participants should come ready to both receive and offer critique in the spirit of curiosity and care.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/slantwise-writing-the-prose-poem/2026-04-30/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T194500
DTSTAMP:20260107T182237Z
CREATED:20260107T182233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T182237Z
UID:10004787-1777571100-1777578300@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay (Thursdays)
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay?Theme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings:Sarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)Joan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”In-Class:Introductions & course goalsDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essayPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory failsHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and FragmentTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings:Sheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)Maggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)In-Class:Discussion: how fragment builds resonanceExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memoryHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and ConfessionTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings:Alicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)Leslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)In-Class:Confessional vs. performative honestyPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it toHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional RegisterTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings:Zadie Smith\, “Fail Better”Katherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of viewIn-Class:Discuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitanceExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)Homework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and FormTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)Eula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”In-Class:Discuss braiding personal + cultural historyExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)Homework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as CharacterTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings:Sheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)James Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)In-Class:Compare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertaintyPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POVHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and ResponsibilityTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings:Katherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, traumaAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”In-Class:Debate: what’s “too much” to share?Workshop 2–3 student essaysHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and CompressionTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)Joan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”In-Class:Revision strategies (How to “write coldly”)Prompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essenceHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic ExcavationTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings:None — focus on student manuscripts.In-Class:Half-class workshopIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”Discuss strategies for expansion vs. contractionHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication PathsTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings:None — focus on participant work.In-Class:Final peer workshopDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)Closing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practiceHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay-thursdays/2026-04-30/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T194500
DTSTAMP:20251211T190726Z
CREATED:20251211T190726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190726Z
UID:10004741-1777571100-1777578300@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Creative Play for Writers (In Person)
DESCRIPTION:This workshop is designed for writers from any genre but artists from other mediums are welcome to join. \n\n\n\nYou can’t use up creativity. The more you use\, the more you have. \n\n\n\n~      Maya Angelou \n\n\n\nMany writers have other creative outlets. Maya Angelou danced. D.H. Lawrence painted. Miranda July makes films. Creativity thrives across disciplines; when writers tap into other art forms\, surprising things can happen on the page. \n\n\n\nCreative Play for Writers is a hands-on\, exploratory workshop that uses visual art\, music\, movement\, film\, and more to spark new writing. Each session invites you to engage with a different form of creative expression—not to master it\, but to play with it—and discover how it can fuel your storytelling. \n\n\n\nYou’ll respond to rich\, sensory prompts\, collaborate with others\, and experiment freely. Whether you’re feeling stuck\, looking for new inspiration\, or simply aiming to reconnect with the joy of making things\, this workshop offers a playful and supportive space to expand your creative practice. \n\n\n\nWe will explore exercises and readings from Syllabus by Lynda Barry\, Workbook by Steven Heighton\, and The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad. We will also touch on the ideas and art of Rebecca Belmore and Elizabeth Zvonar\, among others\, as inspiration. Weekly exercises and homework will be given.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/creative-play-for-writers-in-person/2026-04-30/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T220000
DTSTAMP:20260107T181429Z
CREATED:20260107T181425Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T181429Z
UID:10004779-1777492800-1777500000@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Sustaining Dramatic Tension in Long-form Fiction (Wednesdays)
DESCRIPTION:The feeling of losing an audience is one of the most terrifying experiences a theatre actor can have. With fiction writing\, the relationship to the reader is far less immediate but\, I would argue\, no less important. The energy created in the first pages of a novel begins a relationship between an author and her reader and must be tended throughout for the relationship to flourish. \n\n\n\nStories were spoken aloud long before they were written down. The ability to convey information in compelling packets is innate to all of us\, as important to human survival as hunting or farming. From the 911 call to a teen’s excuse for why their homework is late\, we are in a near constant state of story-making. But how to hold your reader’s attention for 300+ pages? \n\n\n\nThis workshop proposes to look at long-form fiction’s rules of craft through the lens of theatre to breathe new and exciting life into familiar concepts. It is open to writers at all levels; all aspects will be explained and explored in depth. Writing exercises and selected reading will supplement in-class discussions. \n\n\n\n\nWeek #1: Dramatic Tension – What is it? How is it created?  How is it sustained? From the actor’s toolkit: actions\, objectives\, obstacles\, tactics\, and super-objectives.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #2: Unity of Action – We will look at Aristotle’s definition of action and Shakespeare’s use of verbs to see how every action in every chapter of your novel is contributing to the larger overarching action of the novel.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #3: Causality – How to discern if a chapter or scene is following the scene before it out of necessity. When a novel is propulsive\, you can be sure the author understands causality.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #4: Character and the importance of contrast of characters.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #5: Show Don’t Tell and the actor’s version of this famous writing rule: acting is visual first.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #6: Language\, Diction\, and Tone – Style choices\, syntax\, and the nitty gritty at the line level.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #7: Writing Constraints as maps. How writing constraints allow you to access the buried treasures of your subconscious and still find your way back to your core ideas.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #8: Know Your Writing– Michael Crummey\, Toni Morrison\, and Louise Erdrich are three very different writers\, but they are each completely and consistently themselves. Who are you as a writer? Participants will be asked to bring in a longer sample of writing than for previous workshops. Through positive constructive feedback\, we will use the elements we have learned as a guideline to get a sense of where each writer’s strengths lie\, and what in their voice or style makes them uniquely themselves. \n\n\n\n\nExcerpts (2-4 pages) from the following works will be provided: The Poetics by Aristotle\, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch\, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell\, Self-Help by Lorrie Moore\, A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders\, Beloved by Toni Morrison\, Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich\, True Grit by Charles Portis\, Foster by Claire Keegan\, Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood\, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\, Room by Emma Donahue\, Tell Me Everythi
URL:https://qwf.org/event/sustaining-dramatic-tension-in-long-form-fiction-wednesdays/2026-04-29/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T194500
DTSTAMP:20251211T190727Z
CREATED:20251211T190727Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190727Z
UID:10004733-1777484700-1777491900@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Translating Quebec Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Curious about literary translation? This eight-week workshop is an opportunity to experiment with translating contemporary French-language fiction from Quebec in a supportive setting where we will discuss the challenges and possibilities of different texts in translation together as a group. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will take home a short excerpt from a work of fiction to translate from French to English. We will then discuss and workshop our translations together during the following session. We’ll work on texts that pose a variety of different challenges in translation\, such as cultural references; jokes; regional slang and Québécismes; the inclusion of other dialects\, accents\, or languages; period-specific dialogue in historical fiction; experimental prose; and rendering voice in a first-person narrative. \n\n\n\nThroughout the workshop\, we will also think together about audience\, adaptation\, research\, and the role and responsibility of the translator\, and we’ll look at examples of existing translations to see what we can learn from different approaches. In our final session\, we’ll take a look at the process of translating a book for publication\, from choosing a project to writing a pitch to working with a reviser. \n\n\n\nNo previous translation experience is necessary for this workshop\, but participants should be comfortable reading and analyzing texts in French in order to write their own English translations.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/translating-quebec-fiction/2026-04-29/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T220000
DTSTAMP:20251211T190727Z
CREATED:20251211T190727Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190727Z
UID:10004725-1777406400-1777413600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Creative Play for Writers (Online)
DESCRIPTION:This workshop is designed for writers from any genre but artists from other mediums are welcome to join. \n\n\n\nYou can’t use up creativity. The more you use\, the more you have.~ Maya Angelou \n\n\n\nMany writers have other creative outlets. Maya Angelou danced. D.H. Lawrence painted. Miranda July makes films. Creativity thrives across disciplines and when writers tap into other art forms\, surprising things can happen on the page. \n\n\n\nCreative Play for Writers is an online exploratory workshop that uses visual art\, music\, movement\, film\, and more to spark new writing. Each session invites you to engage with a different form of creative expression—not to master it\, but to play with it—and discover how it can fuel your storytelling. \n\n\n\nYou’ll respond to rich\, sensory prompts\, collaborate with others\, and experiment freely\, both during the Zoom sessions and with set exercises in between classes. Whether you’re feeling stuck\, looking for new inspiration\, or simply aiming to reconnect with the joy of making things\, this workshop offers a playful and supportive online space to expand your creative practice. \n\n\n\nWe will explore exercises and readings from Syllabus by Lynda Barry\, Workbook by Steven Heighton\, and The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad. We will also touch on the ideas and art of Rebecca Belmore and Elizabeth Zvonar\, among others\, as inspiration. Weekly exercises and homework will be given.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/creative-play-for-writers-online/2026-04-28/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://qwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/5.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T194500
DTSTAMP:20251211T190728Z
CREATED:20251211T190728Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190728Z
UID:10004715-1777398300-1777405500@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay? \n\n\n\nTheme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nIntroductions & course goals\n\n\n\nDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essay\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory fails\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and Fragment \n\n\n\nTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)\n\n\n\nMaggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscussion: how fragment builds resonance\n\n\n\nExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memory\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and Confession \n\n\n\nTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nAlicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)\n\n\n\nLeslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nConfessional vs. performative honesty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it to\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional Register \n\n\n\nTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nZadie Smith\, “Fail Better”\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of view\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitance\n\n\n\nExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and Form \n\n\n\nTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSarah Manguso replaced here to avoid repetition →NEW reading:\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)\n\n\n\n\n\nEula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDiscuss braiding personal + cultural history\n\n\n\nExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as Character \n\n\n\nTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nSheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)\n\n\n\nJames Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nCompare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertainty\n\n\n\nPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POV\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and Responsibility \n\n\n\nTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nKatherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, trauma\n\n\n\nAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nDebate: what’s “too much” to share?\n\n\n\nWorkshop 2–3 student essays\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and Compression \n\n\n\nTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nJenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)\n\n\n\nJoan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nRevision strategies (How to “write coldly”)\n\n\n\nPrompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essence\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic Excavation \n\n\n\nTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on student manuscripts.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nHalf-class workshop\n\n\n\nIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”\n\n\n\nDiscuss strategies for expansion vs. contraction\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication Paths \n\n\n\nTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings: \n\n\n\n\nNone — focus on participant work.\n\n\n\n\nIn-Class: \n\n\n\n\nFinal peer workshop\n\n\n\nDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)\n\n\n\nClosing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practice\n\n\n\n\nHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay/2026-04-28/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T194500
DTSTAMP:20251211T190725Z
CREATED:20251211T190000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190725Z
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SUMMARY:Being There: Research for Writers
DESCRIPTION:How do you get that “being there” feeling? How much do you need to know about a particular time and place you’re after before launching yourself into a writing project? And what are the differing needs for fiction and nonfiction writers? \n\n\n\nThe objective in this workshop is two-fold: finding out what you need to bring your project to completion\, and listening to what you are discovering and letting your discoveries guide you. The art of the accident\, the coincidence\, changing on the fly\, is very much part of the research process. \n\n\n\nA quick note for potential participants: Is this workshop for fiction or nonfiction writers? Both. I have reported as a journalist from the same zones of conflict I later used in a novel\, and getting the necessary information on events there was the same for both types of writing. As a novelist\, I was free to mix and match and fantasize about what I had found\, whereas as a journalist\, I was bound by the facts. \n\n\n\nThis is how the workshop will proceed\, respecting the needs of the participants\, of course. We will bring in our research issues\, resolved or not\, pending or not\, real or imagined (“what if I wanted to know this?”). We’ll then turn to the work of learning what we want to know\, and how. Always with the question in mind: why? Why do we want to know such-and-such? How will it fit into the story we need to tell? How can we avoid over-researching\, or failing to assimilate our research into our writing? \n\n\n\nWe’ll pay special attention to the moral aspects of turning over stones when writing about friends\, family\, people we are or have been intimate with. We’ll look into topics very much on page 1 of people’s work\, like PTSD\, family violence\, etc. And no workshop can be carried out without looking at the technological advances (such as the Global Investigative Journalism Network) that allow us to gaze upon a landscape or a battlefield from the comfort of our living rooms. \n\n\n\nParticipants should bring in their own work to the group\, but also examples from other books and articles they feel provided the “being there” feeling. As a group\, we will create a community of fellow writers that will hopefully outlive this short workshop.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/being-there-research-for-writers/2026-04-28/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T220000
DTSTAMP:20251211T190729Z
CREATED:20251211T190729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190729Z
UID:10004703-1777320000-1777327200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Sustaining Dramatic Tension in Long-form Fiction
DESCRIPTION:The feeling of losing an audience is one of the most terrifying experiences a theatre actor can have. With fiction writing\, the relationship to the reader is far less immediate but\, I would argue\, no less important. The energy created in the first pages of a novel begins a relationship between an author and her reader and must be tended throughout for the relationship to flourish. \n\n\n\nStories were spoken aloud long before they were written down. The ability to convey information in compelling packets is innate to all of us\, as important to human survival as hunting or farming. From the 911 call to a teen’s excuse for why their homework is late\, we are in a near constant state of story-making. But how to hold your reader’s attention for 300+ pages? \n\n\n\nThis workshop proposes to look at long-form fiction’s rules of craft through the lens of theatre to breathe new and exciting life into familiar concepts. It is open to writers at all levels; all aspects will be explained and explored in depth. Writing exercises and selected reading will supplement in-class discussions. \n\n\n\n1.   Week #1: Dramatic Tension – What is it? How is it created?  How is it sustained? From the actor’s toolkit: actions\, objectives\, obstacles\, tactics\, and super-objectives. \n\n\n\n\nWeek #2: Unity of Action – We will look at Aristotle’s definition of action and Shakespeare’s use of verbs to see how every action in every chapter of your novel is contributing to the larger overarching action of the novel.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #3: Causality – How to discern if a chapter or scene is following the scene before it out of necessity. When a novel is propulsive\, you can be sure the author understands causality.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #4: Character and the importance of contrast of characters.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #5: Show Don’t Tell and the actor’s version of this famous writing rule: acting is visual first.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #6: Language\, Diction\, and Tone – Style choices\, syntax\, and the nitty gritty at the line level.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #7: Writing Constraints as maps. How writing constraints allow you to access the buried treasures of your subconscious and still find your way back to your core ideas.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #8: Know Your Writing– Michael Crummey\, Toni Morrison\, and Louise Erdrich are three very different writers\, but they are each completely and consistently themselves. Who are you as a writer? Participants will be asked to bring in a longer sample of writing than for previous workshops. Through positive constructive feedback\, we will use the elements we have learned as a guideline to get a sense of where each writer’s strengths lie\, and what in their voice or style makes them uniquely themselves. \n\n\n\n\nExcerpts (2-4 pages) from the following works will be provided: The Poetics by Aristotle\, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch\, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell\, Self-Help by Lorrie Moore\, A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders\, Beloved by Toni Morrison\, Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich\, True Grit by Charles Portis\, Foster by Claire Keegan\, Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood\, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\, Room by Emma Donahue\, Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout\, All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews\, and several Shakespearean monologues.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/sustaining-dramatic-tension-in-long-form-fiction/2026-04-27/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T194500
DTSTAMP:20251211T190729Z
CREATED:20251211T190729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190729Z
UID:10004695-1777311900-1777319100@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Poetic Transformations: Revising as Re-Seeing
DESCRIPTION:Most poets move through a process of honing our work. We draft\, workshop\, revise\, and polish our poems. But what possibilities await if we reframe revision as transformation? \n\n\n\nThis workshop will build a new toolkit for revising poetry—one that valorizes artistic possibility over the idea of a single finished draft. Together\, we will embrace each poem’s power to contain and reveal multiple versions of itself—versions that can stand alone or in conversation. \n\n\n\nThrough generative exercises\, craft wisdom\, and workshop-style feedback\, we will inhabit poet and composition scholar Wendy Bishop’s idea of radical revision. Each week\, we will enact experiments on our work to shake us out of the poems we thought we knew and into new stylistic territory. By embracing revision as an act of re-seeing\, we will confound our own expectations\, deepen into the inherent promise of our work\, and slough off stale writerly habits. A delightful\, productive defamiliarization may result. \n\n\n\nIf you’ve ever felt stuck\, not known how to revise\, or felt too attached to a draft to change it\, this workshop is for you. If you’ve ever wanted to create an inventive sequence of poems stemming from a single impulse\, this workshop is for you. If you’ve ever wanted to turn your linguistic sandcastle into a lexical dragon or syllabic shore bird\, this workshop is for you. \n\n\n\nThe strategies you will learn are designed to serve you both within and beyond the workshop. You can expect to leave the workshop with a newly articulated\, personalized philosophy of revision. You might leave with 8 radically different versions of a single poem. You might leave with a whole new sequence of poems that could scaffold a collection. Regardless\, you will leave with some substantially revised poetry along with the concrete tools and feedback to make future revision a process of expansive growth. \n\n\n\nThe workshop is open to practicing poets of all levels — with the following caveats: \n\n\n\n1) you must already be writing and revising poems; \n\n\n\n2) you must be willing to abandon the idea of single finished version of any given poem; and \n\n\n\n3) you must bring 3 to 5 of your own poems that you are willing to revise beyond recognition.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/poetic-transformations-revising-as-re-seeing/2026-04-27/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260425T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260425T163000
DTSTAMP:20251211T184833Z
CREATED:20251211T184828Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T184833Z
UID:10004757-1777113000-1777134600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:The Ears Have It: A One-Day Intensive on Narrative Podcasting
DESCRIPTION:Please note that this workshop does not cover technical production skills such as audio engineering\, editing software\, or equipment training. \n\n\n\nThe Ears Have It is a one-day immersive workshop designed to introduce participants to the art and craft of narrative podcasting\, with a special focus on story development and writing for the ear. Whether you’re an aspiring podcaster\, educator\, journalist\, or creative storyteller\, this workshop offers a practical\, energizing foundation for building audio stories that resonate. \n\n\n\nWe begin with a guided tour of the narrative podcast landscape. We ask what makes a compelling story\, how audio differs from other media\, and why structure is the backbone of every strong episode. From there\, we break down core building blocks of story: character\, stakes\, arc\, and theme. Through case studies\, listening exercises\, and discussion\, participants will explore how acclaimed podcasts like Radiolab\, Heavyweight\, and Wind of Change use writing to create intimacy\, tension\, and emotional depth. \n\n\n\nA major focus of the day is writing for audio. Participants will learn how to craft narration that sounds natural when spoken\, how to weave tape and narration together\, and how to revise with rhythm\, clarity\, and listener experience in mind. Hands-on writing prompts and group feedback help emerging storytellers develop their voice\, sharpen dialogue\, and strengthen narrative instincts. \n\n\n\nWe will also cover outlining strategies\, interview preparation from a narrative perspective\, and scripting approaches for a range of podcast formats. To round out the day\, participants will receive a brief overview of what comes after the script\, including recording best practices and how to position a new podcast for launch and audience discovery. \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will leave with a rough outline or script excerpt\, a deeper understanding of story mechanics\, and a practical set of tools to elevate their next episode. \n\n\n\nParticipant Preparation:Please come with a podcast idea—anything from a loose concept to a story you’ve already begun developing. Advance listening: one episode each of Heavyweight\, Radiolab\, or Wind of Change.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/the-ears-have-it-a-one-day-intensive-on-narrative-podcasting/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260423T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260423T220000
DTSTAMP:20251211T190726Z
CREATED:20251211T190726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190726Z
UID:10004748-1776974400-1776981600@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Slantwise: Writing the Prose Poem
DESCRIPTION:For poets\, prose writers\, and curious in-betweeners. All levels welcome. \n\n\n\nWhat happens when a poem refuses the line? Or when a paragraph shifts under the influence of rhythm\, repetition\, and associative logic? The prose poem claims a wonderfully hybrid space between genres. It’s written using sentences as units of meaning but driven by compression\, imagery\, voice\, and lyric intensity. What actually differentiates poetic prose from a prose poem? The ambiguity itself can be useful creative fuel. \n\n\n\nOur workshop will invite poets to explore possibilities beyond the line break\, and prose writers to loosen their attachment to traditional narrative. Each week\, we will: \n\n\n\n\nRead and discuss a prose poem and/or short craft-focused text\n\n\n\nRespond to a generative writing prompt meant to inspire new writing\n\n\n\nWorkshop participants’ pieces in a supportive and inclusive environment\n\n\n\n\nWe’ll also explore a range of prose poem variations such as the haibun\, list poems\, persona poems\, collage-based prose\, constraint-driven pieces\, and more. \n\n\n\nExpect some reading and drafting to happen outside of the workshop. Our shared time will be devoted to generative discussion and thoughtful feedback. Prior workshop experience is helpful but not necessary. Either way\, participants should come ready to both receive and offer critique in the spirit of curiosity and care.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/slantwise-writing-the-prose-poem/2026-04-23/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260423T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260423T194500
DTSTAMP:20260107T182237Z
CREATED:20260107T182233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T182237Z
UID:10004786-1776966300-1776973500@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Crafting a Compelling Personal Essay (Thursdays)
DESCRIPTION:The personal essay sits at the crossroads of memory\, imagination\, and reflection. It is a form that invites vulnerability and experimentation\, asking writers to turn the lens inward while reaching outward toward readers. This ten-week workshop explores the craft of creative nonfiction through readings\, discussion\, and guided writing exercises. Together\, we’ll study a wide range of contemporary essayists and thinkers such as Sheila Heti\, Alicia Elliott\, Maggie Nelson\, James Baldwin\, Leslie Jamison\, and Joan Didion\, whose work challenges and expands our understanding of form\, voice\, structure\, and truth-telling. \n\n\n\nEach week\, participants will write in response to prompts designed to help them develop their voice\, experiment with structure\, and explore the ethical and emotional complexities of writing about real lives (our own and others’). We will discuss fragments and braids\, confession and restraint\, intimacy and distance\, always returning to the central question: how do we shape lived experience into compelling art? \n\n\n\nBy the end of the workshop\, participants will have generated several essay fragments and drafts\, gained tools for revision\, and deepened their understanding of the essay as both a personal and public act. Writers will leave with at least one essay draft they can continue to refine beyond the course. No prior experience is required—just a willingness to read closely\, write bravely\, and share generously. \n\n\n\nWeek 1 — What Is a Personal Essay?Theme: Truth\, memory\, and the boundaries of nonfiction.Readings:Sarah Manguso\, The Two Kinds of Decay (selections)Joan Didion\, “On Keeping a Notebook”In-Class:Introductions & course goalsDiscuss “truth” vs. “fact” in essayPrompt: Write a short scene from memory\, then annotate where memory failsHomework: Write a 600–800-word vignette about a formative memory. \n\n\n\nWeek 2 — Memory and FragmentTheme: Shaping nonlinear memory.Readings:Sheila Heti\, Motherhood (fragmented passages)Maggie Nelson\, Bluets (selections)In-Class:Discussion: how fragment builds resonanceExercise: Write three fragmentary takes on the same memoryHomework: Develop a mosaic-style essay (1\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 3 — Intimacy and ConfessionTheme: The essayist’s voice and vulnerability.Readings:Alicia Elliott\, “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (title essay)Leslie Jamison\, The Empathy Exams (title essay excerpt)In-Class:Confessional vs. performative honestyPrompt: Write a letter to someone you cannot send it toHomework: Expand into a 1\,200-word letter-essay. \n\n\n\nWeek 4 — Deepening Voice\, Tone & Emotional RegisterTheme: How voice\, tone\, and emotional distance shape the personal essay.Readings:Zadie Smith\, “Fail Better”Katherena Vermette\, selected interviews on writing community\, trauma\, and point of viewIn-Class:Discuss tonal shifts: intimacy\, distance\, authority\, hesitanceExercise: Rewrite a paragraph in three distinct tonal registers (tender\, analytical\, ironic)Homework: Revise your Week 3 letter-essay with purposeful tonal modulation. \n\n\n\nWeek 5 — Structure and FormTheme: Chronology\, braiding\, and experimentation.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (fragmented passages on structure)Eula Biss\, “Time and Distance Overcome”In-Class:Discuss braiding personal + cultural historyExercise: Write a short braided passage (memory + outside text/reference)Homework: Draft a braided essay (1\,200–1\,500 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 6 — The Self as CharacterTheme: Distance between narrator and narrated self.Readings:Sheila Heti\, How Should a Person Be? (essayistic passages)James Baldwin\, “Notes of a Native Son” (opening sections)In-Class:Compare Baldwin’s authority with Heti’s uncertaintyPrompt: Write a scene twice — once from the past self’s POV\, once from the present self’s POVHomework: Develop one version into a polished essay draft. \n\n\n\nWeek 7 — Risk\, Ethics\, and ResponsibilityTheme: Writing what feels dangerous; truth vs. harm.Readings:Katherena Vermette\, interview excerpts on writing community\, family\, traumaAlexander Chee\, “The Autobiography of My Novel”In-Class:Debate: what’s “too much” to share?Workshop 2–3 student essaysHomework: Revise draft based on feedback. \n\n\n\nWeek 8 — Revision and CompressionTheme: Re-seeing\, cutting\, deepening.Readings:Jenny Offill\, Dept. of Speculation (compression and brevity passages)Joan Didion\, “Goodbye to All That”In-Class:Revision strategies (How to “write coldly”)Prompt: Take a draft and cut it to 70% length without losing essenceHomework: Prepare a near-final essay draft (1\,500–2\,000 words). \n\n\n\nWeek 9 — Workshop Intensive & Thematic ExcavationTheme: Deep structural and thematic revision.Readings:None — focus on student manuscripts.In-Class:Half-class workshopIdentifying the essay’s “governing question”Discuss strategies for expansion vs. contractionHomework: Revise based on workshop + draft your artistic statement. \n\n\n\nWeek 10 — Final Workshop & Publication PathsTheme: Reflection and sharing.Readings:None — focus on participant work.In-Class:Final peer workshopDiscuss venues for publishing personal essays (journals\, anthologies\, online mags)Closing: Write a brief artistic statement on your personal essay practiceHomework: Submit final essay + artistic statement. \n\n\n\nBy the end\, students will have:\n\n\n\nA stronger sense of their essayistic voice and relationship to truth. \n\n\n\nA good command of how to craft a compelling personal essay. \n\n\n\nExperience with both traditional and experimental essay forms.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/crafting-a-compelling-personal-essay-thursdays/2026-04-23/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260423T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260423T194500
DTSTAMP:20251211T190726Z
CREATED:20251211T190726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190726Z
UID:10004740-1776966300-1776973500@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Creative Play for Writers (In Person)
DESCRIPTION:This workshop is designed for writers from any genre but artists from other mediums are welcome to join. \n\n\n\nYou can’t use up creativity. The more you use\, the more you have. \n\n\n\n~      Maya Angelou \n\n\n\nMany writers have other creative outlets. Maya Angelou danced. D.H. Lawrence painted. Miranda July makes films. Creativity thrives across disciplines; when writers tap into other art forms\, surprising things can happen on the page. \n\n\n\nCreative Play for Writers is a hands-on\, exploratory workshop that uses visual art\, music\, movement\, film\, and more to spark new writing. Each session invites you to engage with a different form of creative expression—not to master it\, but to play with it—and discover how it can fuel your storytelling. \n\n\n\nYou’ll respond to rich\, sensory prompts\, collaborate with others\, and experiment freely. Whether you’re feeling stuck\, looking for new inspiration\, or simply aiming to reconnect with the joy of making things\, this workshop offers a playful and supportive space to expand your creative practice. \n\n\n\nWe will explore exercises and readings from Syllabus by Lynda Barry\, Workbook by Steven Heighton\, and The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad. We will also touch on the ideas and art of Rebecca Belmore and Elizabeth Zvonar\, among others\, as inspiration. Weekly exercises and homework will be given.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/creative-play-for-writers-in-person/2026-04-23/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260422T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260422T220000
DTSTAMP:20260107T181429Z
CREATED:20260107T181425Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T181429Z
UID:10004778-1776888000-1776895200@qwf.org
SUMMARY:Sustaining Dramatic Tension in Long-form Fiction (Wednesdays)
DESCRIPTION:The feeling of losing an audience is one of the most terrifying experiences a theatre actor can have. With fiction writing\, the relationship to the reader is far less immediate but\, I would argue\, no less important. The energy created in the first pages of a novel begins a relationship between an author and her reader and must be tended throughout for the relationship to flourish. \n\n\n\nStories were spoken aloud long before they were written down. The ability to convey information in compelling packets is innate to all of us\, as important to human survival as hunting or farming. From the 911 call to a teen’s excuse for why their homework is late\, we are in a near constant state of story-making. But how to hold your reader’s attention for 300+ pages? \n\n\n\nThis workshop proposes to look at long-form fiction’s rules of craft through the lens of theatre to breathe new and exciting life into familiar concepts. It is open to writers at all levels; all aspects will be explained and explored in depth. Writing exercises and selected reading will supplement in-class discussions. \n\n\n\n\nWeek #1: Dramatic Tension – What is it? How is it created?  How is it sustained? From the actor’s toolkit: actions\, objectives\, obstacles\, tactics\, and super-objectives.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #2: Unity of Action – We will look at Aristotle’s definition of action and Shakespeare’s use of verbs to see how every action in every chapter of your novel is contributing to the larger overarching action of the novel.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #3: Causality – How to discern if a chapter or scene is following the scene before it out of necessity. When a novel is propulsive\, you can be sure the author understands causality.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #4: Character and the importance of contrast of characters.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #5: Show Don’t Tell and the actor’s version of this famous writing rule: acting is visual first.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #6: Language\, Diction\, and Tone – Style choices\, syntax\, and the nitty gritty at the line level.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #7: Writing Constraints as maps. How writing constraints allow you to access the buried treasures of your subconscious and still find your way back to your core ideas.\n\n\n\n\n\nWeek #8: Know Your Writing– Michael Crummey\, Toni Morrison\, and Louise Erdrich are three very different writers\, but they are each completely and consistently themselves. Who are you as a writer? Participants will be asked to bring in a longer sample of writing than for previous workshops. Through positive constructive feedback\, we will use the elements we have learned as a guideline to get a sense of where each writer’s strengths lie\, and what in their voice or style makes them uniquely themselves. \n\n\n\n\nExcerpts (2-4 pages) from the following works will be provided: The Poetics by Aristotle\, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch\, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell\, Self-Help by Lorrie Moore\, A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders\, Beloved by Toni Morrison\, Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich\, True Grit by Charles Portis\, Foster by Claire Keegan\, Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood\, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\, Room by Emma Donahue\, Tell Me Everythi
URL:https://qwf.org/event/sustaining-dramatic-tension-in-long-form-fiction-wednesdays/2026-04-22/
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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