Word festival writing workshops are open to participants of various skill levels and are taught by celebrated writers in a range of genres. With the exception of free and youth events, workshops are either two or three hours long and require registration and payment in advance. Payment is non-refundable.
Back by popular demand! Choral conductor and composer George Emlen and Noel Paul Stookey (best known as “Paul” of the multi-platinum-selling group Peter, Paul & Mary) will offer songwriting techniques in a group setting to aspiring songwriters of all levels and genres. If you only have a melody, we'll help you find a lyric. If you only have a lyric, we'll help you find a melody. Class size is limited, so sign up early.
Pre-registration required
Literary agent Ann Rittenberg will meet individually with a small number of local authors to hear their “pitch” (description of their book project) and offer advice that will both refine the pitch for future submission to literary agencies and help writers improve their books. Participants will receive light reading beforehand.
Pre-registration required
The Poetry Society of New York defines a poetopia as: “a blueprint for possibility, a practice of reimagining a more inclusive, equitable world[…] a living force that can shape the future.” In this workshop, we will explore speculative poems that transform the world—and its malaises.
Pre-registration required
Most fiction of the dark fantastic relies heavily on setting and atmosphere to generate suspense, tension, and good old-fashioned terror. We will discuss how setting and landscape impact fiction, then dive into generative writing prompts and exercises. Be prepared to write (using tablet, laptop, or carbon-based media) and to read work aloud.
Pre-registration required
Are you a writer eager to build impact and audiences in the digital age and curious about emerging options like Substack, blogs, and social media? Join this brisk hands-on workshop with longtime online journalist and podcaster Andy Revkin to explore tools, tactics, and practices that can help anyone make the most of online writing and connectedness.
Pre-registration required
Compact, emotionally immediate, and surprising, “flash” memoir is “the writer’s experience of the world made small and large at the same time.” Participants will explore techniques that give flash writings their intensity and focus, reading examples from across the genre and generating flashes from their own material. They will have the opportunity to share writings and receive revision tips for these miniaturized distillations of memory and life.
Pre-registration required
The first page is a writer’s best shot at engaging a reader. Literary agent Ann Rittenberg will begin by discussing some of the best first pages in English literature before a close read of first pages from participants’ works in progress. She will offer publishing insider insights on what editors look for when they sit down to read an unpublished manuscript.
Pre-registration required
