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.
If you are a writer or fan of fiction who is interested in scriptwriting, this generative workshop with Elizabeth Searle will give you an introductory overview and some in-class exercises to get you started in writing script scenes. In-class exercises will give students a taste of the exciting and collaborative world of scriptwriting. No experience necessary; open to all who are curious about creating scripts.
Poetry gives us a place to tell the truth, honor where we come from, and imagine something different. In this workshop, we’ll explore how the stories we carry can become poems that move people and create change. Through gentle writing prompts, conversation, and optional sharing, participants will be invited to write from their own experiences, identities, and communities. No poetry experience is needed—just bring humble curiosity for the layers of yourself, your voice, the world around you.
How do you research and write about someone when there is little to no information readily available? Michelle Young, author of The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland, shares her journey uncovering the vibrant, untold story of her heroine's life partner, Joyce Heer, the unexpected research angles and resources she uses, and how she pulls on insignificant threads that often lead to big discoveries.
In these five exercises, we will be drawing on fairy tales, ghost stories, family stories, and all the things that bring us pleasure when we encounter them in narrative. Bring pen and paper or your laptop, and two first sentences from the work (novels, short stories, nonfiction, essays) of two writers you love.
Back by popular demand!
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, while blunting the downsides of some platforms.
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. Participants will be asked to read the selected published first pages in advance and to bring their own first pages.
