San Miguel Literary Sala Presents

ON-LINE WRITING WORKSHOPS

April 11 – April 14, 2022

Metaphor: An Invitation

with Kathryn Rhett

Writing a Memoir: Storytelling, Truth, Time, Memory, and the Imagination

With Neil Besner

Hearing Voices: Using Multiple Narrators to Deepen Your Novel

With Ellen Meeropol

Creative Revision

With Lauren Carter

$80.00 each

(packages and discounts available)

For your ticket go to

Sanmiguelliterarysala.org

Metaphor: An Invitation

With Kathryn Rhett, April 11 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. CST

Aristotle once said that using a metaphor was “a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in dissimilars.” (Poetics)

This intriguing workshop will explore the world of metaphors, how to develop them, and what they can do for our writing. One of the elements Rhett focuses on in this workshop is the idea that metaphors open whole new insights for the readers, but also for the writers as they develop them. Writer Kathryn Rhett has published essays, poetry, memoirs, and is the editor of the Anthology of Survival Stories: Memoirs of Crisis. An experienced teacher, she is a professor and chair of the English Department at Gettysburg College and has taught writing workshops throughout the country.

Writing a Memoir: Storytelling, Truth, Time, Memory, and the Imagination

With Neil Besner, April 12 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:20 p.m.  CST

Writer Neil Besner explores in this workshop the most popular form of writing:  the memoir. Besner’s own memoir will be coming out this spring and takes place in Brazil where the author grew up. He has also written books on Alice Munro and Mavis Gallant, edited collections of poetry and short stories, and translated books from Portuguese to English.

Memoirs are complicated and exciting, often moving between stories of fiction and nonfiction. Besner will be working with workshop participants to organize and develop material needed for a great memoir. Voice, tone, and style are just a few of the areas which will be discussed. Besner will also explore the use of primary materials such as journals, diaries, and photographs to make a memoir come alive.

Hearing Voices: Using Multiple Narrators to Deepen Your Novel                                               With Ellen Meeropol, April 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. CST

This workshop helps writers access each characters’ inner thoughts and beliefs to explore complicated and controversial material. Instructor Meeropol will explore choosing points of view, the pitfalls of writing from multiple perspectives, and how to establish a pattern of switching perspectives. Using literary examples of how distinct character voice is developed, participants will then apply these techniques in writing exercises to develop each character’s voice. A founding member of Straw Dog Writers Guild, Meeropol is the author of four novels, published essays, and winner of multiple book awards.

Creative Revision

With Lauren Carter, April 14 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. CST

Creative Revision with Lauren Carter | APR 14 | 6PM CST
By revising creatively, we can more deeply understand our characters, their motivations, the arc of our plot, and difficult areas that need to be explored in order to enrich the story and raise the stakes. Through a mix of writing exercises and discussion, this workshop will help writers get more comfortable diving deeply into revision and mixing more spice into the stew of their simmering story. Carter has an MFA in Creative Writing, is the author of four books and multiple poetry collections and has been long-listed multiple times for the CBC Poetry and Fiction prizes.

For more information on these workshops and to register: sanmiguelliterarysala.org.