2015 Miami Writers Institute

Miami Writers

Institute

10th Annual

a creative writing conference of

The Center for Writing and Literature

at Miami Dade College

Four days of intensive workshops on fiction,

nonfiction, poetry and more! Taught by respected visiting

writers in the heart of downtown Miami.

Quality workshops? Of course. But the Writers Institute is so much more:

Manuscript Consultations – Get feedback on your manuscript in a one-on-one session with a literary

agent. Space is limited. For more information, see page 10.

Lunchtime Reads – Each day, gather for lunch and hear Writers Institute faculty read

from their work. For more information, visit thecenteratmdc.org.

First Draft: A Literary Social – On Thursday, May 7 join us for

drinks and a writing prompt with a twist! For more information, visit

thecenteratmdc.org.

Happy Hour – Just because the writing stops, doesn’t mean the fun has to.

Join us on Friday, May 8 at Books & Books' bookstore and café at the Adrienne Arsht

Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, visit thecenteratmdc.org.

Ready to Register? See page 11 for deadlines, fees and registration instructions.

page 02 / thecenteratmdc.org

page 02 / thecenteratmdc.org / page 03 /thecenteratmdc @thecenteratmdc

2015 Writers Institute Schedule

WEDNESDAY MAY 6

THURSDAY MAY 7

FRIDAY MAY 8

SATURDAY MAY 9

9 a.

m. -

noo

n

Four-day Workshop | Meets Daily | 9 a.m. - Noon

Bringing the Outside In: Poetry and Wonder with Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Four-day Workshop | Meets Daily | 9 a.m. - Noon

Page Turners: Creating Suspense and Momentum with Benjamin Percy

Three-day Workshop | Meets Daily | 9 a.m. - Noon

The Shape of a Life: Finding the Story with Kate Christensen

Noon

- 2

p.m

.

Noon - 2 p.m.

Lunchtime Reads (the cost of lunch is included for participants registered for at least one workshop)

2 -

5 p.

m.

Three-day Workshop | Meets Daily | 2 - 5 p.m.

Crossing Paths: Plot & Structure with Lynne Barrett

Three-day Workshop | Meets Daily | 2 - 5 p.m.

The Art of Graphic Storytelling with George O’Connor

Aft

er 6

p.m

. One-day Seminar 6 - 9 p.m.

Publishing 101

with Rachel Deahl

Free Event! 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

First Draft:

A Literary Social

Free Event!6 - 8 p.m.

Happy Hour at Books & Books


Wednesday, May 6 – Saturday, May 99 a.m. - NoonFour-day Workshop | Meets Daily

Bringing the Outside In: Poetry and Wonder with Aimee NezhukumatathilLony Haley-Nelson notes: “Wonder is valuable… because it leads us to learn and remember.” Using the language and vocabulary of myth, folklore, science, and natural history as inspiration, this generative workshop will help you jump-start the blank page in front of you. We’ll participate in several immersion ideas for poems and journaling (some outdoors, weather permitting) to help you find new ways to revitalize your writing. Our time will be divided into composing drafts; chatting about various myths, articles, essays, and poems; and sharing your own poems in a workshop format. This class is ideal for both the beginner and someone wanting to refresh their poetry-writing strategies.

Aimee Nezhukumatathil is the author of three books of poetry: Lucky Fish, winner of the Hoffer Grand Prize for Prose and Independent Books; At the Drive-In Volcano; and Miracle Fruit. Her poems and essays have appeared in American Poetry Review, Quarterly West, New England Review, Ploughshares, FIELD, Antioch Review, Prairie Schooner, Slate, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Southern Review, and Tin House. She has been awarded an NEA Fellowship in poetry, the Glenna Luschia Prize from Prairie Schooner, and the Angoff Award from The Literary Review.

Wednesday, May 6 – Saturday, May 99 a.m. - NoonFour-day Workshop | Meets Daily

Page Turners: Creating Suspense and Momentum with Benjamin PercyIn this workshop, themed around the art of suspense and momentum, we will discuss techniques that will make your reader lean forward instead of back. We will cover a wide range of subjects — structural designs, set-piece moments, withholding information, backstory, the portrayal of violence, the balance of emotional and physical beats, and more — and fill up many pages with our daily craft exercises. The workshop might focus on fiction, but it should be equally helpful and relevant to nonfiction writers and screenwriters.

Benjamin Percy is the author of three novels, The Wilding, winner of the Society of Midland Authors Award for Fiction, the psychological thriller Red Moon, and The Dead Lands, a post-apocalyptic reimagining of the Lewis and Clark saga, forthcoming in April 2015 from Grand Central. He is also the author of two books of stories, Refresh, Refresh and The Language of Elk. His fiction and nonfiction have been published in Esquire, GQ, Time, Men’s Journal, Outside, Paris Review, Tin House, Chicago Tribune, Orion, The Wall Street Journal, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train, and many other magazines and journals. His honors include a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, a Whiting Award, the Plimpton Prize, a Pushcart Prize, and inclusion in Best American Short Stories.

/ page 05 /thecenteratmdc @thecenteratmdc

Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Benjamin Percy

Kate Christensen

Lynne Barrett


Thursday, May 7 – Saturday, May 99 a.m. - NoonThree-day Workshop | Meets Daily

The Shape of a Life: Finding the Story with Kate ChristensenThe course of a life is messy and complicated, but a life story must be focused, shaped, and determined. In order to begin, the writer must select an opening scene that will grab the reader’s attention and establish the themes, arc, and purpose of the book.

To do this, it’s necessary to know what a life is “about” – what is universal about it, what is particular to the writer’s own experience, and how do these two elements intersect to create a compelling narrative? Once this question is answered, it’s possible to identify the underlying themes, plot, and framework.

In this workshop, in addition to giving feedback on the opening scenes of student manuscripts, we’ll read and discuss the beginnings of successful published life stories and analyze what makes them powerful and effective.

Kate Christensen is the author of Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of My Appetites, as well as six novels, including The Epicure’s Lament and The Great Man, which won the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Her essays and reviews have appeared in numerous publications, most recently The New York Times Book Review, Elle, The Wall Street Journal, O, The Oprah Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Bookforum, and Medium. Her second nonfiction book, about food in Maine, called How to Cook a Moose, will be published in September 2015. She blogs about food and life in New England at katechristensen.wordpress.com.

Wednesday, May 6 – Friday, May 8 2 - 5 p.m. Three-day Workshop | Meets Daily

Crossing Paths: Plot & Structure with Lynne Barrett In this workshop we will explore the elements of plot and structure and how they interrelate. Topics covered will include conflict, complication, active characters, resolution, how movement and mapping create coherence, scenic structure, presentation of time and use of the past, and the relationship of point of view and plot to create tension, suspense, and surprise. Through examples, discussion, and exercises, participants will learn strategies for assessing drafts and revising productively. Note: This class serves fiction writers and those working on memoirs, narrative nonfiction, or any dramatic form.

Lynne Barrett's third story collection is Magpies (Gold Medal, Florida Book Awards). Her fiction and nonfiction can be found in Trouble in the Heartland: Stories Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen, Fifteen Views of Miami, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Fort Lauderdale Magazine, Wraparound South, The Southern Women’s Review, and One Year to a Writing Life. She has received the Edgar Award for best mystery story. Barrett teaches in the MFA program at Florida International University and edits The Florida Book Review.

/thecenteratmdc @thecenteratmdc / page 07


Wednesday, May 6 – Friday, May 8 2 - 5 p.m. Three-day Workshop | Meets Daily

The Art of Graphic Storytelling with George O’ConnorComics and graphic novels have become a medium that allows for all manner of storytelling options and varieties.

In this workshop, we will explore the art of graphic storytelling, and the various techniques employed in telling a visual story. We’ll examine various tools of the trade, and combine all these lessons into creating a short comics story of your own devising, in the subject and format of your choice.

Artists of all levels are welcome — cartooning is not about being able to make a beautiful illustration — cartooning is the art of communicating ideas through your drawings. Think of your drawing style as your handwriting—maybe it’s simple block letters, perhaps it’s a flowery cursive, as long as it can clearly convey your ideas.

George O’Connor is the author and illustrator of The New York Times bestselling graphic novel series, Olympians - a projected twelve volume series retelling classical Greek mythology in comics form, one god at a time. The most recent volume, Ares: Bringer of War, is an all-ages comics distillation of The Iliad in 66 pages. In addition to Olympians, George adapted the 1634 journal of Dutch explorer Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert into the graphic novel Journey into Mohawk Country, and was the illustrator of acclaimed playwright Adam Rapp’s first graphic novel Ball Peen Hammer. George is also the author and illustrator of several picture books.

Wednesday, May 6, 6 - 9 p.m. One-day Seminar

Publishing 101 with Rachel Deahl Writing is solitary work – publishing takes a team. This crash-course aims to shed light on the ABC’s of publishing, both via traditional houses and self-publishing. The first half will focus on navigating the realms of traditional publishing, starting with an explanation of the Big 5 houses, mid-size players and independents, and how they all tend to operate. We’ll explore fundamentals such as what is covered in your contract, how to get an agent and what to expect of them, how the buying of rights works, and what to expect from a publisher once you land a deal.

The second half of the course will be dedicated to the basics of self-publishing. We’ll discuss the biggest self-publishing platforms and how to choose the right one for your work, how and when to consult outside professionals before you self-publish, how to monetize your self-published work, and finally, the importance of branding and how to market your work.

Rachel Deahl is a writer and editor with more than ten years of experience covering book publishing. As news director at Publishers Weekly she writes about business trends, technology, self-publishing and rights. She also writes a weekly column about book deals (called Deals), that details the hottest projects being acquired at the major publishers. She is the author of the Publishers Weekly original e-book, Publishing 101, and has been a speaker at various conferences, including SXSW, BookExpo America, Miami Book Fair International and The Frankfurt Book Fair.

Rachel Deahl


George O’Connor


Manuscript Consultations with Andy Kifer Get Feedback from a Pro (by appointment only)

Literary agent Andy Kifer will read a sample of your work, then meet with you for a one-on-one, 15-minute consultation. SPACE IS LIMITED. By appointment only.

Via e-mail, forward a 10-page sample of your manuscript (preferably the first 10 pages) as a Microsoft Word attachment to Nicole Swift at [email protected]. In the subject line, type “Manuscript Consultation” and your last name. Samples should have page numbers, be double-spaced, have 1.5 inch margins, and 12 point type set in Times New Roman. Your name, phone number, and e-mail address should appear on the first page. Also, attach a ONE PAGE synopsis of your manuscript in the same format. In order to give your consultant time to review your work, submissions must be received NO LATER THAN 5 p.m. on April 15.

Andy Kifer has been with The Gernert Company since 2012, and before that worked as an international literary scout for Aram Fox. While at Gernert, he's had the good fortune to work closely with writers such as Garth Risk Hallberg, Randall Munroe, and Chris Scotton, among many others. He is actively growing his list, which includes voice-driven literary fiction, memoir, and whip-smart genre fiction. Before his career in publishing, Andy coached high school Cross Country.

Tips on how to prepare for your one-on-one manuscript consultation:

1. Do your homework. Read the agent/editors bio, visit their web sites, and Google their names to get a sense of their areas of interest and expertise.

2. Bring a list of questions.

3. There is no criticism, only feedback. The industry professional with whom you’ll meet is here to give you an honest assessment of your manuscript and its potential to be published.

4. Manage your expectations. Be prepared for the possibility that you may have some work to do before your work is ready to be published.


How to Register Visit thecenteratmdc.org and click on Writers Institute. Follow the instructions to register online. If you have any questions, call 305-237-3940.

DeadlinesApril 1: Early-bird Registration – Register by this date and enter a drawing to win a FREE manuscript consultation (an $80 value)!

April 15: Last day to submit a manuscript for consultation with a literary agent.

April 29: Registration deadline.

Note: Space in workshops is limited. Register as soon as possible to secure your space. Payment must be received at time of registration and must have cleared at least five business days prior to the first day of class. Please note registration deadlines for each course. Please speak to a member of our registration staff if you require clarification.

Registration Fees• One three-day workshop: $250 (includes lunch Wednesday - Friday)

• One four-day workshop: $300 (includes lunch Wednesday - Friday)

• Any two workshops: $450

• Publishing seminar: $50

• The Whole Enchilada: $550 (any 2 workshops, plus the publishing seminar and a manuscript consultation*)

• Manuscript consultation: $80*

*Manuscript consultation fees are not reading fees and do not go to the agent; rather, they support the programs and initiatives of The Center for Writing and Literature at Miami Dade College.

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Documents

2015 Miami Writers Institute