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Workshop Descriptions & Instructors


Marilyn Abildskov
Mary Allen
Kate Aspengren
Thomas Fox Averill
Nancy K.Barry
Timothy Bascom
Kyle Beachy
Karen Bender
Linda Bendorf
Maudy Benz
Venise Berry
Bruce Bond
David Bouchier
Michael Dennis Browne
Maggie Conroy
Mary Cross

Thomas K. Dean
Amber Dermont
Janet Desaulniers
Kelly Dwyer
Hope Edelman
Josh Emmons
Jill Esbaum
Sarah Fay
Hugh Ferrer
Katie Ford
Geoffrey Forsyth
Cecile Goding
Douglas Goetsch
Sands Hall
Christine Hemp
Jim Heynen
Rick Hillis
Charles Holdefer
Richard Jackson
Rebecca Johns
Cheryl Fusco Johnson
Wayne Johnson
Daniel Khalastchi
Carolyn Lieberg
BK Loren
Peter Markus
Fritz Mc Donald
James McKean
Gordon Mennenga
Sharelle Byars Moranville
Michael Morse
Barbara Robinette Moss
Marc Nieson
Shannon Olson
Diana Ossana
Lon Otto
Juliet Patterson
Kiki Petrosino
Mark Jude Poirier
Leslie Carol Roberts
Anjali Sachdeva
Sarah Saffian
Sam Samuels
Sandra Scofield
Mary Kay Shanley
Robert Anthony Siegel
Carol Spindel
Karen Subach
Mary Vermillion
Kris Vervaecke
Ashley Warlick
Michelle Wildgen
Bart Yates

Carolyn Lieberg

Carolyn Lieberg

Word Play
Weekend Workshop
June 13–14

10,000 Words
One-Week Workshop
June 14–19

29 Points of Departure
Weekend Workshop
June 20–21

Biography

 

 

 

Word Play
Weekend Workshop
June 13–14

Words. We all know that we actually end up “writing” quite a bit during a long walk or in the shower or while chopping an onion. Somehow, when we’re busy with one project, our mind sets the writing neurons sparkling. So let’s get busy with a word we love or one we need or an arch nemesis and see what it does for us. This weekend is about making art, both two- and three-dimensional. No “artistic skills” required. Shall I repeat that? No “artistic skills” required. To get juices flowing, we’ll begin by making a writer’s block. Who doesn’t need one of those to throw around? We’ll move on to pull and push clay, and sketch, draw, paint, snip, fold, and glue—all for the goal of taking a word, or more than one, and creating a symbol or two for inspiration, companionship, amusement, or revelation. Oh yes—bring that word inside a sentence or paragraph so we can bask in its light or give it a good going-over.

10,000 Words
One-Week Workshop
June 14–19

How many words would you like to write in a week? During the five days of classes, you will be invited to respond to a wide range of writing prompts, which will focus on different aspects of character, background, and plot. Some of these will be imaginative and some will be from the rich mine of memory. You will write about various settings, stories, people, and in unlikely voices and from fresh perspectives. We’ll take occasional breaks to read from what’s being created—optional, of course. Out-of-class assignments will focus on further development of in-class writings.

If you are considering writing a novel, the week might serve as an opportunity to write background material. If you would like to develop a new range of imaginative pieces, this class will give you a chance to discover new ideas and uncover some of the solemn, the outrageous, and the beautiful lurking in your imagination. If you have wanted to venture into the world of writing but did not know where to begin, this class is for you, too. Writers of all levels are welcome.

29 Points of Departure
Weekend Workshop
June 20–21

Would you like to plump your files for new projects or add to background material for current ones? In this intense session, you’ll be invited to mine your memory and experiences and to exercise your imagination. By the end of the weekend, you’ll have twenty-nine (or more) fresh ideas/starts/chunks for stories, characters, viewpoints, or scenes. Exercises will include inventing back-stories, writing dialogues, riffing on single words or ideas, adopting unexpected viewpoints, and rediscovering some memories. What you produce may set you off in new directions or give you direction for stalled projects. We’ll take an occasional break to share some of your writing. Past participants have found the session to be exhausting and satisfying. Bring your favorite writing pens and lots of paper—or laptops.

Biography
Carolyn Lieberg is the author, most recently, of Teaching Your First College Class. She’s also the author of West with Hopeless, Little Sisters—The Last But Not the Least,and Calling the Midwest Home. A novel, “Gone,” is making the rounds, and she has just completed “Inside Millie.” She has edited two magazines and published short stories and essays. Her graduate degree is in nonfiction from The University of Iowa. She lives in Washington, DC.


 

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Sponsored by the Division of Continuing Education
Iowa Summer Writing Festival
C215 Seashore Hall
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242

Phone 319-335-4160
FAX 319-335-4743
iswfestival@uiowa.edu

Last updated on February 10, 2009