Iowa Summer Writing Festival


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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	BK Loren Five Not-So-Easy Pieces: A Week of Honing Fiction One-Week Workshop July 5–10 Why Are You Telling Me This? Core Essentials of Memoir Writing One-Week Workshop July 12–17 Wild Hope: Writing Activist Essays One-Week Workshop July 19–24 Biography Five Not-So-Easy Pieces: A Week of Honing Fiction One-Week Workshop July 5–10 1) Point of View. 2) Tension. 3) Creating Scenes. 4) Dialogue. 5) Sense of Place. After decades of teaching writing, I’ve found that these five aspects of fiction prove most challenging to aspiring writers. In the movie Five Easy Pieces, Jack Nicholson’s character says, “I move around a lot, not because I’m looking for anything, but cuz I’m getting away from things that get bad if I stay.” Many writers do this in their prose. If they’re not good at dialogue, they avoid it. Not good at location, the story floats in some suspended nowhere-zone. In this class, we’ll take on one aspect of fiction per day and, through hands-on exercises and discussion, come to a deeper understanding of all five by week’s end. Though we will occasionally share writing in class, this is not a traditional workshop. You do not need to bring copies of a story to our meeting. Just come prepared to write a lot and read some good stories. Why Are You Telling Me This? Core Essentials of Memoir Writing One-Week Workshop July 12–17 Fiction writer Amy Hempel says a reader is constantly asking the author, “Why are you telling me this?” If you’re writing a memoir, your answer to this question is even more important than in fiction. It can make all the difference in the success of your work. In this course, we’ll look at what makes your life experiences essential, and how to transfer that poignancy to the page. We’ll learn to “take smaller pictures” of personal experiences and, paradoxically, have them reach wider audiences. We’ll begin the week by generating material for a memoir. (If you already have material, that’s great! This will add to it.) Then, we’ll learn to sequence some of this material into the shape of a memoir. We’ll look at scene, character development, theme and storytelling as they specifically relate to personal narrative. By Friday, the goal is to have enough tools and inspiration to go home and start (or complete) a memoir that trades the risk of self-indulgence for the certainty of vivid characters, cohesive theme, and a damn good story. Wild Hope: Writing Activist Essays One-Week Workshop July 19–24 An old adage says the pen is mightier than the sword. These days, we could use a little more pen and a little less sword—but where are those writers? In this workshop, we’ll look at ways to sharpen the art of the activist essay to a meaningful point. A solid essay of this sort skips the teaching and preaching of editorials and offers a story rich with scenes and characters. It poses questions, rather than imposing answers. Daily, we’ll work together, critiquing each other’s writing and doing in-class exercises as needed to strengthen our prose. Nightly readings will include works by Terry Tempest Williams, David Sedaris, and other writers who seek to question the status quo contemplatively, playfully, powerfully. Not sure if what you’re writing is an activist essay? If the idea for it feels like a rant, or if it’s just something that has quietly burrowed under your skin, it’s a good candidate. This class seeks to turn these ideas into art. Participants should plan to send me up to eight pages of an essay (in progress or complete) prior to the session and bring copies to Iowa City to share with the group. Also bring your creativity, compassion, and open mind. We’ll use all three daily. Biography BK Loren’s work has garnered many literary awards, including the Mary Roberts Rinehart National Nonfiction Fellowship, the Dana Award for the Novel, the D.H. Lawrence Fiction Award, and a Colorado Council for the Arts Fellowship. Her first book was commissioned by Lyons in 2001, and her shorter works have been published in periodicals and anthologies, including The Best American Spiritual Writing 2004, Women on the Verge, Yoga International, The Art of the Essay, Dutiful Daughters, Orion, The Future of Nature, and many others. Her work has been translated into Dutch and Japanese. Loren teaches numerous writing workshops nationally and internationally. She attended The University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop and, believe it or not, she’s still plugging away on the novel.

	Site Map \| Welcome \| Workshops by Session Date \| Workshops by Instructor Workshops by Genre \| Registration & Housing Information \| Registration Form 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