Iowa Summer Writing Festival


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Workshop Descriptions & Instructors Faith Adiele Mary Allen Kate Aspengren Thomas Fox Averill Nancy Barry Timothy Bascom Linda Bendorf Venise Berry Bruce Bond Michael Dennis Browne Susan Taylor Chehak John Dalton Thomas K. Dean Amber Dermont Kelly Dwyer Hope Edelman Josh Emmons Katie Ford Patricia Foster Laura Fraser Cecile Goding Douglas Goetsch Kevin González John Griesemer Sands Hall Christine Hemp Jim Heynen Rick Hillis Charles Holdefer Richard Jackson Cheryl Fusco Johnson Wayne Johnson Bret Anthony Johnston Daniel Khalastchi Zachary Lazar Carolyn Lieberg BK Loren Fritz Mc Donald James McKean Gordon Mennenga Katherine Min Sharelle Byars Moranville Michael Morse Barbara Robinette Moss Marc Nieson Shannon Olson Lon Otto Juliet Patterson Anjali Sachdeva Sarah Saffian Sam Samuels Leslie Schwartz Sandra Scofield Mary Kay Shanley Carol Spindel Karen Subach Mary Vermillion Ashley Warlick Jan Weissmiller Bart Yates	Leslie Schwartz Writing The First Novel One-Week Workshop July 6–11 Memoir Into Fiction: Writing The Autobiographical Novel One-Week Workshop July 13–18 Biography Writing The First Novel One-Week Workshop July 6–11 That first novel resides within you but where to begin? How do you turn an idea into an actual story? How do you create characters? What about structure, theme, point of view? This course, for beginners, is designed to answer all those questions and more. Daily exercises and in-class writing will help prompt ideas, plus practical, easy-to-follow lectures on craft (i.e. character development, structure, point of view, etc.) will arm you with the necessary tools to get started. Prior written pages, while welcome, are not necessary. In-class writing generated by exercises, as well as simple daily take-home assignments will be fodder for supportive, constructive in-class critiques. This workshop celebrates the sacred, joyful pursuit of writing while emphasizing nuts and bolts instruction to help you not only complete a first chapter by week’s end, but return home equipped with enough craft and inspiration to finish that first novel you’ve always dreamed of writing. Memoir Into Fiction: Writing The Autobiographical Novel One-Week Workshop July 13–18 What do Jane Austen and Ernest Hemingway have in common? They have each written fiction by drawing from their own personal experiences. This course is designed for writers whose personal stories inform their work but who are unsure how to transform them into fiction. Whether you are reluctant to tell your story in memoir for personal, legal or ethical reasons, are uncertain how to create fiction out of true events, or simply prefer the genre of fiction to memoir, this course will teach you how to write your autobiographical novel from both a technical and an emotional standpoint in a supportive and safe space. Daily writing exercises and user-friendly craft lessons (i.e., structure, character development, etc.) will teach you the essential tricks to uncovering your truths and transforming your personal stories into fiction. Please be prepared to generate new work in class. There will be in-class critique and some homework. Laptops or pen and paper will be necessary for in-class writing. Please note: This class is not a memoir writing class—it is for fiction writers only. Biography Leslie Schwartz is the author of two novels, Angels Crest and Jumping the Green. She is the recipient of many awards, including The James Jones Award for Best First Novel, The Kalliope Women Writer of the Year Award, and an Artist-in-Residence Grant from the County of Los Angeles. Her second novel is currently in production for film. Schwartz is a passionate speaker and creative writing teacher in underserved school and gang-intervention communities, including at Homeboy Industries, where she is currently establishing the Homeboy Literary Press.

	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 January 10, 2008