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Clean Slate: A Generative Creative Nonfiction Workshop

A 5-Week Creative Nonfiction Workshop

Tuesdays: October 22 - November 19, 6-9 PM

In this generative workshop, writers will focus on a new style of essay every day. These styles will range from braided to flash, from meditations to explorations in food and travel. We will draw our inspiration from unexpected sources such as the natural world, urban spaces, fairy tales & folk lore, pop culture, food, and even the supernatural. Each day, writers will receive short readings as homework, followed by discussion, craft lectures, and generative prompts during class time. By the end of the week, attendees will have drafted at least five new essays and read a diverse range of contemporary essays for inspiration.  

$275 Members/$475 Nonmembers


Born in Calcutta and raised in New Delhi, Sayantani Dasgupta is the author of the upcoming essay collection Brown Women Have Everything. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Idaho. Her essays have been named as “Notable” by Best American Essays 2022 and 2023. Previous books include the short story collection Women Who Misbehave, the chapbook The House of Nails: Memories of a New Delhi Childhood, and Fire Girl: Essays on India, America, & the In-Between, a Finalist for the Foreword Indies Awards for Creative Nonfiction. She has been awarded a Centrum Foundation Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize Special Mention, and the WILMA Woman of the Year award in Arts for 2022. Her writing has appeared in over 60 literary journals and magazines, including, The Rumpus, Scroll, Economic & Political Weekly, IIC Quarterly, Chicago Quarterly Review, and others. She is a contributing editor for Assay: A Journal of Creative Nonfiction and the founder of Write Wilmington, an online writing initiative that’s free and open to writers all around the world. Her research interests include Creative Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, South Asian History and Literature, Indian Cinema, World Religions, Fairy Tales, Folk Lore and Mythology. An Associate Professor of Creative Writing at UNC Wilmington, Sayantani has also taught writing in India, Italy, Colombia, and Mexico.


ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.

PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION

QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact programs@mainewriters.org.

REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-200-7180 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.

REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.

SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one partial scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due by October 1 at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION