This workshop is full. To be added to the waitlist, email Meghan at programs@mainewriters.org.
A 5 Week Fiction Workshop
Tuesdays, May 2nd-May 30th
ALL LEVELS
Sometimes you don't feel like writing a story that scrolls across the flat plane of your reader's mind; you want to write a story that takes up its own occupancy there, lighting up different, dark recesses, unexpectedly, as synapses fire. You want your reader to confide, like the short story writer Deborah Eisenberg when she's at her most delighted: “I’ve just had an uncanny experience of enormous depth, but I can’t see what it has to do with the words.” In this five-week workshop, we'll look very closely at how much power can reside in what's left off the page, in the reverberation between what is and isn't there, at some of the the acts of crafting that are misleadingly invisible. We'll read and discuss the works and stated approaches of established and rising prose masters, to get at how exactly--or close to exactly--they cultivate the absence, or negative space, that gives that special, uncanny lift-off to the words they've given us. Participants should be willing to read up to 100 pages of assigned prose between sessions, and also possess a willingness to engage with at least a few poems. Time will be held during each session for participants to respond to a writing prompt in order to generate new work or revise a work-in-progress; either way, participants should be willing to share their work with the group.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online via Zoom. Students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. On Thursday, April 27th from 5:30pm to 6:00pm, MWPA staff will offer a tech help session on Zoom. Students are encouraged to attend the tech help session, which usually takes only 5-10 minutes, if they have any tech concerns, use Zoom infrequently, or simply would like to test their connection, and those who do not are responsible for ensuring that they are able to use Zoom on their own. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the test session and the class.
+ REQUIRED EQUIPMENT A reliable, fast internet connection (broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE), speakers & a microphone (built-in or USB plug-in), and a webcam (built-in or USB plug-in).
If you would like to quickly and easily test your internet connection and your computer’s compatibility with Zoom, click HERE. Full details on supported Operating Systems, internet browsers, and more can be found HERE. To download and familiarize yourself with Zoom, click HERE.
Meghan Gilliss is the author of the novel Lungfish, selected as a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice and longlisted for the Center for Fiction 2022 First Novel Prize. Her short fiction has appeared in Salamander, The Rattling Wall, Folio, Nat. Brut, fields magazine, and North by Northeast: New short fiction by writers from Maine and New England. A fellow of the Hewnoaks Artist Colony, she holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and lives in Portland, Maine.
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 Meghan Sterling at programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-228-8263 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
$245 Members / $450 Nonmembers
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. Email Meghan at programs@mainewriters.org to see if a scholarship is still available. Application Due on April 15th 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