Award-winning novelist Bren McClain believes that, for each of us, there are stories that only we can write, and if we don't honor those stories by telling them, then who will? This empowering class is for anyone who is writing their story. Participants will learn to make readers care, to feel the story as deeply as its writer does. Without that, nothing else matters. But how to do that? McClain will talk about techniques, discuss some published examples, and will look at work that participants are invited to bring to the class.

Historical fiction is, as its name suggests, a huge, hybrid genre. From Out of the Dust to Outlander, from a small story for young adults to a fabulously successful adult series that spans several centuries, historical fiction encompasses almost all of time and all of storytelling. Since the genre is so vast, a writer who's considering it might want to explore its parameters and possibilities. Award-winning fiction writer Deno Trakas will offer insights and guidance to help participants find the story that they can tell successfully.

Burgeoning writers are often told by well-meaning teachers to “write what you know,” but it is often in the realms of what we don’t know that we can find and foster our most intriguing stories. Michel Stone, author of The Iguana Tree and Border Child, knew very little about the lived experiences of illegal immigrants when she began writing a novel (and then a second novel) on that subject. Michel will draw from her own writing life as an instructive case study in research-based fiction writing and share....

This poetry workshop offers an overview of the nearly 700-year history of haiku, including many instructive examples, as well as opportunity for participants to craft their own haiku through writing exercises and critiques. The aim of the workshop is to demystify and rediscover haiku. Haiku is often explained in the language of Zen or by the syllable count. Poet Miho Kinnas approaches the form in a way that illustrates the wider and more ...

Gold Star Daughter Karen Spears Zacharias, author of After the Flag Has Been Folded (William Morrow) and editorial panelist for Operation Homecoming (National Endowment of the Arts), examines the storytelling methods which honor the promise to "Never Forget."...

Therapists often suggest journaling as a way forward when grieving the loss of a loved one. For a writer, the choice seems a natural one. Yet Elizabeth Robin found expressing emotions in this way impossible when her only brother and her beloved husband both fell ill and died within a two-year span. Then she discovered she could store and express those feelings in two ways: through poems and in essays written in third person. The poems became her first book, Silk Purses and Lemonade. This workshop models the journaling process, how this transforms to poetry, and why poems offer a useful outlet for grief, and a way to offer solace to others grieving similar losses...

This poetry workshop offers the overview of the history of haiku through insightful examples written originally in Japanese and English. The participants will be engaged in the appreciation of haiku craft through thought-provoking quizzes and exercises. Participants will also be invited to write new haiku and will leave the workshop with the inspiration to read, write, and enjoy this engaging form of poetry.

Few people have a whole book in them, but everyone has life stories—moments of their lives, begging to be captured and shared. Author and publisher Susan Kammeraad-Campbell, creator of Storyboard America, will help you tap into your memories and creativity and show you how you can write your story one “pearl” at a time. Through innovative, often playful, methods developed by Kammeraad-Campbell, participants will be amazed at what percolates to the surface and onto the page.

Have you ever wanted to write a children’s book of your own? How hard can it be to create a successful 32-page picture book? Let’s find out. Join children’s book author and former children’s librarian and book reviewer Fran Hawk for an insightful, instructive overview from experiences in the ever-changing children’s book market. Open to interested creators at any level of experience.

This workshop is designed to educate the self published author on how to effectively manage the printing and distribution part of the publishing process by using IngramSpark. Covered in this session will be: What printing and distribution options are available to self-publishers; What the Advantages/Disadvantages of Using POD are to Bring Your Book to Market; Learn how POD works and how you can use it to reduce the financial investment needed to publish a book and more...

Join us for a free public reading and discussion with faculty members from our Writers Retreat Weekend after which the FOURTH WRITERS RETREAT AT ANCHORAGE IN STARTS...