UNCA’s Great Smokies Writing Program announces fall 2013 workshops

Press release

From UNC Asheville News Services:

Local writers will have the opportunity to hone their skills with UNC Asheville’s Great Smokies Writing Program (GWSP) workshops in poetry and prose. Classes will be held in Asheville, Black Mountain, Hendersonville and Burnsville. Class size is limited, so early registration is suggested.

10-week courses for writers of various levels of experience:

Poetry – Tina Barr will lead “Transcendent Stanzas: A Poetry Workshop,” inspiring participants with a variety of writers’ poems that seem to rise off the page, while participants explore ways to enrich their own poems through exercises and experiments. Barr’s poems have been published in anthologies and journals including The Antioch Review and Brilliant Corners. She has won three chapbook awards and one full-length book award, as well as a number of fellowships, including one from the National Endowment for the Arts. Class meets Mondays, 1-3:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 16, in Black Mountain.

Memoir – In her workshop “Remembering, Misremembering, Disremembering: Our Memories Have a Story to Tell,” Christine Hale will call on things we remember clearly, the things we “misremember” (accidentally or intentionally), and the things we disremember, where we recall only fragments. Hale’s debut novel, Basil’s Dream, (Livingston Press, 2009) received honorable mention in the 2010 Library of Virginia Literary Awards. Class meets Mondays, 2-4:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 16, in Hendersonville.

Character and Setting – Novelist Marjorie Klein will lead “Who Knows Where or When?: A Fiction Workshop on Character and Setting.” Klein uses in-class prompts and out-of-class exercises to lead participants in creating a finished story with characters in settings that serve, not only to create a sense of place, but to enhance the development of both character and plot. Klein’s first novel, Test Pattern (Wm. Morrow Publishers, 2001) was a Barnes and Noble “Discover Great New Writers” selection. Her nonfiction has appeared in various publications, and she is a recipient of a Florida Individual Artist Fellowship. Class meets Tuesday, 6-8:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 17, in Asheville.

Memoir – Brian Lee Knopp will lead “The Devil You Know: The Art, Skill and Thrill of Writing Your Memoir,” which involves in-class “lifestorming” sessions and writing, at-home writing and reading assignments, and says Knopp, a chance for “a daring rescue of the truth trapped inside your life’s labyrinth.” Knopp’s memoir, Mayhem in Mayberry: Misadventures of a P.I. in Southern Appalachia (Cosmic Pigbite Press, 2009) was a Malaprop’s bestseller. He was the creator and contributing author of the collaborative 2012 novel, Naked Came the Leaf Peeper (Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 2011). Class meets Tuesdays from 6-8:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 17, in Asheville.

The Pre-Submission Edit – Vicki Lane, author of the Elizabeth Goodweather mystery series (Bantam Dell) and the stand-alone novel, The Day of Small Things (Dell, 2010), will lead “The First Forty: A Fiction Workshop for Intermediate or Advanced Writers.” This course is for writers with a novel in progress or in need of final polishing who want their first 40 pages to catch the attention of agents, editors and publishers. Class meets Tuesdays from 6-8:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 17, in Asheville.

The Novel – “Deconstructing the Novel: How to Enhance Your Fiction through Reverse Engineering,” a workshop led by Bonnie MacDougal, will help students enhance their own skills by analyzing the successful techniques of today’s leading novelists. Students will develop their own voices as novelists by exploring point of view, characters, structure, pacing and prose style through exercises that invite experimentation. MacDougal is the author of four novels, which have been translated into eight foreign languages, with two selected as book of the month by Club France Loisirs in Paris. Class meets Wednesdays from 4-6:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 18, in Burnsville.

Writing for Young Readers – Monika Schroeder will lead “Heart of the Story: Writing for Young Readers,” for serious writers working on picture books, poetry, or longer works of fiction intended for children and young adults. Students will explore writing exercises related to various aspects of craft, such as discovering character, voice, and structure. Schroeder is the author of three novels for younger readers, The Dog in the Wood (Front Street Press, 2009), Saraswati’s Way (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010) and My Brother’s Shadow (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011), a nominee for the 2014 New York State Reading Association Charlotte Award. Class meets Mondays from 6-8:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 16, in Asheville.

Poetry, Prose Poetry and Flash Fiction – Poet Katherine Soniat will lead “Words on a String: Threaded Writing.” Using Carl Jung’s concepts of archetype and myth, students will “thread” poems and short fictions using a phrase, an image, an absence from one piece as a guide in the next. Participants will also study a packet of poems that suggest the subtlety of sequencing. Katherine Soniat’s collection of poetry, The Swing Girl (Louisiana State University Press), was selected as Best Collection of 2011 by the Poetry Council of North Carolina. Her most recent collection is A Raft, A Boat, A Bridge (Dream Horse Press, 2012). Class meets Tuesdays from 6-8:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 17, in Asheville.

Narrative Nonfiction – “Going Deeper: What Makes Good Narrative Nonfiction? A Creative Nonfiction Workshop,” led by Molly Walling, will focus on adding authority to participants’ work, clarifying the story engine, building historical, political, and social context. Walling is the author of Death in the Delta: Uncovering a Mississippi Family Secret (University Press of Mississippi, 2012) and her work has appeared in regional arts publications in Virginia and North Carolina. Class meets Wednesdays from 6-8:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 18, in Black Mountain.

15-week courses for advanced, experienced writers only:

Creative Prose Workshop with Tommy Hays – For advanced prose writers who have projects underway (or who want to start something new) GSWP Executive Director Tommy Hays offers “Keeping Ourselves Company: An Advanced Creative Prose Workshop.” Emphasis will be on reading and critiquing each other’s work. The instructor will respond at length to submissions. Instructor’s permission is required for admittance. Hays is the author of What I Came to Tell You, forthcoming from EgmontUSA. His novel, The Pleasure Was Mine, has been chosen for numerous community reads, including on NPR’s “Radio Reader,” and was a Finalist for the SIBA Fiction Award. His In the Family Way (Random House, 1999) was winner of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. Class meets Thursdays from 6:00-8:30 p.m. beginning August 29, in Asheville.

Prose Master Class with Elizabeth Lutyens – Elizabeth Lutyens, editor-in-chief of The Great Smokies Review, presents this master class for experienced writers seeking an intensive critiquing small-group workshop. Master Class members will begin the semester with pages ready for critique and will submit three times during the 15-week course. Each class begins with a half-hour craft session which students will be invited (but not required) to lead. Admission is by invitation; for more information, contact Tommy Hays (hays@main.nc.us) or Elizabeth Lutyens (elutyens@gmail.com). Class meets Tuesdays from 6:00-8:30 p.m., beginning August 27 in Asheville.

The 10-week courses qualify for two UNC Asheville credit hours in Literature and Language; the 15-week courses earn three credit hours. In-state cost for 10-week courses is $275.36 and cost for 15-week courses is $413.04. The costs are higher for out-of-state residents. A $20 non-refundable application fee for new students is also required. For more information, visit http://agc.unca.edu/great-smokies-writing-program or call 828.250.2353.