Thursday, March 31, 2016

Wednesday Night Fiction at Hudson Valley Writers' Center

If you're not ready to commit to Year of Your Book but you'd like to workshop your project, try this six-week class! Wednesday nights, starting April 20th.

This course is for writers at any stage of working on a piece of fiction who need a dose of encouragement, structure and feedback. In this class, you'll workshop excerpts from your work and do weekly in-class exercises geared towards helping you with different aspects of your project, including plot, character development and scene building. We'll also discuss daily writing practice, and how to keep up momentum when you're feeling stuck or out of time. You'll get optional exercises to do at home: short and focused, they'll help keep you moving forward every day, so you can make it to the finish line!





April, Theodor Severin Kittelsen, 1890







Sunday, February 28, 2016

Year of Your Book: Session II

*Note: Session II is underway. You can join us for Session III which starts April 29. Contact the Hudson Valley Writers' Center for more info.*

You can now sign up for Year of Your Book: Session II! Starts FRIDAY, MARCH 4 at the Hudson Valley Writers' Center in Sleepy Hollow, NY.

This course is for anyone, at any stage, who is committed to writing a draft of a novel by the end of 2016. Newcomers are very welcome in Session II!

If you want to know more about whether the class is right for you, use the CONTACT ME button on the right, or call the Hudson Valley Writers' Center at  914-332-5953.

Full listing of course dates here:  Year of Your Book: Full Description

If you're ready to register, go to the HVWC Session II Signup Page



You'll feel all-powerful, like Armadillo Woman, if you sign up for this course





Thursday, February 4, 2016

Alexander Chee's Queen of the Night

My friend Alexander Chee discusses his beautiful new novel, The Queen of the Night, on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Click the title to order a copy!










Thursday, January 28, 2016

Another Student Publication



So excited to see that this week's online feature from F(r)iction magazine is Laura Boswell's flash fiction "Sister Golden Hair"!





Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Private Classes

Get together with a friend or two to form your own small class, or work with me one-on-one on a schedule and at a location that works for you. I live north of NYC in Croton-on-Hudson, NY, and can travel anywhere within a half-hour radius. I can also work with you (and your friends) via email.

The great thing about private classes is that I can tailor them to meet your needs. Here are a few typical arrangements, but feel free to propose your own:

If you . . . 
     are writing a book
you can . . . 
     send me pages as you write, and we'll meet weekly over coffee at the Black Cow in Croton where we'll talk for about 45 minutes, and I'll give you written comments, and your manuscript with margin notes

If you . . . 
      need the structure of assignments and deadlines
you can . . . 
     tell me your goals and receive customized reading and writing homework, then meet with me weekly, twice monthly, or even just once to discuss your work 

If you . . . 
     have written a book
you can . . . 
     send me the manuscript, and we'll schedule two to four 45-minute meetings (depending on length) to discuss it in sections. With each section, you'll get written comments and margin notes

If you . . . 
     can't meet in person
You can . . . 
     email your work in Word format, and get it back (usually within a few days) with margin notes and written comments. We can also have a conversation by email (free) or over the phone (at my hourly rate)

My rate is $60/hour, which normally covers ten double-spaced pages, including margin notes and written comments. Meetings are also billed at the hourly rate. Discussions of your work by email are free.

If you can't afford the hourly rate, please talk to me, as I may be able to give you a discount, depending on my current workload.



Allegro (Sonata of the Stars), Mikalojus Ciurlionis, 1908




Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Generate

Online class starting 1/25

Note: This class is underway. Let me know if you'd be interested in taking it in the future! 

This is a course of generative writing prompts. There is no goal other than to put ideas on the page. Three times a week, for four weeks, I'll send a prompt to your inbox. You send your work to the group. Or don't. There are no rules.

I'll read and acknowledge what you send, but won't comment, since the point isn't to write anything “good” or even intelligible to anyone other than yourself. The point is to explore. Open doors. Go into places that are disorienting, dreamlike, sideways, edgeless, glittery.

Since I won't be commenting on the work, the suggested fee is only $35, and you can pay less if you you wish (no explanation necessary).

Note: You can email me during class with your writing thoughts and questions; and you can also ask me afterwards which of your pieces I found most exciting, and I will gladly tell you.


Monday 1/25 — Friday 2/19

Use the CONTACT ME form on the right to sign up. 



Pierre Alechinsky, The Night, 1952





Monday, January 18, 2016

The Story Behind the Speech

Over the years I've been honored to call so many fascinating people my students. Here's the latest from one of them, Jim Metzner, Executive Producer of internationally broadcast radio show Pulse of the Planet: Today's episode in honor of Martin Luther King: