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Miami Writers Institute
The Miami Writers Institute is an annual creative writing conference, produced by the Miami Book Fair Year-Round and takes place over four days every May.
The conference features intensive writing workshops with bestselling authors, craft talks, publishing seminars, manuscript consultations with a literary agent and happy hour events. Writing workshops are all limited to 15 students each, to allow for individualized attention. Come to Miami to enjoy the sunny atmosphere and write (or rewrite!) your next great work!
How to Register:
Online registrations are now open! Space in each workshop is limited. Register as soon as possible to secure your spot. Please note registration deadlines for each course. Scroll down to click on the workshop title of your choice. Once you click “Add to Cart,” you should automatically be redirected to the checkout page. If you are having trouble registering, please call 305.237.3258.
Traveling from Out of Town?
Click here for a list of nearby hotels and discounts.
Scholarships available:
New for 2020! Miami Book Fair offers two tuition-only scholarships for Miami-Dade College students to attend the upcoming Miami Writers Institute on May 6 – 9, 2020 in downtown Miami, FL.
Miami Book Fair is also pleased to partner with three ground-breaking organizations for writers of color: CantoMundo, Cave Canem and Kundiman, to offer scholarships + hotel accommodations for the upcoming Miami Writers Institute on May 6 – 9, 2020 in downtown Miami, FL.
Click here for more information.
*Miami Writers Institute Refund Policy
Payment must be received at time of registration and must have cleared at least five business days prior to the first day of class. Full refunds will be given to participants who notify Miami Book Fair by e-mail or fax at least FIVE BUSINESS DAYS before the first day of the class that they wish to cancel. No refunds will be given once a class begins. Allow at least two weeks for refunds to be processed. If a course must be canceled for any reason, you will receive a complete refund.
Upcoming Events
May 2020
After, Before, and Outside an MFA with R.O. Kwon
4-Day Workshop Wednesday – Saturday, May 6 – 9 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. This is a crash course on how to find time, money, and space to write after, before, and outside an MFA. How to find residencies and fellowships, and what are best practices for applying? How helpful are writing conferences? Where can you participate in literary communities? What’s a key part of a magazine pitch? Please come to class with ideas about short pieces you’d like to pitch to publications.…
Poetry: The Conscious/Subconscious with Richard Blanco
4-Day Workshop Wednesday – Saturday, May 6 – 9 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. A poem is a conscious expression born out of the subconscious mind. Through interactive lectures and exercises, we will explore those techniques that we consciously employ in poetry, namely: the using specific, concrete imagery; the dynamics of line breaks; how to harness to power of figurative language; and the linguistics underlying musicality. Likewise, we will explore the equally important subconscious territory of memory,…
Subverting Timelines with Bryan Washington
3-Day Workshop Wednesday – Friday, May 6 – 8 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. We’ll work through intersecting structures, parallel timelines, elliptical narratives, and stories that forego chronology altogether as we parse the limits of structure, and the ways our forms dictate the content we turn to. Bryan Washington has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, the BBC, …
Teenage Rebels: How To Write Young Adult Fiction with Lilliam Rivera
4-Day Workshop Wednesday – Saturday, May 6 – 9 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The Outsiders. Harry Potter. The Hate You Give. Walk in to any bookstore and you will find an exciting array of young adult fiction that covers every genre—from contemporary stories tackling social justice themes to science fiction bringing other worlds to life. If you’ve ever wanted to write a novel through the perspective of a young person, this is the workshop for you.…
The Art and Craft of Memoir with Boris Fishman
4-Day Workshop Wednesday – Saturday, May 6 – 9 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. During our time together, we will read excerpts of exemplary memoirs (and peek at a couple of craft manuals); take them apart to figure out how they became so exemplary (and to remind ourselves that their authors were once staring at a blank page, too); do some craft exercises to practice those concepts; and then deploy them in short pieces of memoiristic writing that we will workshop as a group.…
Manuscript Consultations with Dana Murphy
Various times, as appointed (Wed., May 8 – Sat., May 9) | Consultations are limited to 30 people. Genres Accepted: Adult Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, and Adult Narrative Non-Fiction (No prescriptive, art, cookbooks etc.) Manuscripts must be a max of 10 double-spaced pages plus query letter, formatted as follows: Must include a query letter. Formatting: Please submit your sample material double-spaced in Times New Roman 12-pt font, and include page numbers. Include your name and email in the header of each page.…
Wednesday Reader Bundle (lunch + craft talks)
12:30 p.m.: Literary luncheon with a reading by R.O. Kwon & Richard Blanco (lunch included) 2:30 p.m.: Craft talk series with Lilliam Rivera & Boris Fishman Continue your immersive experience by hearing nationally renowned authors explore various elements of the craft of creative writing. You are Here: Worldbuilding in Writing for Young People with Lilliam Rivera This craft talk will focus on techniques in worldbuilding in young adult fiction,…
Thursday Reader Bundle (lunch + craft talks)
12:30 p.m.: Literary luncheon with a reading by Boris Fishman & Lilliam Rivera (lunch included) 2 p.m.: Craft talk series with Bryan Washington & R.O. Kwon Continue your immersive experience by hearing nationally renowned authors explore various elements of the craft of creative writing. Writing in Place with Bryan Washington We’ll talk about the role of setting as a character, source of conflict, voice, and foundation within short and extended works of fiction.…
FIRST DRAFT: A Literary Social (2020 Writers Institute Edition)
A guided writing prompt with a twist. Because writing is thirsty work. Have a drink. Write a story. Have another drink. Write a better story. Miami Book Fair presents First Draft, a series of informal writing events that turn happy hours into great stories. 2020 MIAMI WRITERS INSTITUTE EDITION INSTRUCTOR: Ashley Wurzbacher, National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree (followed by A Night With the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 featuring Anelise Chen, Isabella Hammad,…
Taller: “La brevedad, técnica y misterio” con Ana María Shua
Jueves 7 y viernes 8 de mayo, 6:30 a 9:30 p.m. y Sábado 9 de mayo, 10 a.m. a 1 p.m. ¿Qué es un microrrelato? ¿Es una mariposa, un perfume, una brisa, un texto narrativo? Las fronteras de la nación del microrrelato y sus países limítrofes. El microrrelato ¿nace o se hace? ¿Se trata de resumir o de ser breves? Un género des-generado. El golpe de sentido. Los formatos extra literarios. Cómo aprovechar la fuerza del adversario para derribarlo… o los conocimientos del lector para completar el significado.…
A Night With the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35
6:30 p.m. | First Draft: Miami Writers Institute Edition 8 p.m. | A Night with the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Honorees The National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 program honors young fiction writers at the beginning of their careers. Every year, five National Book Award Finalists select one promising writer each to recognize at the beginning of National Book Awards week in November; each Honoree is under 35 and has published one novel or short story collection.…
Friday Reader Bundle (lunch + publishing seminar)
12:30 p.m.: Literary luncheon with a craft talk by Richard Blanco (lunch included) 1:30 p.m.: Publishing Seminar with Literary Agent Dana Murphy A refrain you’ll often hear when asking a question about the publishing process is “it depends.” Every book, every author, every agent, every publisher is wonderfully (and, yes, also frustratingly) unique. There is not a single right path to publishing a book, no traveling salesmen “six tricks to get an agent” to game the system,…
Events List Navigation
Past Events
May 2019
Friday Reader Bundle (lunch + publishing seminar with Melissa Danaczko)
1-Day Publishing Seminar (lunch included) Friday, May 10 | 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. How do you find an agent—and do you even need one? What is the editorial process like? What role does a publisher play in terms of production, sales, marketing, publicity, etc? Do authors need to participate in social media? As an emerging writer, it can be incredibly difficult to navigate this space. With over a decade of publishing experience, Melissa Danaczko will walk you through the process of preparing your manuscripts and query letters;…
A Night With the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35
6:30 p.m. | First Draft: Miami Writers Institute Edition 8 p.m. | A Night with the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Honorees The National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 program honors young fiction writers at the beginning of their careers. Every year, five National Book Award Finalists select one promising writer each to recognize at the beginning of National Book Awards week in November; each Honoree is under 35 and has published one novel or short story collection.…
FIRST DRAFT: A Literary Social (2019 Writers Institute Edition)
Have a drink. Write a story. Have another drink. Write a better story. Writers Institute Edition Instructor: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (followed by A Night With the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 featuring Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Hanah Lillith Assadi, Akwaeke Emezi, Lydia Kiesling, and Moriel Rothman-Zecher) Miami Book Fair presents First Draft, a series of informal writing events that turn happy hours into great stories. You’re inspired. But you’re also thirsty. Swing by a First Draft event for a drink (the first one’s on the house) and a guided writing prompt.…
Trabajar entre líneas. Un taller de lecto-escritura literaria con Andrés Neuman
Si ya no hay cupo para el taller, por favor escriba a iflores2@mdc.edu para apuntarse a la lista de espera. Le informaremos si surge una oportunidad. Gracias por su interés. Curso de tres clases: 9, 10 y 11 de mayo Jueves 9 y viernes 10: 6:00 p.m. a 9:00 p.m. Sábado 11: de 10:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m. Un curso intensivo con un enfoque dinámico, no académico y que pondrá énfasis en los aspectos prácticos a lo largo de tres sesiones: 1- Principios y finales,…
Thursday Reader Bundle (lunch + craft talks)
12:30 p.m.: Literary luncheon with a reading by Porochista Khakpour (lunch included) 2:30 p.m.: Craft talk series with Angela Flournoy & Ilya Kaminsky Continue your immersive experience by hearing nationally renowned authors explore various elements of the craft of creative writing. On Writing the Group with Angela Flournoy This craft talk will examine the benefits and challenges of working with a large cast of characters in fiction, with a focus on techniques to ensure adequate characterization and depth.…
Film Screening & Discussion with Writer / Director Julia Solomonoff
Nadie nos mira / Nobody’s Watching is a film about the struggle of self-imposed exile; how the pleasures of anonymity and freedom contrast with the pain of loneliness and loss that shapes immigrant experience. Nico, mid 30s, is a young Argentine actor fighting to build a career in the US, without assistance, or connections, never too far from heart-breaking failure, but often blinded by the mirage of immediate success. Followed by a discussion from writer and director Julia Solomonoff in coversation with Margaret Cardillo. …
Wednesday Reader Bundle (lunch + craft talks)
12:30 p.m.: Literary luncheon with readings by Angela Flournoy & Ilya Kaminsky (lunch included) 2:30 p.m.: Craft talk series with Porochista Khakpour & Moriel Rothman-Zecher Continue your immersive experience by hearing nationally renowned authors explore various elements of the craft of creative writing. The Business of Writing: A Craft Talk with Porochista Khakpour In this craft talk, Porochista Khakpour discusses literary citizenship and how to survive your first “serious”…
Manuscript Consultations with Melissa Danaczko
Various times, as appointed (Wed., May 8 – Sat., May 11) | Consultations are limited to 30 people. Genre preferences: All Adult Fiction, Young Adult Fiction and Adult Non-Fiction (aside from prescriptive non-fiction, cookbooks, and art/design books). Manuscripts must be a max of 10 double-spaced pages, formatted as follows: Must include a single-spaced, one-page synopsis of your manuscript-in-progress. Formatting: Please submit your sample material double-spaced in Times New Roman 12-pt font, and include page numbers. Include your name and email in the header of each page.…
Craft & Voice: Poetry Workshop with Ilya Kaminsky
Registration closed. Waitlist only. Email mcanciob@mdc.edu to add your name to the list. 4-Day Workshop Wednesday – Saturday, May 8 – 11 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. In this class, we will talk about poems from around the world and also discuss your own work. Everyone will receive a line-by-line reading of their poetry. The details, images and sounds, the aspects of line, line-break, metaphor, and other tools of our craft will be discussed in depth.…
Experimental Writing for Non-Experimental Writers with Porochista Khakpour
4-Day Workshop Wednesday – Saturday, May 8 – 11 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. What does it mean for writing to be experimental? The great writer Margaret Atwood defines it as writing “that sets up certain rules for itself . . . while subverting the conventions according to which readers have understood what constitutes a proper work of literature.” In making its own rules, a lot of the old rules have to be tossed out, of course, and so this workshop provides a few examples of the most innovative,…
Screenwriting Inside Out with Julia Solomonoff
4-Day Workshop Wednesday – Saturday, May 8 – 11 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. This workshop focuses on character-driven storytelling, going beyond plot formulas and binary morals. A study of contemporary screenplays and films with complex protagonists and challenging relationships (character introduction, intimate moments, dramatic tension, the “necessary and unavoidable” obstacle, exploring theme and story, subtext and text) Format: A healthy mix of lecture and workshop, viewing clips, analyzing scenes from screenplays, and creating a scene with dramatic tension.…
The Wildness and Carefulness of Writing a Novel with Moriel Rothman-Zecher
3-Day Workshop Wednesday – Friday, May 8 – 10 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. In order to create a new universe — i.e., a novel — a writer needs a sense of recklessness, boldness, imagination, and wildness. But in order to tame this universe, to sharpen its logics, and to make enough sense out of its rhythms to tell a compelling story, a writer needs discipline, methodology, grit, and carefulness. In this workshop, we will explore the contradictory and complementary ideas of wildness and carefulness in novel writing,…
What We Remember: A Workshop on Character and Memory in Fiction with Angela Flournoy
4-Day Workshop Wednesday – Saturday, May 8 – 11 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Embedded in the stories we write are numerous smaller stories–the ones characters tell themselves about the lives they’ve led and the people they’ve known, which combine to give us a fuller sense of characters and their concerns. We will examine memory as a vital tool for character development, and we will look at the ways that memory can influence nearly every other element of a work of fiction.…
May 2018
Craft Talk Series: Sara Benincasa and Campbell McGrath
Continue your immersive experience by hearing nationally renowned authors explore various elements of the craft of creative writing. When You’re Stuck: How to Move Again: A Craft Talk by Sara Benincasa As writers, we all know the feeling of being stuck on a project. With warmth and humor, this talk will cover ways to jog the brain, unblock oneself, and feel relief in place of shame and worry while writing. Try out different techniques in advance to have a toolkit of options available to you the next time writer’s block strikes.…
Cómo contar para que la historia funcione. Un taller intensivo con Claudia Piñeiro
10, 11 y 12 de mayo (Curso de tres clases) Jueves 10 y viernes 11: 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Sábado 12: De 10 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Estrategias del oficio de guionista y otras disciplinas al servicio de la literatura. ¿Dónde empezar? ¿Cómo crear la curva dramática de un personaje? ¿Qué estructura sostiene mejor la historia? Abismo, climax punto de giro y otras herramientas al servicio de lo literario. Claudia Piñeiro es escritora, dramaturga y guionista.…
Craft Talk Series: Samuel G. Freedman & Ada Calhoun
Continue your immersive experience by hearing nationally renowned authors explore various elements of the craft of creative writing. Reporting and Writing Family History: A Craft Talk by Samuel G. Freedman Craft Talk: How do we report, research, and write about the people closest to us — our family members. Drawing on his book about his mother’s life as a young woman, “Who She Was,” Samuel Freedman of Columbia Journalism School will teach and discuss some of the best practices for doing this biographically and emotionally intensive work.…
Mastering Narrative Non-Fiction with Samuel G. Freedman
2-Day Workshop Thursday – Friday, May 10 – 11 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. In this workshop, participants will learn the principles of reporting and writing long-form narrative non-fiction, whether for magazine articles or books. They will also get detailed instruction in how to develop a book proposal, which is essential for an aspiring author to get a literary agent. And there will be discussion of the current state of the publishing industry. Samuel G.…
Publishing Seminar: Putting Your Best Book Forward with Liz Van Hoose
1-Day Publishing Seminar Wednesday, May 9 | 7 – 9 p.m. Got a novel? A memoir? A great idea for a narrative nonfiction work on the secret history of butterflies? This seminar will cover the fundamentals of getting your manuscript published to its fullest potential. Pairing participant feedback with guidance from a book industry perspective, we’ll explore the publishing path from agent pitch to book launch. Topics Include: How do I pitch my book in 50 words or less?…
Craft Talk Series: Lesley Nneka Arimah & Min Jin Lee
Continue your immersive experience by hearing nationally renowned authors explore various elements of the craft of creative writing. World-Building: A Craft Talk by Lesley Nneka Arimah The best short stories render worlds that read as though they existed before the story started and continue after the story ends. How does one create the impression of a continuous world? This happens with the judicious use of details to create texture and meaning. In this craft talk, we’ll discuss how to build the world where your story is set while simultaneously advancing the narrative arc and building character.…
Character Development Workshop: Get to Know Your People with Sara Benincasa
4-Day Workshop Wednesday – Saturday, May 9 – 12 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Blending in-class readings and lots of writing exercises, we’ll use the fiction workshop as a space to really get to know your characters. Come to class with no idea who you’ll create, or arrive with someone half-formed in your mind. We’ll find out what your characters want, what they need, how they move, whom they love. By the end of the workshop you may know your characters better than you know your best friend or yourself.…
Fiction and Architecture with Min Jin Lee
3-Day Workshop Wednesday – Friday, May 9 – 11 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. How do you furnish a room, build a house, populate a village, design a city, or make a nation? Let’s start with clumsy sketches and bold, intimidating plans. In this workshop, we will draft blueprints of our fictional worlds, giving ourselves plenty of room to err. As we revise our plans and dream up our foundations, we will write characters and scenes.…
Making Fiction True: Adding Texture and Meaning with Lesley Nneka Arimah
3-Day Workshop Wednesday – Friday, May 9 – 11 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. In this workshop, we will learn how to add dimension to stories so that they become multifaceted. We will create layers within the narrative so that our characters move through authentic worlds, whether those worlds are realistic or fantastic. Every story has a central question, but around this central question is an entire narrative ecosystem. This workshop will consider how to craft this narrative ecosystem with authenticity and complexity.…
Memoir Workshop: From Brainstorming to Final Edits with Ada Calhoun
4-Day Workshop Wednesday – Saturday, May 9 – 12 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. In this four-day workshop, author Ada Calhoun will lead discussions on each stage of the memoir process: writing, research, rewriting, and submitting work for publication. Class members will read and discuss one another’s drafts, as well as inspiring examples of the form. The focus of this workshop will be on finding your own unique way to interweave the personal and the universal.…
Poetry for the Real World with Campbell McGrath
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Cornelius Eady is unable to lead his “What The Poem Wants” workshop at this year’s Miami Writers Institute. Nationally renowned Miami-based poet Campbell McGrath will be teaching the poetry writing workshop in Eady’s place. 4-Day Workshop Wednesday – Saturday, May 9 – 12 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Campbell McGrath is an internationally celebrated poet whose work has earned him just about every major literary prize in North America.…
Manuscript Consultations with Liz Van Hoose
Various times, as appointed (Wed., May 9 – Fri., May 11) | Consultations are limited to 30 people. Genre preferences: Adult trade general fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction. Please no thrillers/YA/sci-fi/erotica/romance. Manuscripts must be a max of 10 double-spaced pages, formatted as follows: Must include a single-spaced, one-page synopsis of the overall manuscript. 12-point font, Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins. Double-spaced, with page numbers and the author’s name and email in the header of each page. Files must be in .doc,…
