Past Events
February 2016
Fiction Through Time and Place with Fabienne Josaphat
Sold Out Take a look at historical fiction using elements of place, time, and cultural, political and socio-economical context for developing characters and a plot narrative. Class will involve group discussions of setting, writing exercises and reading assignments, and workshop of short fiction and flash fiction.
Introduction to Screenwriting with Margaret Cardillo Fronefield and Luke Fronefield
Learn all the basics of writing a screenplay, and finish the class with a script that you can actually shoot, send to film festivals, and maybe even win awards. This course is an introduction to the techniques and elements of screenwriting, designed to provide you with skills that cultivate 1) an ability to create narrative story lines; 2) an understanding of the dramatic structure of screenplays; and 3) an ability to read and write in basic film script format.
May 2016
NEW SHADOWS: READING TO WRITE with Terrance Hayes
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. This workshop will offer concrete strategies for writing when the only teacher available is a book. We will explore the ways "reading to write" can result in new poems.
Conflict Through Character: The Bottom-Up Approach with Jacinda Townsend
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Are your characters falling flat? Has your plot soured and curdled? This workshop proposes the cure: conflict through character, or the bottom-up approach.
FINDING THE RIGHT SENTENCE with Smith Henderson
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Writing is complicated. Character, plot, imagery, metaphor, voice...there is so much to master in order to make a piece of fiction. But all of the story’s effects are built out of words, out of simple sentences.
FROM CHAOS INTO ART: FINDING AND SHAPING THE LARGER STORY with Dani Shapiro
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Life often presents itself as one damned thing after another. When we set out to write about some aspect of our lives, paralysis may set in.
MANUSCRIPT CONSULTATIONS with Literary Agent Allison Devereux
By appointment only Literary agent Allison Devereux will read a sample of your work, then meet with you for a one - on -one, 15-minute consultation.
HOW TO GET PUBLISHED SUCCESSFULLY with The Book Doctors (Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry)
6:00 - 9:00 p.m. It is the greatest time in history to be a writer. The barrier to publishing has been torn down and now anyone can get published.
LA FICCIÓN CREATIVA: UN CURSO INTENSIVO con Daína Chaviano
Jueves 5 y viernes 6 de mayo | 6:30 a 9:30 p.m. y Sábado 7 de mayo | 10:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m. Un taller de 3 días que proporcionará a los participantes las herramientas para desarrollar sus habilidades creativas, descubriéndoles cómo construir personajes sólidos y tramas complejas.
PERFECTING YOUR PITCH with The Book Doctors
A great pitch is one of the most powerful and underestimated tools any writer can have in his/her quest to be published successfully.
June 2016
How to Tell True Stories, Out Loud
Thursdays, June 30 – July 28 (5 weeks) / 7 – 9 p.m. The stories presented at Lip Service—Miami’s showcase for true stories presented out loud—are personal, heartfelt, and honest. This five-week course, presented by Lip Service co-producers Esther Martinez-Kenniff and Nicholas Garnett, will show you how to identify, create, and present meaningful personal stories. You’ll learn: What qualifies as a story. How to identify which of your personal stories have what it takes to make a great story.…
July 2016
For High School Students / Flash Fiction: How to Tell a Compelling Story in 1,000 Words or Less
This class has been cancelled. Saturdays, July 9 – 30 (4 weeks) / 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. For High School Students Only Flash fiction is a deceptively difficult, yet popular format for short fiction. It’s fun to read and it’s even more fun to write. This course will help you to pare down the elements of fiction—plot, characters, dialogue, pacing—to the barest of its bones. Flash is often about what is missing from the story,…
How to Conquer Writer’s Block: Attack the Blank Page Using Skills from the Stage
Saturday, July 9 (1 day) / 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. “My inner critic began piping up about how hopeless I was and how I didn’t know how to write.” Author Mary Garden Feeling intimidated by the blank page? Unsure where to start? All out of ideas? This innovative course is for you. We’ll borrow techniques developed by the masters of improvisational theater to obliterate writer’s block, uncork your creative juices, and conquer your doubts. You’ll spend part of this dynamic workshop on your feet,…
September 2016
Write Your Book (Draft) in Seven Weeks with M.J. Fievre
7 weeks, September 13 – October 25
This class is designed for writers who are serious about completing a book project that is marketable to agents, editors, and readers. Lominy Books and Sliver of Stone editor M.J. Fievre will teach different approaches to planning and structuring a book-length story, along with the advanced writing techniques needed to bring a plot into sharp focus, build dramatic tension, and evoke an authentic sense of place.
Laugh About It: Humor in Autobiographical Writing with Dawn S. Davies
CANCELED 6 weeks, September 15 – October 20 Writing funny can be a challenge. Humor writer Erma Bombeck says, “Anybody can bring out your tears. That’s a piece of cake. It is twenty times—no, make that fifty times easier to make people cry rather than laugh.” Yet, humor is a healthy part of life and often can be the sugar that helps the bitter stuff go down, and in personal essays or memoir, humor can be both a refreshing and a startling honest way to connect with your readers.…
Fiction through Time and Place (Part II) with Fabienne Josaphat
CANCELED 6 weeks, September 15 – October 20 Take a look at historical fiction using elements of place, time, and cultural, political, and socio-economical context for developing fiction. Class will involve a discussion of setting, writing exercises and reading assignments, and workshop of novel chapters, short stories and or flash fiction. This six-week course focuses on writing and workshop of novels and short stories in the genre of historical fiction. The first week of the course will focus on understanding concepts of historical fiction,…
What Editors Want: Understanding the Process of Submitting to Literary Magazines with Lynne Barrett
1 day workshop: Saturday, September 17 Are you writing stories, poems, or essays, and seeking publication in magazines? Just beginning? Or trying to move your work up a notch? This workshop aims to demystify an often-daunting process. Editor and author Lynne Barrett will help you to understand editors’ expectations and how authors research and evaluate markets appropriate for their work. You’ll get tips on helpful resources, organizing your process, following submission directions, what belongs (and doesn’t) in cover letters and bios,…
How to Conquer Writer’s Block: Attack the Blank Page Using Skills from the Stage with Dan Grech
1 day workshop: Saturday, September 17
Feeling intimidated by the blank page? Unsure where to start? All out of ideas? This innovative course is for you. We'll borrow techniques developed by the masters of improvisational theater to obliterate writer’s block, uncork your creative juices, and conquer your doubts.
November 2016
Storytelling with Carrie Sue Ayvar
Join in on the storytelling fun with Carrie Sue Ayvar as she tells tales in Spanish and English.…
February 2017
How to Tell True Stories, Out Loud with Nick Garnett & Esther Martinez
7 weeks: Tuesdays, February 21 – April 5 / 7 – 9 p.m. The stories presented at Lip Service—Miami’s showcase for true stories presented out loud—are personal, heartfelt, and honest. This five-week course, presented by Lip Service co-producers Esther Martinez-Kenniff and Nicholas Garnett, will show you how to identify, create, and present meaningful personal stories. You’ll learn: What qualifies as a story. How to identify which of your personal stories have what it takes to make a great story.…
Memoir Workshop with Nikki Moustaki
Tuesdays, February 21 – April 4 (6 weeks, no class on March 21) / 7 – 9 p.m. Take your memoir writing to the next level with this memoir writing workshop led by Nikki Moustaki, author of 46 works of book-length nonfiction, including the memoir The Bird Market of Paris. Whether you’ve just started writing or you’re experienced in creative nonfiction, you will find a place in this workshop, which aims to hone your current skills as well as offer new techniques.…
Multicultural Approaches to Writing Prose with Vanessa Garcia
4 weeks: Tuesdays, February 21 – March 14 / 7 – 9 p.m. How does our background affect the way we write? Not just the material we bring to writing, but how we put it together. How can we take the most of our hyphenated, multi-layered, densely layered pasts and turn those roots into fruitful creative endeavors that are often genre-bending, and sometimes revolutionary. This class will explore what it means to be multicultural and how to be truthful to that core,…
Writing the World with Thomas Swick
6 weeks: Wednesdays, February 22 – March 29 / 7 – 9 p.m. During this course, students work on travel stories with the intent of eventually publishing them. Discover the seven key elements – a personal voice, a point of view, imagination, insight, humor, people, dialogue – and how best to incorporate them into your stories. Learn about the importance of finding a theme – something that ties your disparate and seemingly random experiences of a place together – and creating a narrative arc and,…
Writing for the Ear with Alicia Zuckerman
4 weeks: Thursdays, February 23 – March 16 / 7 – 9 p.m. Writing for the ear is different than writing for the eye. The rhythm is different. Often the vocabulary is different. Sentences tend to be shorter. Like this. They aren’t even always complete sentences. And sometimes they start with conjunctions. Lots of writers who’ve spent time learning how to write for the ear say when their writing becomes more conversational, they become better writers overall. It’s one of the most useful things you can do to find your own voice.…
May 2017
With a Voice Like That…Developing Voice and Persona in Poems with Adrian Matejka
4-Day Workshop
Wednesday – Saturday, May 3 – 6 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The poet’s ultimate representation on the page is the speaker. Sharon Olds sounds like “Sharon Olds” because of her language choice, syntax, and line breaks. Yusef Komunyakaa’s linguistic swing is identifiable in a room full of poets thanks to his unique understanding of assonance, consonance, and imagery.
Ventriloquy in Fiction with Tiphanie Yanique
4-Day Workshops
Wednesday – Saturday, May 3 – 6 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Writers are often told that we must first find our own voice. This well-intentioned advice may be stifling and even misleading for fiction writers.
Memoir as Interior Renovation with Brian Turner
4-Day Workshops
Wednesday – Saturday, May 3 – 6 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
In this four-day intensive workshop on memoir, we’ll offer critique and feedback on the memoir you’ve begun, as well as discover ways to expand and explore the work you’ve already created.
Lunch and Faculty Readings with Brit Bennett & Adrian Matejka
The cost of lunch is included for participants registered for at least one Institute workshop. A limited number of lunches will be available for purchase on site that same day.…
Desire in Fiction with Brit Bennett
3-Day Workshops
Wednesday – Friday, May 3 – 5 | 2:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Kurt Vonnegut famously said, "Every character should want something, even if it's only a glass of water." At its simplest form, a story is just that: a character who wants something and faces obstacles to getting it. But many stories flag under characters whose desires are muddled or boring or weak.
Plot Is Not A Four-Letter Word – A Story Workshop with Thomas Pierce
3-Day Workshops
Wednesday – Friday, May 3 – 5 | 2:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Plot is sometimes sneered at by literary fiction writers. A necessary evil, it’s often called. A way to hold the reader’s attention.
Lunch and Faculty Readings with Brian Turner & Thomas Pierce
The cost of lunch is included for participants registered for at least one Institute workshop. A limited number of lunches will be available for purchase on site that same day.…
Cómo convertirte en escritor y no morir (ni matar) en el intento, impartido por Rosa Montero
4, 5 y 6 de mayo (Curso de tres clases)
Jueves 4 y viernes 5: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Sábado 6: De 10 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Writers Institute presenta el taller de escritura creativa Cómo convertirte en escritor y no morir (ni matar) en el intento, impartido por Rosa Montero.
Lunch and Reading with Tiphanie Yanique, and Craft Talk with Thomas Pierce
The cost of lunch is included for participants registered for at least one Institute workshop. A limited number of lunches will be available for purchase on site that same day. Crafts and Craft: A happy hour conversation series on the writing craft Wind-down and refresh after an immersive day of writing workshops with a craft beer as you explore different aspects of writing with our craft talk series. A Thermodynamic Story with Thomas Pierce Stick a cold spoon in a hot bowl of soup,…
Manuscript Consultations with Literary Agent Jill Marr
Various times, as appointed. | Consultations are limited to 30 people.
Jill Marr is an agent at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. She graduated from San Diego State University with a BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing and a minor in history. She has a strong Internet and media background and nearly 15 years of publishing experience.
June 2017
Weaving Words into Pages: A Writing and Bookmaking Workshop with Mia Leonin & Nereida García Ferraz
Women: who were we before we became daughter, sister, mother, lover, wife, partner, student, employee, and citizen? This workshop, open to women and female-identifying individuals, will employ the art of bookmaking, poetry writing, and storytelling to reconnect each participant with the unique and authentic “I” that sometimes vanishes in the rush to become. Poet and writer Mia Leonin will guide participants through a series of writing exercises to unlock the unique language of self. Visual artist Nereida García Ferraz will teach bookmaking and drawing techniques to unite word and text.…
July 2017
How to Sequence a Prizewinning Poetry Manuscript Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello
Robert Frost said that the last poem you write for a manuscript is the book itself, expanding on Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s belief that poetry is “the best words in the best order.” Great writers are intentional about everything, from syllable count to the order in which each poem is presented. Part lecture and part workshop, this class will give you a hands-on approach to finding the optimal order for your manuscript that maximizes each poem’s strengths to keep readers (and contest judges) hooked.…
Demystifying the Art of Proposal Writing with Susan Caraballo
Whether participants are in the midst of a fellowship application and want feedback or they want to delve into writing proposals, this workshop provides a hands-on approach to the process. Through a combination of discussions and a mock panel, participants will gain first-hand experience in the grant-writing and grant-making process. Workshop is limited to 20 participants. Participants are asked to fill out a mock artist fellowship application before the workshop. The application is emailed prior to the workshop. The application deadline is a few days prior to the workshop.…
September 2017
Character Development with Fabienne Josaphat
Tuesdays, September 26 – October 31 (6 weeks) | 7 – 9 p.m. This six-week course focuses on writing and developing compelling, three-dimensional characters. A good novel or short story calls for authentic, dynamic characters, and you, writer, must learn to think outside the box. We are called to create a world with characters so real, they will live with our readers forever, and even haunt them. In this course, you will practice the creation of such characters.…
November 2017
Getaway with Jeff Kinney
Celebrate the 12th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, The Getaway (Amulet Books)! With the cold weather and the stress of the approaching holiday season, the Heffleys decide to escape to a tropical island resort for some much-needed rest and relaxation. But the Heffleys soon discover that paradise isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. Get your copy of The Getaway signed, and have a picture taken with Jeff Kinney!…
February 2018
How to Write Your Memoir with Nikki Moustaki
Tuesdays, February 20 – March 27 (6 weeks) 7 – 9 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami Want to write your own story? Whether you’re new to writing or are experienced in creative nonfiction, you will hone your current skills, learn new techniques, and take your writing to the next level with workshop leader, Nikki Moustaki, author of The Bird Market of Paris: A Memoir, as well as 45 other works of book-length non-fiction. We will also discuss the memoir marketplace and publishing in this friendly,…
Writing the World with Thomas Swick
Wednesday, February 21 – March 21 (5 weeks) 7 – 9 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami During this course, students work on travel stories with the intent of eventually publishing them. Discover the seven key elements – a personal voice, a point of view, imagination, insight, humor, people, dialogue – and how best to incorporate them into your stories. Learn about the importance of finding a theme – something that ties your disparate and seemingly random experiences of a place together –…
The Dream Workshop: Connecting to the Subconscious Mind through Dreaming and Writing with Dr. Phyllis Baker
Saturday, February 24 (1 day) 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami Dreaming is a topic that has fascinated and illuminated humanity throughout history. Dreams as revealed by Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Eugene Aserinsky, Edgar Cayce, and a host of psychological, cultural and religious traditions, suggest that dreams can be a primary methodology for accessing higher levels of mind, consciousness and self-power. This workshop is designed to assist the participants in understanding the dreaming and writing processes,…
March 2018
Funny the Funny with Annabelle Gurwitch
New York Times bestselling author, Thurber Prize Finalist, and humorist Annabelle Gurwitch leads a workshop on finding the funny in your story. Join Gurwitch for a three-hour session including: lecture, writing exercises, and creative brainstorming. She will share her secrets for mining comedy gold in your writing. In her work as a humorist, essayist, and performer, Gurwitch has honed a process of finding humor on the page and on the stage. You will learn a process you can apply each time you sit down to write.…
May 2018
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,…
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.…
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.…
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.…
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.…
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?…
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.…
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.…
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: 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.…
June 2018
The Personal Essay: Connecting Through Spots of Time with Vanessa Garcia
Wednesdays, June 6 – 27 (4 weeks) 7 – 9 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami Sometimes a short moment in time (or short essay) is a gem, holding the greatest power of connection – the universal always being in the specific. In this class, you will write four personal essays between 500 and 1,000 words, all capturing personal spots of time recollected, as Wordsworth would say, “in tranquility.” These will capture the extraordinary in the ordinary,…
Anatomy of the Novel with Fabienne Josaphat
Wednesdays, June 6 – July 18 (6 weeks – skipping July 4) 7 – 9 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami You’ve been wanting to write a novel forever, but the task seems daunting. Mostly because writing a novel is a scary thought. But also, you’re not sure how to write a novel. After all, it isn’t an easy task, otherwise we’d all do it. If those symptoms are familiar, ANATOMY OF THE NOVEL is for you. …
September 2018
How to Tell True Stories, Out Loud with Nicholas Garnett & Esther Martinez-Kenniff
September 11 – October 30 (8 weeks) 7 – 9 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami The stories presented at Lip Service—Miami’s showcase for true stories presented out loud—are personal, heartfelt, and honest. This eight-week course, presented by Lip Service co-producers Esther Martinez-Kenniff and Nicholas Garnett, will show you how to identify, create, and present meaningful personal stories. You’ll learn: What qualifies as a story. How to identify which of your personal stories have what it takes to make a great story.…
Finish Your Novel the TV Way! with Anjanette Delgado
Saturday – Sunday, September 15 – 16 (2 days) 12 – 5 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami Using techniques of television series head writers or show runners who must create entire worlds from top to bottom under strict ($$$) deadline pressure, this course will teach you how to organize it all, how to know what to keep and what to toss, and how to keep your inspiration level high throughout the long-form story process. Anjanette Delgado is an award-winning novelist,…
October 2018
Writing the Middle-Grade Novel with Ruth Behar
Saturday – Sunday, October 20 – 21 (2 days) 12– 3 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami The middle-grade novel is perhaps the most exciting genre in young people’s literature today. There has been a boom in writing about characters between the ages of nine and twelve, which has led to innovative and even monumental work. The wide range of writing for and about tweens includes Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,…
February 2019
Writing the World with Thomas Swick
Wednesdays, February 20 – March 13 (4 weeks) 7 – 9 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami During this course, students work on travel stories with the intent of eventually publishing them. Discover the seven key elements – a personal voice, a point of view, imagination, insight, humor, people, dialogue – and how best to incorporate them into your stories. Learn about the importance of finding a theme – something that ties your disparate and seemingly random experiences of a place together –…
Love Notes: The Craft of Writing Romance with Nadine Gonzalez
Thursdays, February 21 – March 14 (4 weeks) 7 – 9 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami A well-crafted romantic sub-plot can add dimension to any genre. A love interest can raise the stakes in a thriller, round out the character of a fantasy trilogy hero/heroine, or serve as the ultimate blind spot for an antihero. With that in mind, it’s worth it to master the romantic arc. In this workshop, we’ll work through the mandatory beats in romance (meet cute,…
May 2019
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,…
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.…
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.…
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.…
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”…
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.…
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,…
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;…
June 2019
How to Tell True Stories, Out Loud with Esther Martinez and Nicholas Garnett
Thursdays, June 6 – 27 (4 weeks) 7 – 9 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami The stories presented at Lip Service—Miami’s showcase for true stories presented out loud—are personal, heartfelt, and honest. This four-week course, presented by Lip Service co-producers Esther Martinez and Nicholas Garnett, will show you how to identify, create, and present meaningful personal stories. You’ll learn: What qualifies as a story. How to identify which of your personal stories have what it takes to make a great story.…
September 2019
Demystifying the Process: Artist Statements & Grant Proposals with Susan Caraballo
Class has been postponed due to Hurricane Dorian. The new dates are September 10, 17 and 24. Tuesdays, September 10 – 24 (3 weeks) 7 – 9 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami Whether participants are in the midst of a fellowship application and want feedback or they want to delve into writing proposals, this workshop provides a hands-on approach to the process. The workshop will start with ways to write an effective and persuasive artist statement by taking participants through creative writing exercises as tools to describe and talk about their work.…
Funny U: Humor Writing 101 with Roxanna Elden
Wednesdays, September 18 – October 23 (6 weeks) 7 – 9 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami Writing for a standup stage, a sitcom writers’ room, or the humor section of the bookstore requires a specific set of skills. Many of these are teachable, learnable techniques, and any writer can benefit from studying the elements that make writing funny. This course will begin with a short overview of humor theories, then move onto more concrete tricks,…
Protagonistas en épocas difíciles
La narradora, poeta y directora de cine cubana Wendy Guerra presenta su nueva novela Historia de un mercenario que coleccionaba obras de arte (Penguin Random House), obra que ofrece un punto de referencia sobre los enemigos que enfrentaron las izquierdas latinoamericanas. Anjel Lertxundi es escritor, periodista y guionista. Originario del País Vasco, nos ofrece Tú (Erein), obra en la que el tema de la enfermedad es el eje de un relato profundamente humano. Inma López Silva,…
November 2019
Florida Mystery and Suspense
Miami Midnight marks the conclusion of Alex Segura’s private eye Pete Fernandez mystery series – there’s a murder to investigate, of course, and secrets might be revealed. Miami attorney Jack Swyteck takes on the case of an undocumented immigrant in James Grippando’s legal thriller The Girl in the Glass Box. In No Sunscreen for the Dead (Serge Storms), mystery fans are in for a witty and deliciously violent delight from the twisted imagination of bestselling author Tim Dorsey.…
February 2020
Writing the World with Thomas Swick
Wednesdays, February 12 – March 11 (5 weeks) 7 – 9 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus, Downtown Miami During this course, students work on travel stories with the intent of eventually publishing them. Discover the seven key elements – a personal voice, a point of view, imagination, insight, humor, people, dialogue – and how best to incorporate them into your stories. Learn about the importance of finding a theme – something that ties your disparate and seemingly random experiences of a place together –…
Protected: Writing the World with Thomas Swick
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October 2022
Homenaje a Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz con el film “Yo, la peor de todas” | Adriana Bianco, Adriana Torres Sánchez
La Feria del Libro de Miami del Miami Dade College, el Consulado de la República Argentina en Miami, el Instituto Cultural de México y la Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española invitan al HOMENAJE A SOR JUANA INÉS DE LA CRUZ con la exhibición del film “Yo, la peor de todas”. “Yo, la peor de todas”, un film sobre la vida y obra de la poetisa mexicana del siglo XVII, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, basado en el libro del escritor mexicano Octavio Paz,…
October 2023
Cine & Literatura con la película “Medardo”
La Feria del Libro de Miami del Miami Dade College, el Consulado de la República Argentina en Miami, el Consulado General de Ecuador en Miami y la Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española invitan al filme “MEDARDO”. Un filme sobre la vida del poeta ecuatoriano MEDARDO dirigido por Nitsy Grau, basado en hechos reales y filmado en Guayaquil. Producida y actuada por JULIO ORTEGA y la actriz venezolana LUPITA FERRER. Contará con la presencia de la Cónsul de Ecuador María Josefa Coronel,…