A 5-Week Creative Nonfiction Workshop
Tuesdays: January 7 - February 11, 6-9 PM
Whether your heroes are John Jeremiah Sulllivan for GQ, Nikole Hannah-Jones for the New York Times Magazine, Ta-Nehisi Coates for the Atlantic, or Susan Orlean at the New Yorker, many writers dream of publishing deeply researched and sharply written features that are also a pleasure to read. But how do you get started? Whether it’s travel and food writing, opinion pieces and profiles, or deep dive investigations, submitting freelance work to magazines, newspapers, and digital publications, the process of reporting, writing, and pitching longform articles can seem daunting.
In this workshop, we’ll dive into that process: beginning with story origination and research plans, then transitioning to best practices in research, voice, and form, and finally, the pitch and editorial process. Along the way, we’ll explore issues including how to select a target publication, cultivating sources, contract negotiation, trends in commercial publishing, and the realities of making a living as a freelance writer.
This is a writing intensive class, and the goal for all participants will be the completion of a publishable feature story. Over the course of our time together, participants will have the opportunity to develop a story from nascent idea to 5000-word feature. As time allows, we’ll also discuss how to cultivate a digital platform and the process of converting a published story into a book proposal and contract. Readings for this course will include selections from Best American Essays, Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers Guide from the Neiman Foundation, and articles curated by participants. This is a workshop-based course, which means that participants will also be expected to regularly share their work and to provide feedback to others.
Class takeaways:
During our time together, participants will have the opportunity to:
• Evaluate exemplary publications
• Learn the distinctions between writing for different audiences and modes
• Refine their narrative voices
• Draft a publishable piece of work
• Engage with contemporary publishing trends and expectations
+ SYLLABUS Please purchase (via your local indie bookstore, Bookshop, AbeBooks, etc) or borrow the following texts before your first class:
Gornick, Vivian. Best American Essays 2023. New York: Mariner Books. ISBN: 0063288842
Kramer, Mark and Call, Wendy.Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers Guide From the Neiman Foundation.Plume. ISBN-10 : 0452287553
$275 Members/$475 Nonmembers
Kathryn Miles is the author of five books, including TRAILED: ONE WOMAN'S QUEST TO SOLVE THE SHENANDOAH MURDERS, which is also being adapted as documentary TV series. Her essays and articles have appeared in AUDUBON MAGAZINE, BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS, BEST AMERICAN SPORTSWRITING, THE BOSTON GLOBE, ECOTONE, NEW YORK TIMES, OUTSIDE, POLITICO, POPULAR MECHANICS, and TIME. Miles currently serves as a faculty member in Eastern Oregon University's MFA program, as a scholar in residence for the Maine Humanities Council, and as a contributing editor for DOWN EAST MAGAZINE.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-200-7180 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one partial scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due by October 1 at 9:00 a.m.
→ MORE INFORMATION
MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION