ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

    Fiction writing has always been a part of my life so when the opportunity rose to teach my own workshop, I took it. Why keep my love of creative writing to myself if I could spread the enjoyment? Through this workshop I sought to focus on fiction writing and how writer’s advice can translate to the rest of the world. Tips like find your voice, choose a point of view, and write for yourself are not only beneficial to consider when writing but when interacting with others and the world around you. Writing is bigger than the words on a page and that is what I hoped to show my students. 

    Over time fiction writing has advanced and developed in the hands of influential writers. From Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, and Virginia Woolf to Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, and Toni Morrison fiction has opened up imaginative worlds to readers around the globe. Personally, I’ve taken inspiration from modern authors like Sarah J. Maas, Colleen Hoover, and Rupi Kaur who evoke emotion like no other. I’ve used what they taught me about writing to inspire my students to look beyond the context of the writing world in order to spark discussions about society. 

    My approach to the workshop was to have each weekly class be based on a tip of writing advice that we would expand upon in discussion and focus on through writing exercises. Each week a new topic and writing technique would be discussed and time would be set aside to practice. The audience for my workshop includes my students and anyone interested in reading their work. My desired impact upon my students would be that they learned more about the basis of creative writing and how it can connect to the world. Through this process I’ve grown to admire my students’ creativity and I’ve grown as an artist to more deeply appreciate others' work. 

   I hope you enjoy the exhibition. 

Creative Writing Inspirations

Hoover, Colleen. It Ends With Us: A Novel. Atria Books, 2016. 

Kaur, Rupi. Milk and Honey. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2018.

Maas, Sarah J. A Court of Thorns and Roses. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.

Acknowledgements

The unsung heroes of this workshop are undoubtedly my advisors, Harold and Heather, as well as my teaching assistant Melissa. They have provided nothing but advice and support along the way and, for that, I am grateful. I would also like to thank my friends, both inside and outside the Arts scholar department, for always being there for me when I need a laugh, a hug, or a good book to read.