Course Descriptions
Friday, November 3
12:00 pm: Pre-Conference Tailgate
3:00–8:00 pm: Registration Opens
5:00 – 8:00 pm: Exhibit Tables Open
8:00–9:00 pm: Keynote Address by Tommy Tomlinson
Tommy Tomlinson is the author of the memoir The Elephant In the Room (Simon & Schuster, 2019), about life as an overweight man in a growing America. His new book, Dogland, about the Westminster Dog Show, comes out in April 2024. Tommy is the host of the podcast SouthBound at WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR station, and he also does weekly commentaries for the station. He also has a Substack newsletter called The Writing Shed. He has written for publications including Esquire, ESPN the Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Garden & Gun, and many others. He spent 23 years as a reporter and local columnist for the Charlotte Observer.
He’s a graduate of the University of Georgia and was a 2008-09 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. Tommy and his wife, Alix Felsing, live in Charlotte.
9:00-9:30 pm: Tommy Tomlinson Book Signing
Saturday, November 4
7:30 am – 7 pm: Registration, Exhibits, & Book Sales Open
7:30–9:00 am: Continental Breakfast Available
8:00–9:00 am: All Stories Connect Panel Discussion: Writing as a Vehicle for Social Change (Sponsored by PEN America)
9:00 – 10:30 am: Session I
Objects May Be Closer: Activating Story Settings with Bryn Chancellor
Often writers slip into the habit of relegating setting—a story’s where, when, weather, and whatsits—to mere background or filler, making it storytelling’s “lowlier angel,” as Eudora Welty calls it in Place in Fiction. But activating our places, eras, and objects can galvanize all aspects of a story, including characterization, tension, plot, and movement. We’ll examine craft techniques and short examples but focus primarily on writing through targeted prompts.
Sticks & Stones: Turning Grief Into Verse with Angelo Geter
The saying “sticks & stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is a phrase that has been used for countless years to illustrate the idea that words don’t hurt. However, we all know that words have a large impact. The key is how we use them, particularly when it comes to grief and loss. This workshop will explore how poetry can transform our relationship with grief by using elegies, language and imagery to relinquish pain, give power and honor our losses.
Manifesting Your Book in the World: Securing an Agent, Money, and Time with Brooke Shaffner
This class discusses two key writers’ statements for fiction and narrative nonfiction writers: the project statement needed to secure time and funding to complete a manuscript-in-progress and the query letter needed to secure a literary agent once your manuscript is complete. We will examine the structure and components of successful agent queries and project statements and discuss how to encapsulate your book or manuscript-in-progress in a couple of paragraphs. We will discuss the value of a project statement, not just in securing grants, fellowships, and residencies, but in clarifying a manuscript-in-progress and why it matters to you and the world. We’ll also consider the query letter—which, if all goes well, becomes your submission letter to publishers, press release, and book cover copy—as an act of manifesting your book’s entry into the world.
Reality Lit: Substance, Structure, Style: Creative Nonfiction Master Class with Rebecca McClanahan
The literature of reality, sometimes referred to as creative nonfiction, offers writers the chance to combine fact and lived experience with imaginative literary approaches. This class combines close reading of model essays and excerpts, guided discussion of students’ manuscripts, and instruction in approaching three essential elements of artful nonfiction:
- Substance (What is it made of?)
- Structure (How it is shaped? How does it move?)
- Style (What makes it new? What makes it you?)
See Master Class web page for application details.
Master Classes continue through Sessions II & III.
Building the World: Fiction Master Class with Aaron Gwyn *THIS MASTER CLASS IS FULL*
This master class will be an intensive look at how fiction writers construct fictional worlds from words—realistic, fantastic, and otherworldly.
See Master Class web page for application details.
Master Classes continue through Sessions II & III.
So What’s the Use of Meter, Anyway?: Poetry Master Class with Morri Creech
In an age that writes mostly in free verse, one might wonder what the use of meter is in contemporary poetry. Yet meter provides a supple music, weaving and, occasionally, contrasting speech rhythms with the natural cadence of meter to create surprisingly nuanced verse; it helps create surprising content by freeing the intuitive side of the brain from the tyranny of the rational; and it helps free verse writers by sensitizing them to stress patterns lurking under the music of the line. In this class, we’ll be learning the basics of prosody by looking at a few key examples, as well as composing original lines that correspond to a metrical pattern. With any luck, we’ll come to see the benefits of prosody in an age that favors freedom over constraint.
See Master Class web page for application details.
Master Classes continues through Sessions II & III.
Manuscript Mart with Amy Bishop-Wycisk, Jamie Chambliss, Kristina Sutton Lennon, and Betsy Thorpe
10:30 – 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am – 12:30 pm: Session II
Greater than the Sum of the Parts (CNF) with Patrice Gopo
Personal essays are a popular genre, and sometimes essayists consider the possibility of turning their work into a collection. The thought of taking essays and forming a book can feel daunting and perhaps intimidating. What order? What structure? Often, the biggest challenge is figuring out which essays fit in the book. In this session, participants will learn tools and ideas to help writers find ways to think about how a group of essays might become a book. Using these ideas and tools, writers will learn something more about their writing and the larger story of their work.
Into The Deep: Writing the Poem That Leaves Us Breathless with Junious “Jay” Ward
We’ve all had the experience of jumping into the ocean, waves high as our heads, feet flailing wildly beneath us, using every ounce of energy to make it back to the boat just so we can explain to the Captain, once we’ve caught our breath, that we really can swim. Ok, I admit, that was my experience on vacation last year. I thought I could swim, but once I got into truly deep water I panicked. It is likely, though, that all of us have had the experience of reading a poem that makes us lose track of everything we thought was important, leaving us, by the end, breathless and in wonder. How did the poet do that?
Often there are memories or emotions that we struggle to write about, or conversely recurring themes that find their way into our poems whether we want them to or not—perhaps there is a poem we want to write but have avoided for fear of not doing it justice. In this workshop we’ll jump into the deep water together, discussing poems from Jenny George, Kevin Young, and Yusef Komunyakaa. We’ll examine three methods of approaching difficult topics in our own work. Participants will leave the workshop with a rough draft and practical tools for future poems.
Is Independent Publishing Right for You? with Kathy Izard
Do you have a finished (or almost finished) manuscript but are stuck on the next step? Should you keep querying agents and hoping for a book deal or are there other paths to publishing? Award-winning author and certified book coach, Kathy Izard has published four books three ways (independent publishing, hybrid publishing and traditional publishing) and has learned how to navigate the complicated publishing world. Kathy’s first independently published book received a national 2017 Christopher Award for Inspirational Nonfiction and led to a book contract with a Big Five Publisher.
Join Kathy as she walks you through the many ways to becoming a published author of adult or children’s books and help decide the path that is right for you.
Creative Nonfiction Master Class with Rebecca McClanahan (cont.)
Cont. See Above. See Master Class web page for application details.
Fiction Master Class with Aaron Gwyn (cont.) *THIS MASTER CLASS IS FULL*
Cont. See Above. See Master Class web page for application details.
Poetry Master Class with Morri Creech (cont.)
Cont. See Above. See Master Class web page for application details.
Manuscript Mart with Amy Bishop-Wycisk, Jamie Chambliss, Kristina Sutton Lennon, and Betsy Thorpe
12:30 – 1:30 pm: Luncheon
1:30 – 2:00 pm: Network Town Hall Meeting
This is your chance to ask questions about, and make suggestions for, the Network.
2:00 – 2:30 pm: Break
2:30 – 4:00 pm: Session III
Making Messes: How Character & Plot Thrive on Mistakes with Amber Wheeler Bacon
Fiction often relies on bad behavior and making messes. In an interview about writing his movies, Ethan Coen said that many of his stories begin when he takes a situation or problem and gives it to a character who is incapable of dealing with it. Mistakes are then made, and they pile up, moving the narrative forward. In this class, we’ll look at the movie Raising Arizona and a few pieces of literature where characters create difficult problems for themselves and then have to solve them.
Come to this workshop prepared to write! We’ll be doing some exercises in character development with bad behavior and mistakes in mind. Problems in fiction often stem from interactions between characters. We’ll pay close attention to what kinds of interactions might create the best problems for your characters, and how these can relate to the broader narrative within a story.
Poetry and Its Paradoxes with John Amen
Poetry is often moving for the way in which it embeds paradoxes – cohesion and dissolution, concreteness and mysteriousness, narrative and nonlinearity. How do we tighten our poems, on one hand, while giving them space, on the other? In this workshop, we’ll explore ways to broaden our atmospheres, prompted by unknowing as much as knowing. We’ll experiment with shifts in perspective, with word choices, with perception and its relationship to art. The session will include time for writing, discussion, and processing in small groups or dyads.
The Writing Life: Lessons Learned from Bestselling Authors with Charlotte Readers Podcast (Sarah Archer, Hannah Larrew, and Landis Wade)
Want to learn about writing and the writing life from bestselling authors David Baldacci, Ron Rash, Wylie Cash, Jill McCorkle, Clyde Edgerton, Jason Mott, and others? Charlotte Readers Podcast cohosts Landis Wade, Sarah Archer, and Hannah Larrew share lessons learned from their 500+ author interviews that led to their 8 books in The Write Quotes series. Topics include the writing process, inspiration, research, techniques, characters, community, revision, editors, the emotional writing journey, and publishing and book marketing. Come ready to learn, share, and be inspired.
Creative Nonfiction Master Class with Rebecca McClanahan (cont.)
Cont. See Above. See Master Class web page for application details.
Fiction Master Class with Aaron Gwyn (cont.) *THIS MASTER CLASS IS FULL*
Cont. See Above. See Master Class web page for application details.
Poetry Master Class with Morri Creech (cont.)
Cont. See Above. See Master Class web page for application details.
Manuscript Mart with Amy Bishop-Wycisk, Jamie Chambliss, Kristina Sutton Lennon, and Betsy Thorpe
4:00–4:30 pm: Break
4:30–5:30 pm: Faculty Readings
6:00–7:00 pm: Happy Hour (Sponsored by Charlotte Lit)
7:00–8:00 pm: Network Banquet
8:00–9:30 pm: Open Mic Readings
Sunday, November 5
7:30 – 9:00 am: Continental Breakfast Available
7:30 am – 12 pm: Registration, Book Sales, & Exhibit Tables Open
8:00 – 9:00 am: Brilliant at Breakfast Panel Discussion: Agents & Editors
9:00 – 10:30 am: Session IV
Writing Atmospheric Fiction with Kelly Mustian
“I was so thoroughly lost in that world that I was unaware of my own!” This reader’s response is what we all hope for when creating settings, both physical and emotional. In this session, we’ll break out some individual elements of atmospheric writing and explore using harmonious language, symbolism, cadence, and relatable personal experience to enrich the worlds our characters inhabit and to fully immerse readers in those settings. Our source material will be primarily literary and historical fiction, but these techniques can serve a wide range of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
The Voice of the Poem with Julie Funderburk
Voice gives a poem urgency, creating the sense that its utterance is necessary. Voice gets the reader’s (and editor’s) attention. Though there’s overlap, a poem’s voice isn’t quite the same as the writer’s style. In a written text, the sense of someone speaking to you is a created effect, and a poem can seem flat on the page without it. This session will explore where voice comes from as we read example poems together (hint: for first-person poems, the pronoun “I” is not enough). I’ll also share some ideas for experimenting with the dimension of voice.
Working Through the Emotional Phases of Writing with Betsy Thorpe
As a long-time book editor (celebrating thirty years in the business), Betsy Thorpe has spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours on the phone with nervous writers, holding their hands throughout the entire process of writing—from book idea to promoting the finished product. Some of these emotional stages that writers go through are perfectionism, feelings of inadequacy, over-confidence, anxiety/shyness, outright fear, anger, pure joy, disappointment, jealousy, nihilism, and pride. In this class, you’ll learn you are not alone in experiencing the many emotions of being a creator and be given tools to use so that you do not alienate your friends, family, and co-workers as you work through the ups of process of writing and publishing a book.
We Know Your Why, Tell Your Who with Jennifer Moxley
In this interactive workshop, Jennifer Moxley of Sunshine Media Network explains the value beyond the why you’re called to your work and genre and proves the who behind it is more important. She helps you start to identify your who, what makes you unique, what makes you special—and therefore relatable and marketable. She digs into the “every kid gets a trophy” philosophy and how that, and corporate America, forced us all to hide our Who from the world. As someone who helps you get good at telling your own story, Jennifer will break down easy steps of where to begin, what to say, and why it will help the bottom line. To prepare best for this workshop, start with writing down five to seven things that identify who you are as a writer.
Manuscript Mart with Amy Bishop-Wycisk, Jamie Chambliss, Kristina Sutton Lennon, and Betsy Thorpe
10:30–11:00 am: Break
11:00 am – 12:30 pm: Session V
Write Your Values with Misha Lazzara
In this course we’ll spend time naming, examining, and further understanding our own personal values, then we’ll focus on how to use those manifold values to infuse our work with deeper meanings. Values can span from philocalism to asceticism, religious or spiritual beliefs, humanist, naturalist or ecological concerns and more. Our beliefs, ideals, and spiritual or material interests need not steer our work toward pedantry or dogmatism, but can instead guide our storytelling to greater depths and help keep us engaged with our projects through completion.
Writing the Political Poem with A. E. Hines
In our era of social media and political divisiveness, poets often draw from the latest headlines in their writing. But whether such poems spring from joy or outrage, the poet’s task remains: to create a work of art that outlives the news cycle. We will examine several poems that accomplish this, and discuss how the poets use language to tap universal themes that harness the emotion sparked by current events. Bring your preferred writing tools, as participants will be invited to select a current (or recent) event, and with supportive and nonpartisan prompts, generate new work.
When Good Presses Go Bad with Tracy Crow
Independent presses play a vital role in providing publishing pathways for today’s marginalized and emerging authors. But what happens when the publishing experience with an indie becomes less than desirable, or when the indie promises more than is actually delivered? In this session, we’ll discuss the machinations of book publishing — from the contract to the book release, and beyond — with an eye toward the potential pitfalls and the pleasures of working with an indie press.
Stories are Medicine: Indigenous Storytelling in the Digital Age with Brittany Danielle Hunt
This workshop will explore Indigenous storytelling methodologies in the 21st century by examining the work of The Red Justice Project, a podcast centering missing and murdered Indigenous peoples in rural North Carolina. Dr. Hunt will also discuss storytelling in her children’s book Whoz Ya People? and how both this book and the podcast are mechanisms of change in the Lumbee community.