Get Those Submissions Under Control!

In this course, you will get information on how to submit to literary journals: what to include in your cover letter, how to craft the perfect bio, how to find and determine which journals are worth submitting to, and how to log your submissions. We will leave some time to submit to a journal together.

Rescuing Your Abandoned Drafts.

Ever sat down and written the beginning of a piece you absolutely
loved? Maybe it was in a workshop, and you read it aloud and everyone
loved it. Maybe you were on your own and you leaned back in your chair
and said, “This is AMAZING.”

Darling, You’re Making a Scene

Whether we're writing long-form or short fiction or memoir, we need to engage our readers via lively, memorable scenes that draw the reader in, make them care about our story and turn to the next page. This workshop will give you the skills to write, arrange and edit really memorable scenes in your nonfiction and fiction writing.

Our Fall open mic is here!

Come read what you’ve been working on. Things you’ve had published, things that are fresh off the printer. Or, if you don’t feel like reading this time around just come support your fellow Babes!

Writing Through Grief

Led by Christy Wopat, author of Almost a Mother: Love, Loss, and Finding Your People When Your Baby Dies, this workshop will walk you through several different techniques to use writing as a therapeutic tool for grief expression.

Let the ideas flow.

The Creativity Oasis is not a workshop, its an hour long guided brainstorming session in which you’ll have the chance to generate new writing.

(un)Masking

Every day, different personas come out of us depending on many factors, including who we are interacting with and where we are. We should bring many versions of ourselves to the page too.

Tiny True Stories

We think our lives are interesting, but do readers? How do you make your true story resonate with an audience in 1,000 words or less? In this workshop led by memoirist and personal essayist Nadine Kenney Johnstone, you will learn why it’s crucial for writers to write their truth and make readers care right away. Whether you are working on a full-length memoir or short essays, the techniques you’ll learn in this class will help elevate your personal essays or short memoir scenes.

Looking for an Agent?

Are you writing a book? Have you already written it? Are you starting your journey toward finding an agent? If you said yes to any of those things then this workshop is for you. Join us for an informal evening with Melanie Figueroa an agent with Root Literary as she talks about finding an agent, keeping an agent, and selling your book.

Walking the Tight Rope

Let's talk about writing historical fiction! We'll discuss the various definitions and sub-genres of historical fiction, researching your topic, when to stop researching your topic, balancing history and story, dealing with dialogue, and anticipating reader biases.

Our spring open mic is here! Come read what you’ve been working on. Things you’ve had published, things that are fresh off the printer. Or, if you don’t feel like reading this time around just come support your fellow Babes!

Playing with Poetry

In this workshop, we will go over examples of what is canonically understood to constitute a poem, and subsequently apply that logic to less traditional or “non-poetic” forms. Investigating the liminal space between what does and doesn’t count as a poem will breed rich conversations, and will inform the work generated in the free-write and workshopping parts of the session.

If you want to traditionally publish a nonfiction book, a completed manuscript usually isn't enough to land you a book deal. You'll also need a book proposal. A book proposal is essentially a business plan for your book; it convincingly argues why your book is a salable product in today's market.

The Last Open Mic of the Year!

Its the last Open Mic of 2023. Come read what you’ve been working on all year. Things you’ve had published, things that are fresh off the printer. Plus, whether you choose to read or not we’ll be setting goals for 2024 and talking about where our writing might take us in the next year.

Plot in the Personal Narrative

Plot is not simply a tool used in fictional writing. All stories, fiction and true, need a plot. The plot provides structure and cohesion and helps the writer convey to the reader a specific message.

An Evening Craft Chat

Join us for a virtual craft chat with Stephanie Wrobel, author of Darling Rose Gold and This Might Hurt. Our virtual craft chats are small, intimate gatherings where YOU get to ask the author questions. Want to know about writing process? About publishing? Craft questions? This is the place for you to get those questions answered.

Pssst, your characters have sex….

But is their sex germane to your story? Writing Sex, a one-night workshop will help you discover the answer to that question and more.

Nail Down the Elusive Query Letter

In this comprehensive workshop, you will learn the fastest and most effective way to approach agents via query letter. This will include how to properly research which agents are the best fit for your project, how to navigate submission guidelines, how to write an effective synopsis of your manuscript, what a “hook” is and when it’s appropriate to use one, if ever, and so much more.

Our Summer Open Mic!

Sweet summertime is here and excited to gather for our next open mic. Grab your cocktail, mocktail, or cup of tea and come hang out with us for an evening of literary fun and community!

An Evening Craft Chat

We’re talking writing, publishing, and all things books with Kate Wisel, author of the short story collection Driving in Cars with Homeless Men. Join us for an informal evening with Kate as we discuss process, short stories, the writing life and more. This will be an interactive conversation, so come with your questions.

LET’S GET AT THE HEART OF IT*

At the 2023 HerStry (virtual) Conference, we’re reaching for the heart of our work. Digging at what it means to be writers in this bumpy world and how to tell our stories, to bare our hearts.

Join us for a day full of craft workshops, agent panels, publishing advice and so much more.

Interested in the art of the interview? Trying to gather resources for a story or essay?

This workshop will teach you the basics of soliciting, preparing for, and conducting interviews from start to finish.

SHOW OFF YOUR WORK

Three times a year we like to gather online to support our fellow Babes and their work!

Come read your work in progress, your just published works, or a work that has yet to find it’s home.

Queer is a huge spectrum and with changing language around gender identity and orientation, there are so many avenues to explore when it comes to writing queer characters. In this workshop, queer trans author Finnian Burnett will explore the divide between own voices and inclusive writing.

The Pen is a Sword: How to Give and Receive Critiques

Too many new writers stop writing after receiving feedback on their work. Most likely, that feedback either wasn’t delivered properly or wasn’t received in a positive way. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll examine critiques, both how to give them in their most helpful form, and how to receive them in such a way that doesn’t leave the writer paralyzed or bruised.

Find Your Creativity

SoulCollage® is a highly accessible expressive arts activity for exploring and enhancing our creative gifts and the innate wisdom that exists within us. Through the use of images, SoulCollage® helps fire up our creative juices and offers us a uniquely right-brained way to excavate knowledge and ideas that can benefit our writing practice and projects. In this interactive, generative session, you’ll learn the basics of the SoulCollage® method, then jump right in to create cards that we’ll engage with via imaginative writing prompts.