While some writers might aspire toward creating “timeless” work, you never hear of anyone trying to make their writing “placeless.” Why is that? Without place, are one’s characters and ideas rootless and liable to tip over? What role does setting play beyond mere backdrop or window dressing? Is place-based writing regional or communal? Is world-building only for fantasy and sci-fi writers?

Over this intensive weekend, we’ll carefully look at how the rendering of place is about more than mere settings. How it can help establish one’s narrative voice, credibility, and point of view, as well as encompass deeper subterranean connections. In turn, we’ll consider what locale might reveal about each writer’s character and orientations. Where are your most resonant places in the world? From where ought you to be writing? 

Expect an in-depth inquiry and practicum into what truly “grounds” good writing and what “places” your characters and readers onto the page. We’ll look at models, generate new material, share, and receive immediate feedback. The class welcomes writers of all genres and levels.

In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; offer first impressions on writing you produce in our weekend.