Miami, August 10, 2016 – The Miami Book Fair at Miami Dade College (MDC) has announced its fall creative writing courses and workshops! Don’t miss this unique opportunity to enhance your writing, and receive feedback and encouragement from published authors and screenwriters with extensive teaching experience. Select courses are offered in Spanish. Unless otherwise noted, all courses will take place at MDC’s Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. 2nd Ave. Sign up now! Seating is limited.
Write Your Book (Draft) in Seven Weeks
Instructor: Michèle-Jessica (M.J.) Fievre
Tuesdays, Sept. 13 – Oct. 25
7 – 9 p.m.
Fee: $150
Fast-track your book project to become marketable to agents, editors, and readers. Designed for writers who are serious about completing a book project, Lominy Books and Sliver of Stone Editor M.J. Fievre will teach different approaches to planning and structuring a book-length story, along with the advanced writing techniques needed to bring a plot into sharp focus, build dramatic tension, and evoke an authentic sense of place. Students will produce a chapter-by-chapter roadmap of their individual projects as they find and develop key story elements, from creating strong characters to determining the conflict to crafting the major plot points. This course is open to writers of all levels, but requires a solid commitment to a long-term project.
Laugh About it: Humor in Autobiographical Writing
Instructor: Dawn S. Davies
Thursdays, Sept. 15 – Oct. 20
7 – 9 p.m.
Fee: $150
Writing funny can be challenging. Participants will learn about the various types of prose humor and how to incorporate humor into creative nonfiction work. Using selected readings of humorous essays, we will explore the elements of humor writing, and workshop our own writing each week. Note: This is not a comedy or joke writing class. The assignments consist of writing essays, but the class will break down the aspects of humor in ways that will enable comedy or joke writers to advance their craft on their own.
Fiction through Time and Place
Instructor: Fabienne Josaphat
Thursdays, Sept. 15 – Oct. 20
7 – 9 p.m.
Fee: $150
Study historical fiction using elements of place, time, and cultural, political, and socio-economic contexts for developing characters and a plot narrative. Class will involve group discussions of setting, writing exercises and reading assignments, as well as workshops of short fiction and flash fiction.
How to Conquer Writer’s Block: Attack the Blank Page Using Skills from the Stage
Instructor: Dan Grech
Saturday, Sept. 17
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Fee: $60
Feeling intimidated by the blank page? Unsure where to start? All out of ideas? Use the principles of improvisational theater to stop doubting and start writing. This course will borrow techniques developed by the masters of improvisational theater to obliterate writer’s block, uncork creative juices and conquer doubts. Participants will spend part of this dynamic workshop on their feet, learning the basics of “collaboration without a net.” Then they will apply those principles to writing.
What Editors Want: Understanding the Process of Submitting to Literary Magazines
Instructor: Lynne Barrett
Saturday, Sept. 17
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Fee: $60
This workshop aims to demystify an often-daunting process. Editor and author Lynne Barrett will help you to understand editors’ expectations and how authors research and evaluate markets appropriate for their work. You’ll get tips on helpful resources, organizing your process, following submission directions, what belongs (and doesn’t) in cover letters and bios, how to handle rejections, acceptances, and publication, keeping good records, and the ins and outs of rights and permissions.
Miami Book Fair
Widely recognized as the largest and finest literary gathering in the U.S., the Miami Book Fair’s eight-day festival features readings and conversation with the world’s most renowned authors and more than 200 booksellers and exhibitors across various genres and interests. Book lovers are also treated to culinary presentations, live music, dance and theater performances, interactive art projects, fun and educational activities for children, and more! In addition to the annual festival, the Miami Book Fair builds community and promotes reading and writing throughout the year with activities open to all, including creative writing courses taught by local and visiting authors, literary gatherings and happy hours and Read to Learn Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 160,000 free books a year to children in Miami-Dade County.
Miami Book Fair is made possible through the generous support of the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; the City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; the Miami Downtown Development; and the Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners. Miami Book Fair: Building community, one reader at a time.
To register for courses and for more information, please call 305-237-3940, or visit www.miamibookfair.com.
For Miami Book Fair updates, please visit www.miamibookfair.com, call 305-237-3528 or email wbookfair@mdc.edu.
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Miami Book Fair contact: Lisa Palley, 305-642-3132 lpalley@bellsouth.net