Summer Creative Writing Workshop

Sense and Meaning: Creative Writing Workshop / Laura Smyth
This workshop will center on utilizing all your senses when creating metaphor to enhance the emotion and beauty of your writing. We'll take advantage of the gorgeous surroundings in Copper Harbor to do some nature explorations and short hikes as part of our workshop activities.
Topics covered will include:
• metaphor and imagery in both poetry and prose
• heightening emotion with precise language
• exercises in creating metaphors and imagery that involve the senses

Participants will share examples of their own writing for thoughtful critique by the group as well as participate in writing exercises designed to help overcome the intimidation of the blank page. The workshop leader will also provide participants with resource materials aimed at broadening and sharpening their capacities with language as an art form. Genres we will discuss include poetry, fiction, flash fiction, and creative non-fiction.
 
Manuscript Review Workshop / Lucy M. Logsdon
Have you noticed the strong increase in chapbook production? Have you thought about publishing one yourself? Or are you an essayist who has been considering how to weave those separate pieces together into a coherent manuscript? Perhaps you're working on a memoir and are struggling with too much detail or finding a narrative flow to your story?

Topics covered include:
• the importance of selecting and ordering poems for chapbooks
• methods for sequencing poems or essays for presentation to create the best manuscript
• the importance of theme and presentation
• getting through the hard work of revision
• plus a brief overview of what next?——once your manuscript feels ready to send out

Class time will also cover workshopping certain pre-selected participant work (selected by me from your submissions—-my selection will not be able to cover everyone, and will be based only on useful example, and timeliness).

Participants should have either a draft of a chapbook manuscript (at least 12 poems), or a selection of essays that they plan on developing into manuscript. Drafts, when at all possible, should be sent electronically via email prior to the workshop.