Writers in the Mountains (WIM) presents Real Fiction with Nina Shengold, April 8 to May 13. The class will be held Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Phoenicia Library, 48 Main Street, Phoenicia, NY.
What makes fiction feel real? Whether they’re based on the writer’s experience, a blend of fact and fiction or pure imagination, stories and novels transport us. We travel to places we’ve never been and recognize them; we meet made-up people whose lives feel as real as our own. Our senses awaken. We feel someone else’s emotions. We long to know what happens next. How do you do that?
This class is for new and experienced fiction writers, as well as for writers in other genres – memoir, poetry, drama – who want to explore the potential of narrative fiction. The approach is practical and supportive, providing both carpentry tools (narrative voice, setting, character, dialogue, scene and synopsis) and attention to detail. Each class will include brief readings, craft exercises and time for discussion and sharing of work. Bring in a story in progress or start something new.
Nina Shengold writes in many genres. Her books include the novel Clearcut (Anchor Books), a Book Sense Notable Selection; River of Words: Portraits of Hudson Valley Writers with photographer Jennifer May (SUNY Press); and 13 theatre anthologies for Vintage Books and Viking Penguin. She won the Writers Guild Award for her teleplay Labor of Love, starring Marcia Gay Harden, and the ABC Playwright Award for Homesteaders. Nina has taught creative writing at the University of Maine, Manhattanville College, Vermont College of Fine Arts and locally at Word Café, the Omega Institute, and as a visiting guest artist at SUNY Ulster.
To register for this class, call (607) 326-6135, or e-mail writersinthemountains@gmail.com. To register online, visit writersinthemountains.org. Class fee is $100, if you register and pay by March 18, and $125 after that. Writers in the Mountains is a 501 ( c ) (3) not-for-profit organization with a mission to provide a nurturing environment for the practice, appreciation and sharing of creative writing.
