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About My Workshops
All courses listed are currently open. I'll remove courses as they fill. Once a course is full, you'll be enrolled in a message group for the course. This will make it easier to communicate as a group.
I've been teaching writing for almost ten years now, and I think smaller is better when it comes to workshop size. Most of the workshops I teach for universities run 15-20 students. I think capping the class size at 6-10 allows more room for personalized attention and for more student interaction. Everyone will get to participate, and nobody's quiet presence will be overlooked. Successful writers work hard at their writing, taking a story, essay, or novel through many drafts before publication. I take my students seriously enough to view their work as a practiced, professional reader of fiction, and I provide feedback that will enable you to reconsider and revise your work over time.
In six-week workshop sessions, you'll be able to present two pieces for workshop, and you'll have to read and comment upon two pieces from your classmates. I firmly believe reading and responding to other stories improves your own writing abilities over time (mine were honed as a literary contest and magazine reader as well as a workshop participant). In larger classes, however, responding to workshop stories can become burdensome if/when outside responsibilities intrude. Shorter, smaller classes lend themselves to the natural rhythms of a writer's life, which must blend the solitude of a regular writing practice with the need for community and feedback.
Writing groups are a great source of encouragement and support, and community is an important aspect of the writer's solitary life. However, if you are an unpublished writer in a writing group with other aspiring writers, you may not be learning what you need to in order to move forward with your goals. As a writer and an editor, I understand the writing world from both perspectives, and I understand the craft/technique issues that trip beginning writers. Learning the expectations of the form from professionals doesn't diminish a writer's voice, it allows that voice to emerge more fully and confidently. One of my favorite quotes is from Robert Bringhurst, "By all means break the rules, but break them beautifully, deliberately, and well." Knowledge precedes innovation. It will feed your artistry, make you more willing to risk failure, which is the best way to learn.
I require a $25 deposit to hold a spot, with full payment due when the class roster is full. I am also willing to barter services if we can come to an equitable, mutually beneficial arrangement. If you have further questions, just email me or fill out the contact form. I'm open to suggestions/feedback.
About Me
Garbage Night at the Opera, my first book, won the 2011 Chandra Prize and is forthcoming from BkMk Press.
I've published stories, essays, prose poems, travel pieces, profiles, and reviews in literary and travel journals. I have a few pieces posted online (see my home tab for links), but the bulk are available only in print. I've won some big awards, like the Fulbright, and been nominated/short-listed for several more. Despite all of the above, I receive rejections, too. A lot of them. Some readers don't care for my work, and I've learned that's okay. There are many writing luminaries that I don't care for. That's part of the subjectivity of art. You learn to shrug it off (workshop helps you form the callus that you need to survive as a professional). It helps when you acknowledge your own aesthetics and biases. You have them. You do. Yep.
| | WORKSHOP SCHEDULE FEBRUARY 2012 Beginning Fiction Workshop
6 sessions, 6 students max
Beginning Wednesday, February 29th, 6:30-8:30PM
Location: 18th & O
$225 Textbook: Writing Fiction (7th Edition) by Janet Burroway This workshop is designed for beginning writers or writers who simply want to improve their craft. The basics of writing and the workshop process will be covered by a course text. The first three weeks will include weekly writing exercises and the last three weeks students will workshop a short story or novel chapter. APRIL 2012 Reading Short Fiction as a Writer 8 sessions, 10 students max Beginning Tuesday, April 3rd, 6:30-8:30PM Location: 18th & O $225 Textbook: Two short stories will be discussed each week. Authors may include Jhumpa Lahiri, Raymond Carver, Tobias Wolff, Junot Diaz, Lorrie Moore, Margaret Atwood, Amy Bloom, and Peter Ho Davies. Writers are often told to read the work of their favorite writers closely, in order to peek behind the curtain and learn how stories are formed. Although excellent advice, developing writers are often daunted by the process of analyzing their literary icons. This class is a reading class rather than a workshop. We'll read and analyze two stories as a group in each class, focusing on a particular craft element per week. The final project will be an individual story analysis. Fiction Workshop
6 sessions, 6 students max
Beginning Thursday, April 12th, 7-9PM
Location: 18th & O
$225 Textbook: Hooked by Les Edgerton This
workshop is designed for intermediate & advanced writers who want to improve their craft.
Students will submit work for workshop two times, either a short story,
novel chapter, 2-3 flash fiction pieces, or some combination of the
above. The class features weekly craft discussion, and writers provide
written feedback for their peers. The craft discussion focus for this
workshop will be plot/story.
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Some Comments from Students
"Valerie Fioravanti is a teacher who creates not simply a classroom, but a community. She invites her students to share their work and contribute their viewpoints, and she is generous with insightful and honest feedback. I leave her class richer and more empowered in my work." - Ana Maria Montoya
~~~ Hi Valerie,
I just wanted to thank you for the great writing experience in the Short Story class at UCLA. You created a very cooperative and encouraging writing environment, and I felt very comfortable experimenting with my writing.
The reading that we analyzed was excellent. I appreciate that you chose a wide range of writers from various backgrounds. I found it helpful to read the stories as a writer, and to look at how the writers approach various elements such as theme, dialogue, plot, character development, and the list goes on...
I also really appreciate the time and energy you put into reading and commenting on my stories. You have a sharp eye for detecting the areas that I privately felt needed work but did not know how to fix.
Once again, thank you for showing true dedication to the encouragement of new writers and making my early attempts at writing very favorable.
Best always,
Theresa Frejie
~~~
"This was a wonderful class for me. Between your input, the critiques, and the choice of text, I feel that I have a much better sense of short fiction and just need to keep practicing. I can't thank you enough for making the environment one of encouragement, as well. I tend to scuttle back into my little cavern whenever I first start a course and I can honestly say that I felt comfortable and "at home" in your class. Thanks for that, too." - Carla Serenko | |
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