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Here’s what some of our students are saying about WriterHouse:
“What I enjoy most about my experience with WriterHouse is the support of a writing tribe.”
“Sunny and comfortable. Glad there’s coffee!”
“I like the space and time dedicated to the effort of writing. I like the quiet.”
“I am just so glad WriterHouse exists. I am grateful to have a place to come and write and be around writers.”
“I am a huge WriterHouse fan. Thank you for fostering this unique community; it’s completely revolutionized what has otherwise been a relatively lonely hobby for me.”
“Great institution. Love the camaraderie, the exchange of knowledge, the feedback. No way I would have started writing in this way without WriterHouse.”
“WriterHouse is incredible–such an asset to this community.”
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FEATURED EVENTS
February 2020
Utopia and Dystopia: Writing Heaven and Hell
Instructor: Warren Rochelle $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 2/29/20 | 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm Utopia, the perfect society? Or, a planned, better one? Dystopia, a warning, a cautionary tale: if we don't stop doing .... there'll be hell to pay. We'll talk about utopia and dystopia, past and present, outline a statement of beliefs, then start individual stories set in the alternate world of these beliefs in action. Warren Rochelle lives and works in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he…
Find out more »March 2020
Propelled by Story, Constrained by Truth: Exploring the Boundaries of Narrative Nonfiction (only 2 spots left!)
Instructor: Chris Register $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 3/14/20 | 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Narrative nonfiction authors face many decisions along their journey from proposal to print. Whether curating material for a historical snapshot, recreating conversations for a travelogue, or painting a scene for a memoir, the challenges are the same: where to begin, what to tell and leave out (and in what order), how much dialogue versus backstory to employ, and—of course—that elephant in the writing room: to…
Find out more »WriterHouse Winter Class Reading and Open House
Join us for food and fun as we celebrate the writing created during the 2020 Winter Term. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry will be represented. The event is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served. Bring friends!
Find out more »April 2020
The speaker, and the Art of the Imaginary Real
Instructor: Derek Kannemeyer $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 4/4/20 | 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Not every poem is written out of personal experience, or in the writer's own voice, or even from a point of view with which the poet agrees. As readers, we know and accept this. Poets, unlike (say) memoirists, are allowed, even expected, to blur the line between fiction and non-fiction, in their pursuit of a higher imaginative truth. As writers, do we exploit the…
Find out more »Picture Book Boot Camp
Instructor: Hannah Barnaby $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 4/18/20 | 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm What makes picture books so magical? The alchemy of text and art creates a unique medium for a story, turning it into something more than just the combination of words and pictures. It might seem like a mystery, but writing picture books is far from impossible -- it just takes a special set of skills and a peek behind the curtain. Hannah Barnaby --…
Find out more »Title Wave
Instructor: Joan Mazza $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 4/25/20 | 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm A strong title immediately places your work above the work of others. The best agents and editors know that compelling titles are assets to literary successes. Effective titles set the stage for the reader to anticipate interest. In this seminar, we'll explore strategies for choosing titles that attract interest in your writing, no matter the genre. Participants are encouraged to bring a list of…
Find out more »May 2020
Self-Publishing 101
Instructor: Doug Lawson $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 5/2/20 | 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm While traditional publishers are reducing advances, royalties, and asking authors to handle more and more marketing for their books, there's a renaissance happening in the self-publishing world today. New and established writers are bringing their works directly to readers, without stigma, and many are making some decent money as a result. This seminar will focus on what you, as a writer, may need to…
Find out more »Rabbit Holes and Easter Eggs: Writing Historical Fiction
Instructor: Liza Taylor $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 5/9/20 | 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Liza Nash Taylor’s two forthcoming historical novels are set in 1925 and 1931. ETIQUETTE FOR RUNAWAYS, partially set in Keswick and Charlottesville, comes out August 18. IN ALL GOOD FAITH will follow in 2021. Liza will supply resources and discuss pitfalls, Easter eggs, and cheats for research techniques for setting, characters, and working with historical figures, as well as crafting period-appropriate dialogue and backgrounds.…
Find out more »Flash Fiction: Standing Dangerously Close to the Flame
Instructor: Debbie Daniel $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 5/9/20 | 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Flash dance. Flash fire. Flash bulb. Flash flood. Flash burn. Flash mob. Flash point. Let’s explore the genre we call flash, both the stand-alone story and the novella-in-flash. We’ll attempt to pin down what it is, and discover how to make one out of shiny words and bangles and churning clouds and unique characters you might notice sitting on a bus or in an…
Find out more »WriterHouse Spring Class Reading and Birthday Celebration!
Join us for food and fun as we celebrate the writing created during the 2020 Spring Term. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry will be represented. We will also celebrate the 12th birthday of WriterHouse, with special readings and presentations. If you've benefited from WriterHouse over the years, please join us for this festive evening. The event is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served. Bring friends!
Find out more »WRITERHOUSE NEWS
Poetry Contest for Adults
As part of the #TheWrite2Heal series of events, WriterHouse once again joins with the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library to co-sponsor the 2020 Poetry Contest for Adults Calling all poets! April is National Poetry Month. Celebrate by entering our Poetry Contest. The...
Unity Days Poetry Event
Unity Days Poetry Event to Highlight the Power of Writing to Heal On August 9, 2019, from 12:00-1:30 PM, WriterHouse, in partnership with The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative and the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, will host a free poetry writing event open to...
WriterHouse teams with City Clay for multi-media summer camps!
Writerhouse is joining with City Clay to host three summer camps offering children from 9 - 11 years old the opportunity to sculpt, write, and paint during the course of one week. All camps run Monday - Friday, from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm. Children will be dropped off...
