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Upcoming Workshops
Winter 2025 Prompt Hour
Sunday, January 26, starting at 8:30pm Eastern
Price: Free for newsletter Writer Membership premium subscribers
Alternative way to pay: If you’d like to attend but don’t have a credit card or would prefer to pay in Venmo, email me for a one-month subscription. It costs $5 and it will be active for the month of January. Want to pay via Venmo? Email nova@novaren.com.
What to expect: I’ll come to the prompt hour with a couple writing prompts to offer you, and you’ll come ready to write on the spot. My prompts will be open and flexible for any kind of writing: fiction or nonfiction, all genres, all age levels, poetry or prose or beyond.
We’ll begin with me introducing the process and setting some ground rules, such as my assuring you that anywhere your imagination takes you in response to a prompt is the right place… We’ll do a warm-up. Then we’ll get the first prompt and we’ll turn off our cameras and write. After writing, there will be time for sharing aloud from some volunteers.
If you’ve taken classes with me before, especially ones with prompts, don’t worry! None of my prompts will be repeats. They will be all new, just for this group and this moment.
This generative workshop will be live in Zoom only. To preserve an intimate writing space and a bubble safe for taking creative risks and reading raw work aloud, it will not be recorded. You can attend with your camera on or off, and participate as much as you’re comfortable.
Coming in 2025: A new craft intensive with Tin House, and some possible other ways to work with me. Sign up to my workshops mailing list for announcements before they are shared on social media.
Past Workshops:
2024
- Tin House Online Seminar: Character Craft in YA Fiction with Nova Ren Suma: April 21–June 20, 2024.
- Fall 2024 Prompt Hour: live generative workshop in Zoom only for newsletter subscribers: October 27, 2024.
- Fine Arts Work Center/24PearlStreet Workshops: Crafting the Young Adult Novel (Asynchronous, with live elements): Fall Session November 11–December 8, 2024.
2023
- Crafting the YA Novel Creative Lab at the Winter 2023 SCBWI Conference: Weekend intensive, Feb. 10–12, 2023, New York City.
- Tin House Craft Intensive: Memory Trove: A Generative Fiction Workshop with Nova Ren Suma (Online): May 2023.
- Tin House Craft Intensive: Haunt Your Fiction: Writing Ghost Stories with Nova Ren Suma (Online): September 2023.
- Tin House Craft Intensive: Haunt Your Fiction: Writing Ghost Stories with Nova Ren Suma (Online): October 2023.
- Making Magic: Writing and Refining Fantastical and Otherworldly Stories at the Highlights Foundation, October 2023, Honesdale, PA. Co-led with Anna-Marie McLemore and featuring special guests Alison Green Myers, Alexandra Villasante, and Kat Brzozowski.
2022
- Fine Arts Work Center/24PearlStreet Workshops: Crafting the Young Adult Novel (Asynchronous, with live elements): Summer Session July 18–August 12, 2022.
- Fine Arts Work Center/24PearlStreet Workshops: Crafting the Young Adult Novel (Asynchronous, with live elements): Fall Session Nov. 7–Dec. 2, 2022.
2021
- Tin House 2021 YA Fiction Workshop (Virtual): Feb. 11–15, 2021. Second annual YA fiction workshop directed by Tin House. Faculty: Jennifer De Leon, Mason Deaver, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Yamile Saied Méndez, Mark Oshiro, Ben Philippe, Nova Ren Suma, Ashley Woodfolk.
- Paranormal Fiction Workshop with the Manhattanville College MFA in Creative Writing Program (Virtual): October 23, 2021.
- Canceled due to COVID-19:
—2021 Djerassi YA Novel Workshop
2020
- Postponed or canceled due to COVID-19:
—Making Magic at Highlights Foundation (postponed to 2023)
—Ghosts, Witches, and Craft: A Salem Writing Retreat (canceled)
2019
- Blue Stoop YA Novel Weekend Intensive: April 6–7, 2019. Indy Hall, Philadelphia, CA. Sponsored by Blue Stoop.
- Djerassi YA Novel Writing Workshop: May 4–10, 2019. Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Woodside, CA.
- Ghosts, Haunts, and Haints: Paranormal Writing Weekend: June 28–30, 2019, Charleston, South Carolina. Co-led with intuitive and medium Holly Raychelle Hughes.
2018
- Djerassi YA Novel Alumni Reunion Workshop: April 16–21, 2018. Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Woodside, CA.
2017
- New England SCBWI Conference: April 21–23, 2017. Sheraton Monarch Place, Springfield, MA. Conference faculty. Workshop leader of two first pages workshops.
- Djerassi 2017 YA Novel Writing Workshop: June 19–24, 2017. Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Woodside, CA.
- SCBWI 46th Annual Summer Conference: July 7–10, 2017. JW Marriott at LA LIVE, Los Angeles, CA. Conference faculty. Workshop leader of two Monday intensives.
- Highlights Foundation Books with Bite Workshop: October 4–8, 2017. The Highlights Foundation, Honesdale, PA. Co-taught with Micol Ostow.
2016
- Djerassi 2016 YA Novel Writing Workshop: March 6–12, 2016. Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Woodside, CA.
- Djerassi YA Novel Alumni Reunion Workshop: March 17–23, 2016. Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Woodside, CA.
- Highlights Foundation Books with Bite Workshop: October 19–23, 2016. The Highlights Foundation, Honesdale, PA. Co-taught with Micol Ostow.
2015
- Djerassi 2015 YA Novel Writing Workshop: June 21–26, 2015, Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Woodside, CA.
- Columbia University Young Adult Novel Writing Workshop: July 6–August 12, 2015. Columbia University, School of the Arts Writing Program, New York, NY.
- Highlights Foundation Books with Bite Workshop: September 16–20, 2015, The Highlights Foundation, Honesdale, PA. Co-taught with Micol Ostow.
- A Week in Residency with Nova Ren Suma Workshop: November 8–14, 2015, the Writing Barn, Austin, TX.
2014
- Djerassi Writes: YA Novel Workshop: Feb. 9–14, 2014, Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Woodside, CA.
- Djerassi Writes: YA Novel Workshop (second session): June 22–27, Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Woodside, CA.
- The Craft of Creativity: The Inaugural Showcase Featuring the Master Class Room Instructors: Sept. 8, The Writers Room, New York, NY.
- Highlights Whole Novel Workshop with Sarah Aronson and Nancy Werlin: Sept. 10–11, Highlights Foundation, Honesdale, PA. Special guest author.
Photo credit: Top photo by Patrick McManaman on Unsplash