May 2023:
Tin House Craft Intensive (online!)
Memory Trove: A Generative Fiction Workshop with Nova Ren Sums
Sunday, May 7th
10 AM – 1 PM PST (1 PM – 4 PM EST)
Online
Fiction writers of all genres steal from real-life experiences and then twist and disguise to suit our needs. Mining memories for sensory details and ideas can infuse a lifeless scene with a much-needed heartbeat, and all the more so when writing young characters. When you’re seeking a way to bring a coming-of-age story to life and bridge the distance, the memories we carry (or deeply bury) from childhood can contain delicious and at times disturbing and worthy fodder. No matter the distance you’ve chosen to tell your story from—through an adult lens looking back, or through the in-the-moment immediacy that’s a hallmark of YA fiction and work for younger readers—there is much you can gain from reinventing moments and events from your past and dredging up the sensations and emotions. Through generative prompts and exercises that ask you to dig into memories from childhood and years long gone, we will engage in a number of writing opportunities you can use for a novel-in-progress, or as sparks to create something brand-new. Come ready to explore and write… and possibly volunteer to share raw writing aloud, as we move through different creative opportunities, lean into specificity, and most of all, remember. This generative workshop is open to fiction writers of all genres and age levels.
REGISTER HERE
October 2023:
Making Magic: Writing and Refining Fantastical and Otherworldly Stories has finally been rescheduled!
Making Magic at the Highlights Foundation
Faculty: Anna-Marie McLemore & Nova Ren Suma
Special guests: Alison Green Myers, Alex Villlasanta, Kat Brzozowski
October 23–26, 2023
In-person 4-Day/3-Night Workshop and Retreat
Deepen the magic in your middle grade or young adult novel with novelists Anna-Marie McLemore and Nova Ren Suma. In this generative writing workshop, you’ll enjoy in-depth craft lectures from experienced faculty authors, small group workshopping, 1:1 faculty consultations, and ample private time to retreat so that you can write, wander, and connect with fellow magic makers.
REGISTER HERE
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Past Workshops:
2023
- Crafting the YA Novel Creative Lab at the Winter 2023 SCBWI Conference: Weekend intensive, Feb. 10–12, 2023.
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