News & Events

UNC Asheville's Great Smokies Writing Program Offers Spring Workshops

November 11, 2010

Local writers will have the opportunity to hone their skills with the spring workshop series from UNC Asheville's Great Smokies Writing Program (GSWP). The program will offer 11 workshops in poetry and prose, which will be offered in various off-campus locations in Asheville, Black Mountain, Burnsville and Hendersonville. Most classes are open to all interested writers but class size is limited; early registration is suggested.

The following are 10-week courses:

* Local poets Justin Bigos and Lucy Tobin will teach "An Unroofed Church: Mountain Poems from Ancient China to Appalachia," from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, beginning February 15, at the Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, 281 Edgewood Road. Students will study the connections between the works of ancient Chinese masters and contemporary Appalachian poets, and create seven original poems.

* Novelist and creative writing professor Abigail DeWitt will teach "Twenty-five Exercises: A Workshop in Fiction and Memoir," from 4-6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning February 16, at the Mountain Heritage Center on Green Mountain Drive, Burnsville. Students will practice a series of exercises, including free-writing, imaginary character interviews and sensory-based exercises to develop material, characters, dialogue and voice.

* Novelist Marjorie Klein, recognized in Barnes and Noble's "Discover Great New Writers" selection, will teach "Stretching the Truth: Creating Fiction from Life," from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning February 16, at the Randolph Learning Center, 90 Montford Avenue. Students will use free-writing exercises based on personal memories to develop works of creative fiction.

* David Madden, author of nine novels and Robert Penn Warren Professor of Creative Writing Emeritus at Louisiana State University, will teach "Revising Fiction Word by Word," from 6-8:30 p.m. on Mondays, beginning February 14, at Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W. State Street, Black Mountain. Students will read early and final versions of published short stories and practice intensive practical revision exercises.

* Sebastian Matthews, author of a collection of poems and a memoir, will teach "True Stories," from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning February 16, at the Randolph Learning Center, 90 Montford Avenue. Students will study a variety of published creative nonfiction works, as well as develop their own personal essays and memoirs.

* Editor and publisher Joy Neaves will teach "Heart of the Story: Writing for Young Readers," from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning February 16, at the Randolph Learning Center, 90 Montford Avenue. Students will read and critique each other's work, as well as learn how to break into publishing, how to think like an editor, and how to market published work.

* Poet Katherine Soniat will teach "Photographs, History, and Dream," from 2-4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, beginning February 15, at the Kellogg Center, 11 Broyles Road, Hendersonville. Students will develop works in poetry or fiction by exploring public and private histories, dreams, and personal and documentary photography.

* Creative writing professor and award-winning author Leni Zumas will teach "Perception, Imagination, and New Eyes," from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, beginning February 15, at Montford Books & More, 31 Montford Avenue. Students will focus on the skills of observation and insight to create a completed first or second draft of a short story.

* Mystery novelist Vicki Lane will teach "Forty Pages," from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning February 16, at the Randolph Learning Center, 90 Montford Avenue. This class is open to intermediate and advanced writers. Students will receive a thorough line edit of their submitted work. Instructor's permission is required for admittance to this class.

The following two classes meet for 15 weeks each:

* Tommy Hays, novelist and GSWP executive director, will teach "Keeping Ourselves Company," from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursdays, beginning January 27, at the Asheville School, 360 Asheville School Road. This class is for advanced prose writers, who have projects they are working on or who want to start something new in either fiction or memoir. Instructor's permission is required for admittance to this class.

* Novelist, editor and teacher Elizabeth Luytens offers the Prose Master Class, a next step for experienced GSWP students who are looking for a more intensive writing and critiquing experience. This small workshop is limited to a maximum of eight writers working on a collection of essays or stories, a novel, or a memoir, who have new pages ready for critique and will be ready to submit at least three times during the semester. Admission is by invitation from GSWP Executive Director Tommy Hays. The class meets Tuesdays from 6-8:30 p.m., beginning January 25, at the Asheville School.

The 10-week courses qualify for two UNC Asheville credit hours in literature and language; the 15-week courses qualify for three credit hours. Tuition and fees are $197.06 for two credit hours, $295.59 for three credit hours. A $20 non-refundable application fee for new students will also be charged.

For more information or to register visit the GSWP Web site, or contact Nancy Williams at 828.250.2353 or nwilliam@unca.edu.