News & Events

UNC Asheville's Great Smokies Writing Program Offers Summer Workshops

May 10, 2010

Local writers will have the opportunity to hone their skills with UNC Asheville's Great Smokies Writing Program's summer workshops in poetry and prose. Classes are open to all interested writers but class size is limited; early registration is suggested.

Poets Justin Bigos and Lucy Tobin will teach "Five Ways to Love Your Lover: The Love Poem" from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, June 29-July 27, at the Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, 281 Edgewood Rd. Students will learn new and useful ways to craft love poems that avoid sentimentality and stale imagery. Students will produce one poem each week and discuss each other's poems in class.

Seasoned screenwriter Jessie Wilcox will teach "The Fundamentals of Screenwriting: A Workshop" from 6-8:30 p.m. on Mondays, June 28-July 26, at the Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church. Beginning screenwriters will learn the fundamentals of story structure and proper screenplay formatting. Students will receive the necessary information to begin developing the story idea and will participate in writing exercises to master basics of character, scene description and dialogue. Peer constructive criticism will be exchanged.

Novelist Marjorie Klein, recognized in Barnes and Noble's "Discover Great New Writers" selection, will teach "Take Five: A Fiction Workshop" from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, June 30-July 28, at Montford Books, 31 Montford Ave. The class will focus on a different element of fiction, including setting, voice and dialogue, sensory detail, character and plot. Sessions will include free-writing prompts and exercises that will be shared with the class and developed into a short story or work in progress.

Peggy Tabor Millin, author and founder of ClarityWorks, will lead "Putting Life in the Line: Writing Memoir and Family Stories" from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, July 7-August 4, at Phil Mechanics Studio, 109 Roberts St. Students will generate material by writing from prompts such as pictures, words and objects. The class will focus on providing students with the technique for accessing personal stories, confidence in ability and framework for proceeding with new work.

Each course qualifies for one UNC Asheville credit hour in literature and language. Tuition and fees are $89.01 for in-state students and $484.95 for out-of-state students. A $20 non-refundable application fee for new students will also be charged.

For more information or to register, call UNC Asheville's Office of Distance and Extension Education, at 828/232-5122. Applications are also available at www.unca.edu/gswp.