Great Smokies Writing Program Offers University-level Classes for Writers in Spring 2024

This spring, the Great Smokies Writing Program at UNC Asheville will offer university-level classes led by professional writers in poetic form, worldbuilding in fiction, writing braided personal essays and more. Courses will be taught in person and online and begin with a range of starting dates from late January to early April. 

Try your hand at creating compelling characters in any genre or writing poems from the perspective of someone else. Learn to utilize the Enneagram to delve deeper into the creative process. Or even create character bios, setting sketches, and thematic goals for your novel in the company of a supportive learning community of other writers and creatives.

The Great Smokies Writing Program is a joint effort with the UNC Asheville Department of English. The program offers opportunities for writers of all levels to hone their skills under the tutelage of creative professionals.

Each course carries academic credit awarded through UNC Asheville. Enrollment for all in-person classes is limited to 10 students. Registration is open now. Visit https://greatsmokies.unca.edu/ to learn more and apply.

Participants can choose from the following offerings:

5-Week Courses

• Worldbuilding in Speculative Fiction with Lauren Yero
• The Enneagram for Creatives with Erin Hallagan Clare
• The Beauty of the Braided Essay with Jamie Tews
• Prosody and Poetic Form with Luke Hankins
• A Ball of Golden Thread: Building Transporting Worlds in Fiction with Katherine Scott Crawford

10-Week Courses

• Writers Room for Novelists with Jacqui Castle
• Variations in Voice: Writing Personal with Kenneth Chamlee
• The Lives of Others: Creating Compelling Characters Across Genres with Barbara Roether