Online Workshops
Here is what some previous Bending Genres’ online workshop writers are saying:
“The course materials and encouraging comments prompted new directions in my writing. Loved very much!”
—MaryEllen Gambutti
“The course was absolutely sensational in every way. Thanks so much for all of the thought and effort you put forth.”
—Len Kuntz
“If you need a kick to get those creative juices flowing, a challenge to flex those writing chops, another set of eyes to help you figure it out or fine tune before you submit your work- this is the place for you.”
—Emily Bertholf
“Had an absolute blast this weekend. Thank you for pushing me. All of the fantastic writing I got to read…oof, I’m floored.”
—Robert Russell
“I feel like this should be a week-long class. So much to absorb in just two days. I’m learning so much from reading everyone’s amazing work.”
—Jayne Martin
Interested?
What’s it all about? Here’s the course description:
The Rapture of Being Alive: Plaiting Our Personal Narratives into Flash Fiction
The Bending Genres Workshop
led by Robert James Russell, September 21-23
If, as the adage goes, we pour ourselves into our work—that we bring our individual experiences to each word we put on the page—where do we draw the line between fiction and nonfiction? How much of our real lives can we use before a short story/ flash becomes an essay? What similarities in framework—like imagery, plot, details, and characters—do fiction and nonfiction share, and how do we approach them in different ways?
This Bending Genres workshop will tap into our memories, personal histories, and the use of our physical senses to craft better flash fiction; additionally, we will work through why physical and place-setting details are essential to good storytelling, and how our own histories are rife with stories worth telling. We each have a sea inside of us, mountain ranges that go on eternal where stories and visuals and important conversations reside. Our goal is to look deep, dive in and scale up, and harvest these moments.
Meet Your Instructor
Robert James Russell is the author of two novellas, Mesilla (Dock Street Press, 2015) and Sea of Trees (Winter Goose Publishing, 2012), as well as the chapbook Don’t Ask Me to Spell It Out (WhiskeyPaper Press, 2015). His work has been featured in numerous journals, print and online, has been nominated seven times for the Pushcart Prize, as well as Best of the Net, and he was awarded an artist residency with the University Musical Society for the 2014-2015 performance season. In 2016, his essay, “She Lit a Fire,” won runner-up for the Passages North Waasnode Fiction Prize. Robert is the co-founder and managing editor of the literary journal Midwestern Gothic, which aims to catalog the very best fiction of the Midwestern United States, as well as the independent book publisher MG Press. In 2013, he launched the online literary journal CHEAP POP, which publishes micro-fiction of 500 words or less. Robert has presented at conferences and workshops across the country and has taught creative writing and literature classes at the University of Michigan, Saint Mary’s College, and Indiana University South Bend, among others. He is currently represented by Abby Saul of The Lark Group. You can find more, including a complete list of publications, on his website: robertjamesrussell.com.
Sign Up Here
Here’s that link again, to make your secure payment of $111.00. Then Robert Vaughan will email you with all the details. Contact Robert if you want to make other arrangements.