Writers in Paradise

Faculty: Stephanie Elizondo Griest

Memoirs. Travelogues. Lyric Essays. Literary Journalism. No matter whether you are pursuing internal excavations or external investigations, this workshop will empower you to take risks both in content and in form. Questions we’ll be asking: Where is the essay’s pulse? How can it beat louder—or deeper? Should the story follow a classic rise-fall arc or be a fractured narrative with a scrambled chronology? In addition to critiquing each other’s manuscripts, we will strategize on sustainable ways of fueling our practice as we strive toward our literary goals. So join us. Together, we will be pilgrims wandering the wilderness of memory. Arbiters of the dynamic Fourth Genre. We will write words that matter.  
 

Submit up to 25 pages of creative nonfiction, plus a 1-page synopsis. Synopsis should include the sub-genre of creative nonfiction you are submitting (memoir, literary journalism, lyric essay, hybrid, etc); where we are in the narrative if this is an excerpt of a longer work; and a brief paragraph summarizing the status of the project (i.e., unfinished first draft, completed first draft, completed draft which has undergone multiple revisions, etc.). 

Required format for writing samples:
 

1. Page numbers must be consecutive throughout the manuscript.
2. Font must be 12-pt Times New Roman or Arial.
3. Margins must be 1 inch.
4. All manuscripts must be double-spaced including the one-page synopsis. 
5. All manuscripts must contain a header or footer with page numbers and author’s name.
6. No extra spacing between paragraphs except that which indicates transitions.
7. If submitting from a longer work, please do not submit more than 26 pages (25 of manuscript + 1-pg synopsis).  The coordinator will cut as necessary. 
8. Do not include title pages or dedications.