Note from the Director: This workshop was offered in 2020. Learn more about this year’s workshops.
Shaping and Reshaping the Truth:
A Creative Nonfiction Workshop
Writing workshop in New Jersey
January 17-20, 2020
Led by Tom McAllister
Many of the most striking and memorable works of nonfiction begin in a personal place—a writer exploring a particular obsession or trying to make sense of a seemingly minor experience. In this workshop, you will identify subjects that only you can write about, and you will practice strategies for writing about them so they’re accessible and interesting to a broader audience. By experimenting with a wide variety of forms (letters, glossaries, maps, lyric essays, fragmentation and more) you will generate new material and perhaps reshape your approach to ideas you’ve been thinking about for years. You will also develop practical tools for incorporating research into your nonfiction. Whether you’re deep into a project or just beginning your nonfiction journey, this workshop and our small, supportive group critiques will help you shape and reshape your writing to build connections with your readers.
*Limited to just 10 participants.*
“I liked that we actually got to write. There are many conferences that give tons of information, but this one is also about getting words down on paper.”
~ Helen, Middletown, NJ
Biography
Tom McAllister’s novel How to Be Safe was named one of the best books of 2018 by Kirkus Reviews and The Washington Post. He is also the author of the novel The Young Widower’s Handbook and the memoir Bury Me in My Jersey. His short fiction and essays have been published widely, and have most recently appeared in Best American Nonrequired Reading, Cincinnati Review, Third Point, Hobart, The Rumpus, Buzzfeed, The Millions, and Bridge Eight. He is the co-host of the weekly podcast, Book Fight!, and nonfiction editor at the independent literary magazine and small press Barrelhouse. He teaches at Temple University and lives in New Jersey. More info is available on his website.
