Jackson Heights Life

A new round of community-based creative writing workshops, right here in JH, will be starting in early February.  Details can be found below or at http://nancyagabian.com/teaching/current-workshops/. Feel free to email questions to nancyagabian@yahoo.com and/or spread the word to anyone who might be interested.



Community Writing Exercise Workshop
10 Tuesday nights
6:30 – 9:30 pm
February 3 – April 7
$450
Limited to eight members
In Jackson Heights, Queens

For beginner writers, or writers looking for a means to jump back into their writing process, this workshop will provide time to write while exploring issues of place, community and identity as they manifest in Queens and beyond. The first five weeks will be devoted to development: we’ll read and discuss short texts and do interactive writing exercises that may be adapted for poetry or prose. Extra writing prompts will be given for you to try during the week to keep your writing muscles active; during our meetings, time will be allotted for everyone to read aloud exercise results in order to receive supportive responses from the group. In the second five weeks, we’ll work on revisions, supplementing our writing time with critiques of participants’ polished pieces of between three and eight pages. Craft and content topics will be geared for the needs, assets and interests of the group members. Examples of past lesson/writing topics have included “Dialogue and scene: A memorable conversation”, “Character and life experience: A first or last time”, and “Creating tension: Spirituality, sexuality, suspense and structure”. If appropriate, the group will collaborate to work on a theme together, based on issues that are affecting our communities, and we’ll organize a reading, publication, or website of our work.
 
To apply: Please email nancyagabian@yahoo.com three paragraphs that 1) explain your experience in contributing positively to a community or group and what you could offer to be a successful member of this workshop; 2) describe your interest or experience with writing and how you think this particular workshop could help you, and 3) identify some of the Queens (or NYC) community issues that you care about the most. Attach a double-spaced 1 – 3 page sample of writing. Application deadline: January 25, 2015.


Creative Nonfiction/Autobiographical Fiction
10 Wednesday nights
6:30 – 9:30 pm
February 4 – April 8
$450
Limited to 8 members
In Jackson Heights, Queens

Geared for intermediate to advanced writers working on individual short stories and essays or a book-length prose project, this ongoing community-oriented group encourages members to write in a way that is both bravely personal and socially conscious. Held in a supportive environment in the instructor’s home, the weekly sessions include discussions of exemplary contemporary fiction and nonfiction, craft exercises to help you develop material and learn writing techniques, and constructive group feedback sessions. Content and craft are fused in an innovative set of lessons that are adjusted to the interests and needs of the group; content topics have included writing on race, class, gender, sexuality and their intersections; cross cultural & queer experiences; the immigrant experience; war and occupation; food writing; and health, wellness and the body. Readings may include stories, chapter excerpts or full books as well as attendance to one or two public readings relating to the topics we will be exploring. By the end of the ten weeks, you will have completed or revised up to twenty pages of writing (one long piece or a few short essays, stories or chapters) that will be ready to publish.

To apply: Please email nancyagabian@yahoo.com two paragraphs that 1) explain your experience in contributing positively to a community or group (writing or otherwise) and what you could offer to be a successful member of this workshop and 2) describe your writing goals, the writing you would like to do with this group, and how you think this particular writing workshop could help you. Attach a double-spaced 5 – 10 page sample of writing. Application deadline: January 25, 2015.

In order to be accessible to people of all income levels, payment plans are available for all workshops; sliding scale is possible.  Individual writing/creative coaching sessions also available. Please inquire with an email to nancyagabian@yahoo.com.