Level 1 Intro to Fiction and Poetry

This introductory Writers Studio workshop is designed to introduce both fiction writers and poets to the foundational philosophy and methodology upon which The Writers Studio was established in 1987 by renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Philip Schultz. The persona writing technique, which involves adopting and exploring the voice and distinct temperament of accomplished published writers, offers writers the necessary imaginative distance and psychological perspective required to overcome their negative self-talk, apprehension about exposing their authentic selves, and the paralyzing self-doubt that often blocks creative progress. This innovative method also enables writers to experiment with and test different voices and distinctive personas as powerful tools for crafting compelling narrative and lyric voices that can be deployed to unlock one's most intimate, vulnerable, and personal stories and transform even their most challenging and difficult subject matter into rich material for creating evocative fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction works.

Students engage in weekly exercises developed around carefully selected short pieces of published literature that are transformed into structured assignments designed to introduce participants to diverse literary styles, approaches, and genres, thereby expanding their understanding of what is possible and achievable in their own creative work. As the student's comprehension and mastery of literary technique deepens, so too does the clarity, emotional resonance, and overall power of their own writing.