Hurston/Wright’s in-person Writers Week Workshop Retreats have been in operation for more than 20 years.
Our virtual Writers Week Workshop Retreats were first offered during COVID-19 quarantine and continued to accommodate writers who can’t travel to participate in-person or prefer to participate via Zoom.
Both in-person and virtual competitive Writers Week workshops offer selected participants:
- 10+ hours of writing seminars and discussions
- One-on-one time with an award-winning instructor
- Constructive, guided feedback on writing from peers and workshop leader
- Access to virtual and in-person panel presentations from publishing industry insiders and veteran authors
2024 Writers Week Virtual Workshop
July 8-12, 2024
Virtual Writers Week Poetry Workshop with simóne j banks
Poetry Workshop Description:
The Body is the Land
What does it mean to restage, reimagine and restore the earth as Black? In the spirit of Lucille Clifton, we write so that memory can be as whole as possible. In this 5-day meditative class, professional and emerging writers are welcomed to listen and write towards the conflation of the past and present. The goal for the class is to individually seek to restage, reimagine, and restore our collective and individual memories of the lands we occupy, as sites of memory. What stories will we remember? What traditions were there? What voice(s) do we hear? We will look at poetic form, structure and found materials such as elements of nature and documents to explore the stories we want to tell. Students can expect light homework and exercises for reflection and capture of these memories along with a class share at the end of the week.
Poetry Instructor
simóne j banks, an Assistant Professor of English at Albright College, is a writer with a deep interest in exploring the spatial, aural, and optical perceptual planes of ancestral and present-day Black ecologies. Her work has been featured in esteemed publications such as the Santa Fe Writers Project, About Place Journal, and eMerge Journal. She is currently working on her debut poetry collection, continuum. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Louisiana State University, where she earned the William Jay Smith Thesis Award in poetry.
Virtual Writers Week Fiction Workshop with Alaya Dawn Johnson
Fiction Workshop Description:
As Zora Neale Hurston has told us, “There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you.” Explore craft, art, and imagination in a supportive workshop environment geared to help fiction writers craft their inner stories.
This will be a collaborative workshop in which emerging writers with fundamental knowledge of crafting and completing fiction will learn from one another as well as from the instructor.
Our main goals will be to:
- Learn to give and receive constructive feedback, spotting common issues in our own and others’ work.
- Dissect and discuss craft techniques such as POV, describing characters, dialogue, and building emotion.
- Recognize what makes your voice unique, and honor that spark as you revise your work.
Fiction Instructor
Alaya Dawn Johnson is an award-winning short story writer and the author of eight novels for adults and young adults. N.K. Jemisin has hailed her recent YA science fiction novel, The Library of Broken Worlds, as “modern epic poetry.” Her most recent novel for adults, Trouble the Saints, won the 2021 World Fantasy Award for best novel. Her debut short story collection, Reconstruction, was an Ignyte Award and a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist. Her debut YA novel The Summer Prince was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, and the follow-up Love Is the Drug was awarded the Andre Norton Nebula Award. Her short stories have appeared in many magazines and anthologies, most notably the title story in The Memory Librarian, in collaboration with Janelle Monáe. She lives in Oaxaca, Mexico.
A Nonfiction Workshop with Zelda Lockhart
Nonfiction Workshop Description:
Throughout history, our ancestors and elders often shielded us from pain by highlighting the positive aspects of our heritage while omitting the darker realities, such as the intergenerational traumas stemming from colonization. However, acknowledging these painful truths is essential for our collective healing journey. In this memoir workshop, we will utilize our lingering questions as writing prompts, alongside additional prompts and research guidance provided by Dr. Lockhart, to serve as the foundation for crafting a multigenerational memoir.
Outcomes:
- Equipping you with the necessary tools to establish a consistent daily writing practice for effectively documenting your memoir.
- Providing spiritual and emotional support to help you authentically depict the pivotal moments of self-healing and ancestral healing within your narrative.
- Offering guidance on conducting thorough research into your personal history and the history of your community.
Nonfiction Instructor
Zelda Lockhart is a writer, speaker, teacher and researcher. She is the director of LaVenson Press and Her Story Garden Studios. She is the author of several books, with her first novel receiving critical acclaim including becoming a 2002 Barnes & Noble Discovery selection and a finalist for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. Her book Cold Running Creek won the Black Caucus of the American Library Association’s Honor Book award for fiction in 2008. Her book Fifth Born II was a 2011 Lambda Literary Award Finalist for lesbian fiction. She was named the 2010 Piedmont Laureate and a 2012 Distinguished Alumna of Old Dominion University. Her novels emphasize the struggles, sexual trauma, and triumphs of African and Native American women and her research focuses on inquiries into intergenerational healing.
A Screenwriting Workshop with Mai Sennaar
Screenwriting Workshop Description
This screenwriting workshop is designed for participants at every stage of your journey, whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned pro.
Dive into the essential principles of screenwriting, guided by the timeless wisdom of Aristotle’s 3-Act structure, the cornerstone of traditional screenplays and Western narrative tradition.
Through interactive sessions, you’ll dissect the anatomy of a film of your choice, exchanging insights and feedback with fellow writers. Gain invaluable skills to cultivate a consistent and productive writing routine, setting you on the path to success. With personalized guidance, you’ll set ambitious goals tailored to your project, empowering you to bring your vision to life by your own deadline.
As a culmination of your journey, unleash your creativity by crafting an original short script, and bring it to life through the lens of your own short video.
Screenwriting Instructor
Mai Sennaar is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. The Smithsonian Affiliate Museum of the African Diaspora, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and the Classical Theatre of Harlem are among the venues that have presented her plays. Her short film Wax Lovers’ Playlist premiered at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center and was an Official Selection of the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. She is the book writer for Carry On!, a new musical by Broadway composer Diana Wharton-Sennaar, and the creative director of the performing arts company MWPLive. They Dream in Gold is her first novel. She lives between Baltimore and Dakar.