Virtual Critique Classes Please Note: WWA highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Having a rudimentary understanding of Google Docs, Word, and Zoom is also recommended. | WWA Member registration opens: July 1 General public registration opens: August 31 |
*NEW* Writing for Performance: Crafting a Story for the Telling with Jennifer Morales 6 Consecutive WEDNESDAY EVENINGS from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Register HERE Do you want to learn to tell a story like the kinds you hear on The Moth? Across six sessions, we will identify “story seeds” from our lives and nurture them into gripping 5 to 10-minute stories for performance in story slams and other settings. From Jennifer: Together, this group will journey through ideation, generation, revision, memorization, and embodiment stages of autobiographical narrative and will culminate in a seventh (voluntary) session: an online performance of the finished stories to which we’ll invite an audience.
The way it works: Zoom links will be sent to writers prior to each session. Participants will share their work electronically. Participants should be familiar with Zoom and willing to read their work aloud during the session. Formatting requirements and critique guidelines will be provided by Ms. Morales. Please Note: WWA Highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Having a rudimentary understanding of Word and Zoom is also recommended. Member Fee: $150 for all six sessions! Space is limited to a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 8 participants |
Novel Writing Intensive Group with Lisa Lickel 5 Consecutive WEDNESDAYS Brief Meet & Greet Thursday 9/24 or Friday 9/25 (TBD)
Morning sessions 10am-12pm: Register HERE Afternoon sessions 1pm-3pm: Register HERE NOTE: Afternoon sessions may be offered if there is enough demandLisa Lickel, author/editor, book coach, and editor of Creative Wisconsin magazine is leading five-week intensive critique groups for novel or other full-length book writers who have a drafted (completed or nearly completed) manuscript and experience working with others in critique groups. PLEASE NOTE: these are five sessions in a row. Maximum 4 and minimum 3 participants. Each participant will submit 20-25 pages of their own work for critique each week. In turn, they will read and critique pages submitted by the other 2 or 3 participants (maximum 50-75 total pages each week). These sessions are for authors who want specific feedback on their novel or other book-length work that is well underway or complete. Besides questions that naturally come up during our sessions, Lisa will also focus on aspects that are genre and craft-specific as they arise, and group members may discuss other facets of their work besides what is submitted for feedback, with a generous half-hour per author each week. Lisa will provide critiques of the work, answer questions, and facilitate discussions. Before signing up, writers should prepare or be able to prepare a minimum one-page synopsis to share with other group participants and have at least 5 sessions of material available. From Lisa: "By working together, writers have the opportunity to gather the insights of their peers and learn to distill advice and opinions in a small group environment. Sharing feedback is a great way for us to learn and grow in our craft, to ask those questions that might feel awkward elsewhere, and to support and encourage each other. WWA wants to be part of your journey to success." The way it works: Participants will meet via Zoom a week before the sessions, and thereafter email their pages to the other group members at least five days before the session so that each participant may review and prepare critiques for their fellow writers and be ready to discuss on meeting day. During the session, each writer will read from their submission and receive constructive advice from peers and the facilitator, Lisa Lickel. Participants will provide their feedback to their peers following the session. Please Note: WWA highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Member Fee: $125 for all five sessions! Space is limited to 4 participants. Members only. |
*NEW* Fiction Plus with Robb Grindstaff Every other TUESDAY EVENING from 6:00 to 8:00pm Central on Zoom
Six participants maximum. Register HERE NOTE: A second session will be opened if needed on a day/time to be determined During these six two-hour Zoom sessions, you’ll receive constructive, supportive feedback on your work from colleagues and provide the same in return. Author, editor, and writing coach Robb Grindstaff will also provide insights on individual work and topics that apply to all writers. The group is designed for all levels of literary and genre fiction writers, from novice to advanced, as well as creative nonfiction writers, such as memoir. While generally designed for writers working on book-length projects, short story fiction writers are also welcome. From Robb: “Writing is such a solitary endeavor. Thoughtful and honest feedback in a supportive and constructive environment is critical for writers, and it can be difficult to find. If you’re reading this, you’ve found it. “One of the best growth experiences in a critique group isn’t the feedback you receive on your writing. It’s what you learn by reading and analyzing other people’s works. The process stretches our boundaries into reading genres, styles, and subject matters we might normally skip. Frequently, while critiquing someone’s work, I’ll spot something that could be improved, then realize I’ve done the same thing!” How it works: Zoom links will be sent to writers per session, and documents will be shared via Google Docs. Upload your writing sample for critique at least one week prior to the session so everyone has time to read and prepare their feedback. Post your written critique comments, if any, into the Google folder after the session. Two weeks prior to each session, the group will receive advance reading material (an article or two) on a specific issue that affects all writers. This topic may be a particular focus for some of the feedback in that next session, along with any other general feedback comments. Writers receive 10-15 minutes each session to listen to feedback on their work, with follow-up questions as time allows. Each participant can also submit written critique notes after the session via a Google Docs folder, and follow-up questions can be submitted there as well. Please Note: WWA highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Member Fee: $150 for all six sessions. Space is limited to a minimum of four and a maximum of six participants. If the sessions are not full by August 31, 2026, registration will open to nonmembers for a fee of $200. If more than the maximum of six participants wish to join, we will consider opening a second group meeting on a different time slot. |
Poetic Strategies with Margaret Rozga Every Other MONDAY from 10 a.m. to Noon
Register HERE Poems often begin for us as writers after we have an experience that seems charged with meaning. A first draft may get us started on the way to the poem we feel is somehow in this experience. Then what is next to bring forth the lyrical quality of that experience? Published poems offer examples of poetic strategies that can enhance the lyrical quality of our poems. Among the strategies that we'll pay particular attention to are point of view and voice, imagery, lineation, syntax, digression, and conclusion. Sign up to participate! From Margaret: In our first meeting, we’ll read sample published poems that provide examples of these strategies. In subsequent meetings, we'll focus on drafts of your poems that employ the strategies we especially want to practice. Your poems will be workshopped by your colleagues in a friendly, supportive environment. The way it works: Zoom links will be sent to writers prior to each session. Participants will share their work electronically. Participants should be familiar with Zoom and willing to read their work aloud during the session. Formatting requirements and critique guidelines will be provided by Ms. Rozga. Please Note: WWA Highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Having a rudimentary understanding of Word and Zoom is also recommended. Member Fee: $150 for all six sessions! Space is limited to a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 8 participants |
*NEW* Word Play for Poets with Jennifer Morales Every other THURSDAY MORNING from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 6 alternating Thursdays, from 11 am to 1 pm:
Register HERE Sign up to participate in the Word Play for Poets series! During the 2-hour Zoom sessions, facilitator Jennifer Morales will focus on writing using games and prompts. There will be a limit of 8 participants in the group so that everyone receives time and feedback every session. From Jennifer: Is your poetry flow dammed up? Do you need to unstick some stuckness? This critique group will help loosen your joints and free your mind so you can write with more joy. We’ll start each session with a fun word game designed to boost your creativity and energy before turning to the critique portion. Each participant will share a poem up to a week in advance. During the session, everyone will have the opportunity to read their poem aloud and get feedback from peers. The way it works: Zoom links will be sent to writers before each session. Participants will share their work electronically. Participants should be familiar with Zoom and willing to read their work aloud during the session. Ms. Morales will provide formatting requirements and critique guidelines. Please Note: WWA strongly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable internet access. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Having a rudimentary understanding of Word and Zoom is also recommended. Member Fee: $150 for all six sessions! Space is limited to a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 participants |