Please note there is a special schedule for this course. View below or download as PDF here. Breakout session descriptions can be found in the participant letter that will be sent upon registration.
FRIDAY
4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Check In (Rooms available after 5:00 p.m.)
8:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Main Stage
- Kickoff with Keynote Speaker Susan Choi
Bestselling novelist, Susan Choi, kicks us off for the weekend.
9:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Wine and Cheese and Susan Choi Book Signing and Q+A
9:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
- Blitz Writing Activity with Gary Chapin
Gary will launch us into a fast, wildly creative hour of activity that has you creating an instant first draft AND getting feedback on it. Lots of movement. Lots of synaesthesia. Brain spinning. Writing, doing.
SATURDAY
9:00 a.m.-9:45 a.m.
Main Stage
- Susan Choi, Susan Cheever, and Susan Brearley: Processes and Inspiration
Bestselling novelist Susan Choi and renowned memoirist Susan Cheever talk about how they do what they do, and why. Facilitated by visionary Susan Brearley, this will be an inspirational conversation about living, writing, and how to get better at both.
10:00 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:
- Main Stage: So That Happened: How To Make A Comedy/News Love Child with T. Kent Jones
In this workshop we will examine how to mine the daily news cycle for rich veins of comedy gold. Kent will talk about his experience on the Daily Show and other venues. Is this funny? Why is this funny? What are some ways to make this REALLY funny?
- Susan Cheever Workshop
- Writing the Body Politic: Part 1 with Lisa Cooper Ellison
The things we most need to write aren't reasoned but felt. This session combines active listening exercises, meditation, writing prompts, and an audience avatar exercise to help you understand your body's deeper truths, connect them to your audience's needs, and generate pieces that resonates with the people who need your stories most, whether you're currently writing for yourself or trying to broaden your reach.
- Fresh Verse: Habits, Disruptions, and Prompts to Enliven Your Poetry with Anne Jennings Paris
Anne will poke your poetry bear in a two hour session that provokes new channels of writing for you. Some activities are very fast, some slow, and there is always feedback. You will write.
11:00 a.m.-noon
Breakout Sessions Choose One:
- Main Stage: Discover Your Writing Ritual with Emily Kimelman
Geared toward fiction authors, we’ll explore practices that make it easier to immerse yourself in your writing. How do you write a novel that grabs you immediately, takes you on a ride, throws in a bunch of excitement and suspense, and leaves you happy and satisfied? The plot moves like a steam engine, and the characters are all people you want to spend time with (except the villain who … booo, hissss). Also, the dog does not die. Emily Kimelman, author of the Sydney Rae mystery series will let us in on her process and method, and provide comfort, insight, and inspiration to aspiring novelists.
- The Psychology of Writing Part 1 with Carol Lennox LPC, M.Ed
Learn to tap your inner psyche and the power of creative energy to embody and write from flow. This experiential workshop helps you tap into your well of creativity and energy to create flow in your writing. You’ll learn to relax, open to inspiration, and write in this energizing workshop.
- Writing the Body Politic: Part 2 with Lisa Cooper Ellison
(Continued) The things we most need to write aren't reasoned but felt. This session combines active listening exercises, meditation, writing prompts, and an audience avatar exercise to help you understand your body's deeper truths, connect them to your audience's needs, and generate pieces that resonates with the people who need your stories most, whether you're currently writing for yourself or trying to broaden your reach.
- Making an E-book of Your Medium/Social Media Posts with Toni Crowe
Take your existing Medium essays or any blog content and turn it into an e-book. Get the detailed step-by-step process needed to make you a published author.
2:30 p.m.-3:15 p.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:
- Main Stage: How to Write Funny with Scott Dikkers
Join the founding editor of The Onion and author of the "How to Write Funny book series" to learn about, and practice, polishing your humor and comedy writing to level up the laughs and reads. Scott is a seasoned writer, editor, teacher, and performer. Lean in and learn from the best.
- The Psychology of Writing Part 2 with Carol Lennox LPC, M.Ed
Continue to learn to tap your inner psyche and the power of creative energy to embody and write from flow. This experiential workshop helps you tap into your well of creativity and energy to create flow in your writing. You’ll learn to relax, open to inspiration, and write in this energizing workshop.
- The Curse of the Writer Mother: Mining Your Family for Material with Amy Sea
Amy Sea has mined the pit of her family life to write hundreds of stories, some of them poignant and true, some of them ridiculous and true. All of them brilliant. Come to this session and learn how you can do that, too.
- Susan Cheever Workshop
3:30 p.m.-4:15 p.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:
- Main Stage: Managing the Chaos in Your Writer's Brain with Shaunta Grimes
Shaunta has developed a set of systems over the past twenty or thirty years that have helped her to manage what she learned in 2022 (at age 50) is severe ADHD. Shaunta shares three systems that can help anyone (trust me, Anyone) manage chaos in their brain, stick with long-term projects (like writing novels), and hold themselves accountable.
- How to Write Funny Pt 1 with Scott Dikkers
Dig deeper! Launching from his mainstage presentation, join the founding editor of The Onion and author of the "How to Write Funny book series" to learn about, and practice, polishing your humor and comedy writing to level up the laughs and reads. Scott is a seasoned writer, editor, teacher, and performer. Lean in and learn from the best.
- Writing with Comics Pt 1 with David Milgrim
David will explore the craft of telling stories and lampooning humanity with comics and text. He will focus on developing initial ideas until they are poignant, relatable, and funny.
- Susan Choi Workshop
4:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:
- Main Stage: My AI Collaborator with Anne Jennings Paris
Using Generative AI Tools for Fun, Profit, and Creative Transcendence. Anne will use this short chunk of time talk about her work using AI as a design tool for creating images that have conversations with her writing.
- How to Write Funny Pt 2 with Scott Dikkers
Continued! Join the founding editor of The Onion and author of the "How to Write Funny book series" to learn about, and practice, polishing your humor and comedy writing to level up the laughs and reads. Scott is a seasoned writer, editor, teacher, and performer. Lean in and learn from the best.
- Writing with Comics Pt 2 with David Milgrim
David will explore the craft of telling stories and lampooning humanity with comics and text. He will focus on developing initial ideas until they are poignant, relatable, and funny.
- Susan Choi book signing and Q+A
7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Off-Campus: Bonfire at the Brewery
Join authors at a local brewery, a short walk down the lane. Purchase books at the Omega book store and get your copy signed tonight. Strike up a conversation, make a new friend! We'll see you at Slow Fox!
8:30 p.m.
Movie Night with the MuddyUm Crowd
Join the MuddyUm crowd to laugh and have a good time! The movie? The Thing, viewed Mystery Science Theater 3000 style.
SUNDAY
9:00 a.m.-9:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:
- Main Stage: Embrace Your Inner Demons with Carol Lennox
Learn how to harness those inner demons and use the arguments you carry on in your head to your creative advantage. Gestalt technique aligns all parts of you to free you to write and create as your highest self. There will be demonstrations and tools given.
- Quaker Comedy with Susan Brearley and the MuddyUm Team
The Quaker Comedy Service is a tradition stretching back one whole year! In such a service, any participant speaks their funny thoughts or ideas as they occur to them. Who knows what will happen? Not us! Join us for this celebratory and irreverent hour.
- Is This a Good Idea? Workshop Pt 1 with Shaunta Grimes
Shaunta has a unique and intriguing method for developing and testing fiction ideas. Bring your ideas for examination, feedback, and revision!
- Talk it Out, Scenes and Speed Bumps with Nanci Arvizu
This is an engaging workshop designed to tackle the challenges within our writing head-on. In this collaborative environment, participants will delve into the intricacies of their projects, focusing on the areas that aren’t quite hitting the mark. Whether it’s a snag in the storyline or a hiccup in the dialogue, this workshop provides a platform to address and resolve these issues effectively. “Working it Out: Scenes and Speed Bumps” is not just about identifying problems—it’s about finding solutions and pushing boundaries to create compelling, polished work.
10:00 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:
- Main Stage: Calibrating Your Editorial Compass with Lisa Cooper Ellison
Many first drafts contain unvarnished, powerful truths that get dismissed, deleted, or overwritten during the revision process, either because writers fail to recognize their importance or work to please beta readers instead of going with their guts. This session uses meditation, generative writing exercises, self-assessments, and opportunities to share to help you build the creative intuition needed to self-edit well, maximize the benefits of feedback, and capitalize on your early draft’s most powerful moments.
- Branding for Fiction Authors with Jamie Davis and Emily Kimelman
Together we’ll explore the building blocks of branding for fiction authors and how they help build solid relationships with your readers.
- Is This a Good Idea? Workshop Pt 2 with Shaunta Grimes
Shaunta has a unique and intriguing method for developing and testing fiction ideas. Bring your ideas for examination, feedback, and revision!
- So That Happened: How To Make A Comedy/News Love Child with T. Kent Jones
Building on his Saturday presentation, In this workshop we will examine how to mine the daily news cycle for rich veins of comedy gold. We'll break down actual stories and ask: Is this funny? Why is this funny? What are some ways to make this REALLY funny?
11:00 a.m.-Noon
Send-off and Goodbye with Susan Brearley
Hugs, farewells, and a send-off with this inspirational message from Susan, to keep you focused on your new writing goals, projects, and newly adopted momentum.
1:00 p.m.
Check Out
The above schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the faculty.
