A 8-Week Online CNF Workshop
Saturdays, March 28 - May 16, 12 - 2:30 PM
This course studies lyric essays––essays that break from traditional form by experimenting with musicality, nonlinearity, interdisciplinarity, poetry, myth, speculation, fragmentation, association, criticism, multimedia, research, and more––and they do so because the idea, or content, demands an innovative structure. We will discuss excerpts of work by Alejandro Zambra, Grace Paley, Hanif Abdurraqib, Kiese Laymon, Eula Biss, Elissa Washuta, Saidiya Hartman, and more, and explore these works for inspiration in generative exercises that will support us in finding the form and style for our own narratives, especially when the stories we need to tell are disrupted by absences caused by memory or archive gaps, spiritual or transcendent experiences, trauma, family silences, immigration and displacement, colonial erasures, ecological loss, emotional overwhelm, or simply the ineffability of life. Meetings will include craft lectures, generative exercises, informal first-blush feedback, and discussion, and we will think about cultural practices that upend Western assumptions of narrative and the ways that experimental approaches create space for social critiques and personal/political and ecological entanglements.
Recommended: A set of flashcards or paper and scissors for creating DIY flashcards.
$275 Members/$475 Nonmembers
$150 Members & Nonmembers
Leila Christine Nadir Leila Christine Nadir is an award-winning nonfiction writer and community-engaged artist. As a educator, editor, and writing coach, she works with writers seeking to develop their voices and learn research and craft strategies to unearth personal and cultural stories that will resonate off the page across culture. A 2023 MWPA Ashley Bryan Fellow and 2024 Maine Lit Fest Fellow, she is the recipient of additional awards and fellowships from MacDowell, Periplus, de Groot Foundation, Hedgebrook, Bread Loaf, Tin House, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and more. Her essays have appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Khôra, Black Warrior Review, North American Review, ASAP, and Aster(ix), among other places. Leila is represented by Ayesha Pande of Ayesha Pande Literary and lives with her partner and dog in Maine. Connect with her online at www.leilanadir.com, Instagram @leila.c.nadir, or Substack @leilanadir.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-200-7180 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one partial scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due two weeks prior to the workshop start date, at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION