How Writers Write Fiction 2016: Storied Women

This Massive Open Online Course is now closed. Access the course materials for free here: http://www.distancelearningiwp.org/fiction16

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October 11-November 21, 2016: The International Writing Program at the University of Iowa will open a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on fiction writing, centered on female authorial voices and female literary characters. This online course will be offered completely free to all participants and will welcome writers of all genders.

Instructors

This MOOC will be taught by Margot Livesey, Professor at the Iowa Writers' Workshop and author of seven novels and one short-story collection; and Christopher Merrill, Director of the International Writing Program, Professor of English at the University of Iowa, and author of six collections of poetry, five works of nonfiction, and many works of translation.

MOOC Description

How Writers Write Fiction 2016: Storied Women will bring together beginning and experienced writers for the study and practice of writing fiction. Class videos, readings, and writing assignments will invite new writers to experiment with the creation of fictional characters, scenes, and stories. Advanced writers will be challenged to examine their convictions and to refine and expand their craft. Centering on character - the characters created by women writers and the female characters created by all writers - this MOOC will lead participants through a progressive study of how authors from around the world approach each aspect of writing fiction, from voice and dialogue to plot and narrative structure.

The contributing authors, who will share their craft principles and lend their advice to aspiring writers during the class videos, hail from the countries of Guyana, Indonesia, Israel, Mauritius, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, and the United States, among others.

The MOOC's teachers, who will work directly with the participants online regarding the class videos, readings, and writing assignments, are alumni of the Iowa Writers' Workshop with substantial publication records and exceptional teaching expertise.

Technical Requirements

You will need a computer or mobile device with a stable internet connection that will support your participation. If you would like to take this course but do not have reliable internet access, please contact us at distancelearning.iwp@gmail.com. We will try to facilitate a local MOOC access group where you live.

Upcoming Events

Apr 29, 6:30 pm Local Libraries LIT: Roxane Gay

Happening Now

Hind SHOUFANI, the co-writer and editor of the Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated short The Present, in which a Palestinian father and daughter try to cross Israeli checkpoints, speaks about the project here. On Netflix through April 2021.
Opening the new International Writers Series at Washington University in St Louis (moderator Matthias GOERITZ) is the German-Jewish poet and multimedia artist Esther DISCHEREIT. Register here for her reading on 4/14/21, 1-2pm CDT.
Damascus, Atlantis, a poetry collection by Marie SILKEBERG, translated from the Swedish by former IWP stalwart, poet Kelsi VANADA, will be appearing from Terra Nova/MIT in April 2021.
On the 2021 International Booker longlist, Can Xue's 残雪 novel I Live in the Slums , in Karen Gernant’s and Chen Zeping’s translation from the Chinese.
“Awarded every three years to a translator whose career has demonstrated a commitment to excellence through the body of their work,” the 2021 PEN Career Achievement Award goes to the intrepid Pierre JORIS.