June 2020 Writing Show ONLINE – Starting Strong

A great book starts so strongly that it’s immediately unputdownable. They have a compelling sense of place, voice, character, and conflict on the first page, and that’s even more important in shorter pieces of writing. Regardless of genre, how do you pull in readers without exposition overload? Using personal and well-known examples, our panelists will provide you with options and tips for writing, revising, and experimenting with poetry, prose, and structure to make those first pages grab your reader’s attention.

Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Time: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Location: Online, in the comfort of your own home. Via the Zoom Platform

Price: $10 – Members; $12 Non-members ($5 for students)

Registration closes on June 23; your unique link to join the online Zoom program will be emailed to you the the morning of the Writing Show.

All participants must register online to ensure you receive the link to the Zoom platform. This includes all-inclusive members, Writing Show members, and individual members wishing to use one of their free passes. 

SPEAKERS

Helon Habila

Helon Habila teaches creative writing at George Mason University. He is the author of four novels, the latest of which is Travelers, about African migrants in Europe. He is the author of the nonfiction book, The Chibok Girls, and editor of the Granta Book of the African Short Story. He is a contributing editor to VQR (Virginia Quarterly Review). His many awards include The Library of Virginia Fiction Prize, and the Windham Campbell Prize for Fiction. He lives in Centreville, Virginia.

Website: helonhabila.com Facebook: helon.habila Twitter: @helonhabila

Bradley Harper

Bradley Harper served 37 years in the Army. While serving in Colombia the FARC posted a $1.5 million for his capture. He has conducted over two-hundred autopsies and his clinical experience informs his writing. His writing credits include a short story sold to The Strand and The Sherlock Holmes Magazine of Mystery, as well as his debut novel and Edgar Finalist, A Knife in the Fog. His second novel, Queen’s Gambit, was released September, 2019.

Website: bharperauthor.com Facebook: bharperauthor  Twitter: @bharperauthor

Kiki Petrosino

Kiki Petrosino is the author of four books of poetry, including White Blood: a Lyric of Virginia. Petrosino is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize, a Fellowship in Creative Writing from the National Endowment for the Arts, and an Al Smith Fellowship Award from the Kentucky Arts Council. She is currently a Professor of Poetry at UVA. 

Website: kikipetrosino.com Facebook: kikipetrosino Twitter: @kikipetrosino

MODERATOR

Karen A. Chase

Karen A. Chase is an author and a Daughter of the American Revolution with the Commonwealth Chapter in Virginia. Her first novel, Carrying Independence, has been nominated for a 2020 Library of Virginia Literary Award and placed 12th in the Top 100 Indie Books of 2019. Karen is a Virginia Foundation for the Humanities fellow for the 2019-2020 academic year, with full residency at the Library of Virginia. Originally from Canada, Karen is now chasing histories from Richmond, VA.

Website: karenachase.com Facebook: KarenAChaseAuthor