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2025 PRE-CONFERENCE MASTER CLASSES
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2025 | NINE ONLINE CLASSES TO CHOOSE FROM
AVAILABLE AS A CONFERENCE ADD-ON or A LA CARTE
$50 each for JRW Members/$75 each for Non-Members
On Friday, October 3, 2025, we will offer nine online pre-conference Master Classes. Each two-hour Master Class takes an in-depth look at a particular topic of interest to writers. Classes are offered for an additional cost to the regular conference fees and are open to conference ticket holders and also as an a la carte purchase if you are not able to attend the in-person conference on October 4 and 5, in Richmond, Virginia.
Online Master Classes will be held via the Zoom platform and will offer participants an opportunity to ask questions and interact with the class instructors. Once registration closes, we will send Master Class registrants the Zoom link(s) to join the Master Classes you have signed up and paid for.
Bonus! Your Online Master Class registration/ticket will include access to the recording and chat capture following the close of your class.
REGISTRATION
You can make your Master Class selections when you register for the main conference or separately (a la carte) using the same registration form. If you are only registering for the Master Classes, you may bypass any non-applicable questions on the registration form. Classes fill quickly, so don’t delay. You will receive a recording of any online Master Class you sign up and pay for after the class is over, for a limited time–even if you are unable to attend in real time.
9:00 am – 11:00 am Eastern | Online Master Classes
INSIDE THE CHARACTER: TECHNIQUES FOR WRITING THOUGHT AND EMOTION IN FICTION
with Award-winning Author JOHN COPENHAVER
What is fiction’s superpower? What can it do that no other narrative form—like film, television, or theater—can? It can take us inside a character’s mind. Fiction grants us access to thought, feeling, memory, and desire with an intimacy no other medium allows. Yet many emerging writers struggle to render their characters’ inner lives convincingly. In this two-hour craft class, we’ll explore techniques like free indirect discourse and the strengths and limits of first-person narration. We’ll also discuss how to blend interiority into scene, navigate emotional and cultural roadblocks, study vivid examples, and try short exercises to put it all into practice.
John Copenhaver
JOHN COPENHAVER is an award-winning author whose novel Hall of Mirrors was a New York Times Best Crime Novel and won the Left Coast Crime Award. His debut, Dodging and Burning, won the Macavity Award, and The Savage Kind earned the Lambda Literary Award. A founding member of Queer Crime Writers, he teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University, mentors in the University of Nebraska MFA program, and lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his husband, ceramic artist Jeffery Paul.
FROM PAGE TO PUBLICATION
with Writer, Editor, and Literary Consultant LYNDSEY ELLIS
After workshops, peer reviews and/or self-edits, it’s time to send that blog/review/story/essay/article out into the world! Get the scoop on how, where, and when to submit your work for publication. Gain access to invaluable resources, and learn useful techniques that will help you prepare your final draft when sending to literary journals and magazines.
Lyndsey Ellis
LYNDSEY ELLIS is a writer, editor, teaching artist, and founder of Show-Me Stories, LLC., a literary consulting business. She enjoys crafting speculative fiction and longform essays that explore regional history and/or intergenerational dynamics. Her work appears in The New York Times, Kweli Journal, Narratively, Shondaland, Catapult, The Rumpus, Literary Hub and Electric Literature. Bone Broth, her debut novel, was published by Hidden Timber Books in 2021.
BRINGING ORDER TO MEMOIR MAYHEM
with Writer, Editor, and Educator AIMEE SEIFF CHRISTIAN
Do you know you want to write a memoir but you’re not exactly sure what to write or how to do it? Or maybe you’re stuck and don’t know how to finish. This two-hour master class has a singular goal: to get your engines revving for your memoir writing journey. We’ll look at some recently published memoirs, discuss them, and do several writing exercises based on the readings and your personal objectives and trouble spots. Taking part in this session will help you set goals and develop a system to tell your story and keep that creativity flowing in a way that works for you.
Aimee Seiff Christian
AIMEE SEIFF CHRISTIAN is a New Yorker living in Massachusetts with her family. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Poets & Writers, The Rumpus, Pidgeonholes, Atticus Review, SmokeLong Quarterly, and more. She is a writing instructor and editor, and is currently finishing her memoir, Nobody’s Daughter, about adoption and identity.
11:15 am – 1:15 pm Eastern | Online Master Classes
WRITING INCLUSIVE SEX SCENES
with Romance Novelist & Sex Educator Thien-Kim Lam
Learn what makes a love scene bang and what can cause intimate moments to flop. Writing emotionally charged, sexually explicit scenes in fiction can be challenging no matter what genre you write. We’ll dive into writing inclusive sex scenes that are true to your characters and are memorable for your readers. The class includes a combination of lecture, discussion, and generative writing exercises. There will be discussion about the writing exercise but you will not be sharing your work in class.
Thien-Kim Lam
THIEN-KIM LAM is a queer writer who tells stories about Vietnamese characters who smash stereotypes and find their happy endings. A recovering Type-Asian, she guzzles cà phê sữa đá, doodles in her sketchbook, and and binge watches crime dramas. Her debut book Happy Endings was a Washington Post Romance Novel of the Year. Thien-Kim is also an EDSE certified sex educator and a book coach for queer writers and writers of colors. She’s been featured on Writer’s Digest, Bustle, Entertainment Weekly, and Oprah Daily. |
GETTING THE WORD OUT: WORKING WITH THE MEDIA
with Emmy Award-Winning Journalist and Public Relations Pro AMY LACEY
You’ve published your book, so now what? How do you get the word out and earn media attention? Seasoned journalist and public relations professional Amy Lacey will lead this Master Class that will give you the tools and knowledge you need to connect with media to get the word out about your work. Amy will cover how to build relationships with the media, how to craft a compelling and relevant pitch, what to do when you get the call, and more.
Amy Lacey
AMY LACEY is an Emmy award-winning journalist with nearly 30 years of television, digital, radio, and public relations experience. Amy is currently the Director of Local Programming at WTVR-TV CBS6, a role that includes co-hosting the talk and entertainment show Virginia This Morning. Amy received undergraduate degrees in journalism and psychology from Duquesne University and completed a journalism program at American University. She also earned certificates in digital marketing and leadership from the University of Richmond. Amy is a regular guest speaker and emcee in the Richmond area and serves in several volunteer leadership roles including the boards for the Public Relations Society of America-Richmond and March of Dimes-DMV chapters, the Virginia Cancer Conference marketing committee, and Fresh Start. When she isn’t working, Amy enjoys exploring new places with her favorite plus one, her almost seven-year-old daughter Rowan Kate.
SEEKING REPRESENTATION: NEXT LEVEL QUERYING
with Literary Agent SERA RIVERS
Learn how to craft a successful query letter that stands out from the rest, how to find the right agents to query, and what to do/next steps when an agent is interested in your book. This workshop includes:
- examples of successful queries from real clients
- how to find the right agent for your work
- handouts of resources for agent research
- publishing timeline examples from query to rep to publication
Sera Rivers
SERA RIVERS is a Literary Agent at Speilburg Literary, an AALA member, and a writer. She represents books for the children’s and adult markets. She holds an MFA in writing for children from Simmons University. Prior to agenting, Sera worked as an editor in educational publishing for seven years. Sera lives in Western Massachusetts with her partner and their island rescue pups Jett and Marty. Check out SeraRivers.com for her MSWL, events, and updates. She tweets at @writeloudly.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Eastern | Online Master Classes
SCENECRAFT
with Award-Winning Author and Educator HENRY LIEN
Scenecraft comprises all the elements that make a scene other than the dialogue. In this workshop, we’ll take a look at components like the environment; the physical (spatial) relationship of the characters with each other and the environment; the objects or animals in the scene (not just the people); and the elements that appeal to various senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch). We’ll discuss energy dynamics, such as who has the power and whether it is shifting and form/craft elements, such as changes in point of view, where to begin and end scenes, and more. This workshop will impart lessons from literature, film, tv, theater, video games, and visual art to give prose writers powerful tools to make their scenecraft more gripping.
Henry Lien
HENRY LIEN is a graduate of Brown University, UCLA School of Law, and Clarion West Writers’ Workshop. He is the author of the Peasprout Chen fantasy series and the non-fiction book Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird: The Art of Eastern Storytelling. His writing has appeared in publications including Asimov’s, Analog, F&SF, Literary Hub, and Poets & Writers, and he is a four-time Nebula Award finalist. Henry also teaches for institutions including UCLA Extension, the University of Iowa, Clarion West, and Writing the Other and won the UCLA Extension Department of the Arts Outstanding Instructor of the Year Award. Henry has previously worked as an attorney and fine art dealer. Born in Taiwan, Henry currently lives in Hollywood, California. Hobbies include writing and performing campy anthems for his books and losing Nebula Awards.
BUILDING YOUR AUDIENCE THROUGH PARTNERSHIP: CREATING WIN/WIN RELATIONSHIPS
with Author/Editor/Community Connector KRIS SPISAK
Publishing is an ecosystem. Collaborations maximize a book’s potential at every stage of the experience, allowing not only the author but also an author’s strategic partners to thrive. Considering how your book can align with new angles and wider conversations allows you to expand your audience through partnerships with fellow authors, libraries, bookstores, community groups, and philanthropic causes.
In this workshop, you will examine the themes and messages within your work to establish a master plan for outreach, new connections, enhanced affiliations, and marketing growth.
Kris Spisak
KRIS SPISAK wrote her first three books—Get a Grip on Your Grammar, The Novel Editing Workbook, and The Family Story Workbook—to help writers of all kinds sharpen their storytelling and empower their communications. Her award-winning debut novel, The Baba Yaga Mask, was inspired by her Ukrainian heritage, and her latest nonfiction, Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods, explores the complexities of this multifaceted Slavic folktale character. Kris knows well-written words and well-told stories can change the world, and she cannot wait to tell you her next story.
THE FOUR ESSENTIAL STAGES OF EDITING
with New York Times Bestselling Editor and Publishing Coach ANGELA JAMES
Angela James
ANGELA JAMES is a #1 New York Times bestselling editor and publishing coach with 20+ years of experience, including leading two major imprints and editing over 1,000 titles. She helps authors build sustainable, successful careers without burnout through personalized strategy, expert guidance, and supportive communities. Whether you’re an author writing fiction or sharing your business expertise, Angela offers resources and coaching to support every stage of your publishing journey. |