UCLA EXTENSION WRITERS' PROGRAM – I love leading online workshops at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program for many reasons, perhaps chief among them the scores of talented adult writers it attracts. In a typical workshop we’ll read narratives set in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The online format, Canvas, works beautifully. Not only does the format allow students to check in when it’s most convenient for them, but it encourages disciplined commenting on submissions, and allows for spirited discussions about technique in fiction.

In the Fall Semester of 2021, I'll be teaching The Master Class in Novel Writing, the Program’s most advanced workshop for novels in progress. The Master Class is a 30 week, intensive online workshop focusing on the art of revision, most writers having completed a first draft. The Novel Writing course series offered by UCLA Extension Writers' Program is a comprehensive set of workshops dedicated to drafting a novel, guiding writers from page one to the final chapter. I also mentor writers one-on-one through UCLA, and engage in private manuscript consultations. See my Manuscript Consultation page for more information

Please consult the UCLA Extension Writers' Program website for details regarding all workshops I'll be teaching:

PRAGUE SUMMER PROGRAM FOR WRITERS – Established in 1994, the Prague Summer Program for Writers is the premiere study-abroad program for writers in the English language, its award-winning faculty leading workshops in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and mixed genre. As a member of the permanent faculty, I lead workshops in long-form fiction, consult with writers in local cafés, or conference on stories and manuscripts remotely. This year the Program director, Richard Katrovas, will run a smaller version of the program, adapting to Covid-19 restrictions.

Prague was my primary residence for more than a dozen years, and even though I now reside primarily in the U.S., I walk the city every week in my dreams. Prague's streets wind through a dozen centuries of Western architecture, from the Gothic through the Art Nouveau and beyond. No city surpasses it in the art of the contemplative walk. Mozart wrote a symphony about the city. Rilke was born and spent his youth here. Goethe was a frequent visitor. Kafka derived his inspiration and nightmares from Prague's labyrinthine streets. And a playwright, Vaclav Havel, led a peaceful revolution from a balcony overlooking its central square, becoming his country’s first post-communist President.

In Prague, you’ll read each other’s work, talk about technique in fiction, drink great beer, and get so lost wandering the city’s streets and passageways that only your stories will find you.