Lyzette Wanzer, MFA

**  DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MAY 6, 2024! **

The Muses & Melanin Fellowship application is now open!

Muses & Melanin is a fully funded eight-month cohort-based professional development course for 30 talented San Francisco Bay Area African American, Afro Latina, and multiracial women creative writers who aspire to become professional authors. The fellowship is designed for women who do not yet have a lengthy list of publishing credits, are not under a publishing contract, and don't have literary agent representation. A Bachelor's degree is required. Participants will complete a comprehensive learning and support curriculum that equips them with the strategies they need to transition from creative writing students or hobbyists to professional authors. The fellowship launches attendees into the literary profession with a series of professional development workshops, writing workshops, and co-working sessions. After writing an Op-Ed article, extended personal essay, or paper in professional manuscript format, fellows will submit their work to publications and contests during the last four months of the program. All fellows will learn and apply the MLA citation style.

The fellowship consists of the following components:

• two in-person Weekend Intensives (July 19-21 and July 26-28; Fridays start at 5pm)
• five-week in-person weekly writing workshops (Tuesdays, 5pm-7pm, July 23 - August 20)four monthly 3-hour online co-working sessions (one per month from September-December 2024. Time TBD)
• a public graduation and reading ceremony at the San Francisco Public Library for qualified participants (February 8, 2025, 12:30pm)

Note that all in-person program components occur in San Francisco.

The application deadline is MAY 6TH at 6pm Pacific time. Learn more about the program's scope and apply at https://forms.gle/KeY9P9YGJZzCtmMz6

Good luck!

In a safe, supportive community, learn how to plan a submissions strategy, create a plan of attack for your work, research markets, and locate the ones that are the best fits for your writing. Begin by learning proper submission etiquette and protocol, avoiding pitfalls that mark you as an amateur and get your submission tossed onto the "No" pile—before editors have even read it. Then we will submit short stories, articles, poems, essays, novel excerpts, and/or creative nonfiction pieces to several markets. It's time to set aside the bevy of excuses about why you're not sending your work out to creative writing journals, magazines, and contests! Register at https://murphywriting.com/workshops/strategic-submission-an-online-workshop

This workshop offers information, guidance, and strategies for writers ready to present their work on a conference panel, whether virtual or in-person. You will learn how to choose the right writers' conferences, prepare polished submissions, create a conference plan, obtain financial support to attend, practice conference etiquette, and avoid common, costly mistakes in your materials that mark you as an amateur. Open to writers who feel ready to present their work at a professional writers' conference. Register at https://hugohouse.org/product/get-invited-to-read-your-work-at-literary-conferences

4/30/23    

11am – 3:30pm

$60

This workshop is geared for writers who are planning to participate in open mics, literary festivals, a reading series, or who will be reading their work at a writers' or humanities conference. In this workshop we will cover the myriad ways in which to ensure that reading your work to an audience helps you build your reputation as a writer and share the passion you have for your story, poem, or essay. Reading in public is one of the best ways to propel your literary career forward and get yourself invited to other events.  In this workshop you will learn:

• the critical but too-often-overloooked preparatory steps to take before you ever set foot in the venue
• how to notate your excerpt or your piece to guide the pace, inflection, pauses, phrasing, and emphasis of your reading
• how to harness stage fright and make it work for you
• how to establish presence at the mic
• what NOT to do at the microphone!

A laptop, tablet, or notebook computer is required for this class.

Registration closes April 26th. The registration process:

1)       Email AuthorLyzetteWanzer@LyzetteWanzerMFA.com

2)       Mention the workshop(s) for which you wish to register

3)       You will receive a message about whether space remains in the class. If space remains, you will receive online payment instructions. Do not attempt to remit payment until you receive confirmation that a seat is available.

4)      Tuition is non-refundable after April 26th.

4/18/23 – 5/23/23   

5:30pm – 8pm Pacific Time

Zoom and in-person

$175

*** Submission required for admission ***

NOTE: Students who've completed one of the following classes with Lyzette in 2022 do not need to apply and may register without a submission:

• Building a Career as a Literary Artist (Writers.com)
• For BIPOC Writers: Get Invited to Read at Literary Conferences (Muse & The Marketplace Conference)
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Creative Writers (Loft Literary Center)
• Lyzette's August 2022 Rooted & Written Fellowship workshop (The Writers Grotto)

All others wishing to register for this multi-week grant seminar must apply. Submit a literary resume and a link to your author website (or your author LinkedIn or Facebook profile). If you are in academia, you may submit a CV in lieu of a resume, and a faculty profile page in lieu of a LinkedIn or Facebook profile. Attach your resume as a Word, Pages, or PDF document only. Email your submissions to AuthorLyzetteWanzer@LyzetteWanzerMFA.com by April 15th, 2023.

You can secure a grant and focus on your work without the day-to-day pressure of paying bills. While there is no quick fix for securing a coveted grant, there are several strategies that position you to put your best foot forward and avoid the mistakes that other applicants make. This six-week  seminar intensive is geared for students eager to learn how to increase their odds of winning grants, fellowships, scholarships, or residencies from the nation's major funding foundations. We will cover:

• the best places to locate funding opportunities that are a fit for you
• getting inside the minds of review panelists (what are they looking for? what turns them off?)
• avoiding faux pas that mark you as an amateur and brand you as unprofessional
• how to curate your application package, online presence, and personal statements to portray a three-dimensional view of you, and why this step is absolutely crucial to success
• the Top 10 Tips for grant applications
• the often-overlooked importance of being a good literary citizen (hint: Funders actually prefer to give money, space, and financially supported time to these applicants).

This seminar is best suited to students who are interested in securing financial support for a period of one month to one year for writing projects that will start in late 2023 or in 2024. Registration closes April 16th. 

Prerequisite: Students must be computer-savvy, serious, focused, committed to completing assignments, and dedicated to the success of everyone in the seminar. Participants complete an emailed pre-work assignment prior to the first class meeting.

4/29/23

10am – 5pm

$70

In a safe, supportive community, learn how to plan a submissions strategy, create a plan of attack for your work, research markets, and locate the ones that are the best fits for your writing. Begin by learning proper submission etiquette and protocol, avoiding pitfalls that mark you as an amateur and get your submission tossed onto the "No" pile—before editors have even read it. Then we will submit short stories, articles, poems, essays, novel excerpts, and/or creative nonfiction pieces to several markets. It's time to set aside the bevy of excuses about why you're not sending your work out to creative writing journals, magazines, and contests!

Registration closes April 26th. The registration process:

1)       Email AuthorLyzetteWanzer@LyzetteWanzerMFA.com

2)       Mention the workshop(s) for which you wish to register

3)       You will receive a message about whether space remains in the class. If space remains, you will receive online payment instructions. Do not attempt to remit payment until you receive confirmation that a seat is available.

Tuition is non-refundable after April 26th.

3/4/23   

10:30am – 2:30pm

$50

This workshop offers information, guidance, and strategies for writers who wish to apply to have their work accepted at a writers' conference, whether virtual or in-person. In a safe and supportive environment, we will explore how to:

• choose the right writers' conference for you
• prepare a polished submission
• make a professional impression from submission to attendance
• create a conference plan
• get financial support to attend
• practice conference etiquette: the do's and dont's of both applying and attending

Open to writers of all levels who feel prepared to present their work at a professional writers' conference. Students completing this workshop will be prepared to research, select, and submit work to several literary conferences, and will be well-equipped with the conventions and expectations of attending. A laptop, notebook computer, or iPad is required for this workshop.

Registration closes March 2nd. The registration process:

1)       Email AuthorLyzetteWanzer@LyzetteWanzerMFA.com

2)       Mention the workshop(s) for which you wish to register

3)       You will receive a message about whether space remains in the class. If space remains, you will receive online payment instructions. Do not attempt to remit payment until you receive confirmation that a seat is available.

2/2/23

5:30pm – 8:30pm

$50

Ready to elevate your writing career to the next level, but not sure how to present your background in an appropriately professional fashion? Whether you have a long list of publication credits or just a few, you need a literary resume that both adheres to professional standards and encourages panelists, editors, and reviewers to learn more about your work. When done properly, this resume helps you:

•     land grants, fellowships, and other funding for your writing projects

•     get invitations to present work at conferences

•     obtain reading opportunities

•     present strong artist residency applications

•     get editors' and publishers' attention

•     be taken seriously as a writer, and not a hobbyist

Leave with a shiny new resume and an author bio  that makes your accomplishments--whether large or small--stand out!  A laptop, tablet, or notebook computer is required.

Prerequisite: You must bring a rough list of your writing-related achievements, or a draft of your writing resume.

Registration closes February 4th. The registration process:

1)       Email AuthorLyzetteWanzer@LyzetteWanzerMFA.com

2)       Mention the workshop(s) for which you wish to register

3)       You will receive a message about whether space remains in the class. If space remains, you will receive online payment instructions. Do not attempt to remit payment until you receive confirmation that a seat is available.

4)      Tuition is non-refundable after February 4th.

Do you want to publish your work in journals—or better journals, or paying journals? Would you like to query in a way that won't shut you down before you get started, or submit your manuscript with well-earned confidence? Do you wish to be invited to contribute to festivals and fellowships, win grants, establish a name for yourself, craft nourishing and fruitful professional relationships?

Building a writing career requires both creative and business skills, as it does for any artist. If you are serious about your writing and want to increase your professional opportunities, as much work needs to happen outside of the studio as within it.

Topics will include marketing and PR, applying for literary grants and fellowships, writing a personal statement, creating and using a literary calendar, and learning to present yourself as a writing professional. You will receive a comprehensive packet of handouts to guide you as your career begins to build. Registration is now open! https://writers.com/classes/building-a-career-as-a-literary-artist