Lyzette Wanzer, MFA

The key to a successful microfiction story is a well-defined character married with plot development, all compressed into a brief but potent narrative. These pieces foster creativity and expand writing skills, refining the ability to convey complex ideas concisely without sacrificing the story's punch or meaning. Microfiction is a genre that both challenges and sharpens your writing. In this workshop, you will write and revise a story of 300 words or less. During this class you will:

• read and parse multiple microfiction examples
• workshop your story with your peers
• receive instructor feedback on your drafts
• explore places to publish your piece.

This is an intermediate-level workshop. Prior prose or poetry writing experience is required and assumed. Get more information about this workshop.

Writers, it's time to set aside the bevy of excuses about why you're not sending your work out to journals,  newspapers, magazines, and contests. In this boot camp-style workshop, you'll focus on submitting a maximum of two short stories, articles, essays, and/or creative nonfiction pieces to 20 markets in just six weeks (poets should be prepared to submit a group of three to five poems.) In a safe, supportive community, you'll begin by learning proper submission etiquette and protocol, avoiding pitfalls that mark you as an amateur.

• Learn where to locate legitimate, respectable markets
• Become proficient in navigating the publication landscape
• Get practical tips on formatting submissions that look professional
• Find out what the most popular submission platforms are and how they make your life easier
• Write your author bio
• Create a Research Collection Sheet to identify individualized markets
• Select and use a professional submission tracker

This workshop is designed for committed writers who have one or two finished, polished pieces (three to five pieces for poets) of 5,000 words or less that are ready to send out for publication. Register to reserve your space for this popular, dividend-yielding workshop.

One of the first steps to writing grants and applying for fellowships and artists' residency is your artist statement. As author statement also takes pride of place on your author webpage. This statement serves as your opportunity to demonstrate that you are a thoughtful, deliberate writer who takes their literary career seriously and who is deserving of funding. In this seminar, you will learn how to cast your work in its strongest, most evocative light. You will read several statement examples, learn how vetting committees use them, and then craft, workshop, and revise your own statement. Open to writers of all genres including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, songwriting, essays, and graphic novels. Join us, online or in person!

** SOLD OUT **

A book proposal is an equation: a business case married with a marketing plan that you submit to publishers. In this workshop, students will learn the full spectrum of writing a first-draft proposal: what to include, what to leave out, faux pas to avoid, structuring your proposal in a professional format, and how to demonstrate to publishers that you're a serious writer who understands the 21st-century publishing landscape. 

Each week, students will write one draft section of their proposal. They will receive weekly critique on their drafts from the instructor, and they will also workshop sections with one another. Students must have a completed or in-progress nonfiction manuscript, and be comfortable using Word, Google Docs, or Scrivener. This workshop will sell out; early registration is advised. Register now!

The artist statement is an opportunity to demonstrate that you are a thoughtful, deliberate writer who takes their literary career seriously. You'll need a version of this statement on your grant, fellowship, and residency applications, as well as your author web page. In this class, you'll learn how to cast your work in its strongest, most evocative light.

• You'll read statement examples and learn how vetting committees use them.
• Through a series of exercises, you'll generate ideas on how to talk about your work.
• You'll craft, workshop, and revise your own statement.

Writers will leave with a statement that's ready to impress. This class is open to writers of all genres, including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, songwriting, and graphic novels.

This strategy- and information-packed workshop is open to writers of any genre who are planning to apply for a literary grant, fellowship, scholarship, or a national or international writers' residency opportunity in 2025 or 2026.

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This workshop will cover:

• The dreaded Project Statement, Work Plan, or Goals and Objectives question
• How to demonstrate a rising trajectory (remembering that most people who are awarded grants are on their way up, not already there)
• Creating a professional literary CV
• Using headings and "buckets" to make your statement navigable
• How to craft clear, concise personal or "artist" statements (leave this class with a completed first draft in hand!)
• Why the marketing angle is so important
• Curating your social media profile to present yourself as a competitive applicant

Students should be computer savvy and prepared to engage in a range of hands-on activities. Register at https://www.writersgrotto.org/classes-and-events/get-the-grant-with-lyzette-wanzer

This in-person workshop is open to writers who are considering applications for—or wish to learn about—creative writing grants, fellowships, and residencies. This six-week workshop will cover:

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• The best places to locate opportunities. You'll visit and conduct on several trustworthy websites offering the most lucrative funding.
• The dreaded Project Statement, Work Plan, or Goals and Objectives question. Finish the workshop with a revised draft.
• How to demonstrate a rising trajectory, remembering that most people who are awarded grants are on their way up, not already there.
• How to craft clear, concise personal or artist statements. Leave this class with a completed draft in hand!
• Why the marketing angle is so important.
• Creating an effective literary resume. You'll have a new professionally formatted one at the end of class!

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Open to writers of all genres. Reserve your seat now. Enrollment is limited.

The Muses & Melanin Fellowship for California Black Women Creative Writers is a supportive, virtual, fully funded eight-month cohort-based professional development program for 30 talented California African American, Afro Latina, and multiracial women creative writers of the African diaspora 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, do not have literary agent representation, and do not have a doctoral degree in English, Creative Writing, or Literature (a Master's degree in these subjects is fine, such as an MFA or MA). A Bachelor's degree is required.

Participants complete a comprehensive learning and support curriculum that equips them with the strategies, tools, and knowledge 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 article, personal essay, or paper in professional manuscript format, fellows will submit their work to publications, conferences, and contests during the last four months of the program.

Learn more details about the Fellowship Program and apply at https://www.cfplist.com/CFP/41747

This seminar is geared for writers who want to apply for literary grants and fellowships to support a creative writing project. The tools you need for this level of monetary support are considerable and critically important. We'll discuss how to locate legitimate funding opportunities, application strategies, and how best to position yourself to land one. Enroll at https://grubstreet.org/seminar/applying-for-grants-residencies-fellowships-undefined

As a writer in the twenty-first century, you will need some incarnation of an artist statement for grant, fellowship, and other funding applications; your residency applications; and your author website. The statement is your opportunity to demonstrate that you are a thoughtful, deliberate writer who takes their literary career seriously. In this class, we'll read statement examples, learn how vetting committees use them, and then craft, workshop, and revise several drafts of your own statement until it is ready to impress! This workshop is open to writers of all genres, including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, prose writing, essays, and graphic novels. Registration is now open!

This two-week, six-hour writing bootcamp is open to writers of all genres including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, songwriting, essays, and graphic novels. As a writer in the 21st century, you will need some incarnation of this statement on your grant, fellowship, and other funding applications, your residency applications, and your author web page. This statement serves as your opportunity to demonstrate that you are a thoughtful, deliberate writer who takes their literary career seriously.

You'll learn how to cast your work in its strongest, most evocative light. You will read several statement examples, learn how vetting committees use them, and then craft, workshop, and revise several drafts of your statement. You will complete a series of writing exercises to generate ideas about how to talk about your work. We'll polish your statement until it is ready for prime time! Reserve your seat at https://wordcrafters.org/craft-your-artist-statement

This three-hour seminar is geared toward African American, Afro Latina, and multiracial women of the African Diaspora who are interested in a safe, nurturing, intentional space to write, develop, and share their hair stories. For over four hundred years, Black natural hair has been the target of erasure efforts, keeping us in the margins. This workshop explores how writing about one of the still-remaining systemic biases in schools, academia, and corporate America might lead to greater understanding, respect, strength, and a sense of agency.

Poems, essays, short scenes, and hybrid pieces are all welcome. Have your favorite brainstorming materials handy, whether that be that a notebook, journal, sketchbook, or a roll of newsprint or butcher paper. All emotions that surface—anger, sadness, outrage, empowerment—are welcome. Open to all levels of writers from beginning through advanced. Register at https://grubstreet.org/findaclass/class/narrative-healing-writing-our-hair