Lyzette Wanzer, MFA

In this class that starts on March 20th, you will birth, nurture, and release one brand-new flash fiction story. You will engage in extensive revisions of your work, and close readings and analysis of ten sudden fiction stories. Students registering for this class should be prepared to create new work from scratch in a concentrated, serious environment. Homework will consist of revisions and exercises to help ensure that your piece is as polished and economically written as possible. Prior fiction or nonfiction writing experience is required. Registration is through The University of Chicago's Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. This is course #WRIT32850.

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.

 

 

 

 

3/25/23         

11am – 5pm

$60

 

One of the biggest challenges writers face is getting their work the recognition it deserves. You've been sending your work out—stories, articles, poems, plays—and you know it's good work, but no one's biting. You've applied for grants, travel scholarships, and writers' conference funding, to no avail. You'd love to be invited to present work at Litquake, Beast Crawl, or another high-profile reading series, or to read at a conference. You'd like to publish in literary journals that pay writers, and you'd like to start winning some writing contests. What's the missing link? It could well be your LinkedIn author profile.

Creative writers often suffer from one of these misconceptions:

 

"LinkedIn is just about finding a job."

"It's for executives, lawyers, and doctors, not artists like me."

"I already have a day job profile; everyone can just look at that."

"I'm already on Facebook, so I don't need it."

 

LinkedIn is a powerful marketing and networking tool that offers a lot for writers and, in the Bay Area, is critical for success. Learn how to maximize LinkedIn to increase your audience, get noticed, support your funding applications, meet the Bay Area's literary movers and shakers, and open significant opportunities. A laptop, notebook computer, or iPad is required for this workshop.  

 

Prerequisite: You must have a basic LinkedIn author (not day job) profile set up prior to class. You must be comfortable navigating your computer.

 

Registration closes March 21st. 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 March 21st.

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.