Lyzette Wanzer, MFA

Transform your grant applications from rejected to funded with this comprehensive 8-week online workshop! 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 any national or International writers' residency opportunity in 2026 or 2027. With over 14 residencies, fellowships, multiple grants under her belt, Lyzette has been both applicant and reviewer, giving her unique insider knowledge of what funders want to see on and beyond your applications. Walk away with completed first drafts of your artist statement, project description, and professional materials – plus the confidence to apply for opportunities that will advance your writing career. Reserve your seat for this limited-enrollment workshop!

Have you thought about enrolling in a Creative Writing MFA program, but feel intimidated by the application process? Do you fret about how to make your application rise to the top in a stack of fierce competitors? How can you avoid the most common pitfalls?

 

You know how competitive these programs are and how exacting the admissions requirements can be. Learn how to curate a polished, professional, impactful application package that's designed to impress admission committees. In this workshop learn:

 

• how to avoid the blunders and omissions that many fellow applicants will make
• how to create a literary resume that adheres to professional standards
• the variations among program types (which format is right for you?)
• what to include in the dreaded personal statement–and what to leave out
• sources of funding support

Though this class is geared for people thinking about or planning to apply to an MFA program in fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry, playwrights and screenwriters are also welcome. Enrollment is limited. Registration is now open.

September 3, 10, and 17, 2025

5:30pm - 7:30pm

African American Art & Culture Complex in San Francisco @ 762 Fulton Street

 

Early-bird registration through 5pm on August 18th: $175

Late registration: $200

 

 

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

• Using headings and "buckets" to make your statement navigable

• How to craft clear, concise personal or "artist" statements that do not ramble (leave this class with a

completed first draft in hand!)

• Why the marketing angle is so important

 

Students should be computer savvy and must bring a laptop, iPad, or tablet computer. Come prepared to engage in a range of hands-on activities. Enrollment is limited. Book your seat.

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FUND YOUR MUSE is an offering of the Muses & Melanin professional development program for creative writers of color

 

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.

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.

‍

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

Did you know that it's possible to sell a book on the strength of a book proposal alone—even if you haven't yet finished writing your book? 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 some sections with one another in small groups or partners. Students must have either a completed or in-progress nonfiction manuscript, and be comfortable using Word, Google Docs, or Scrivener. Enrollment is limited for this hands-on workshop. Registration is available at https://loft.org/classes/6-week-write-winning-nonfiction-book-proposal

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.

In this two-session seminar, 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 own 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 to impress! Open to writers of all genres including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, songwriting, essays, and graphic novels. Get more information at https://www.mainewriters.org/calendar/artiststatement?rq=wanzer

You've heard the alphabet soup of these conferences: ASALH, AWP, CEA, CSA, MLA, PCA, SHC, and so many others.

In a safe and supportive environment, you will learn:

 

• how to choose the right writers' conference for you
• how to prepare a polished submission and make a professional impression
• how to create a conference plan
• explore options for financial support
• avoid common and costly mistakes in your CV and bio that mark you as an amateur.

This day-long, hands-on workshop is for writers who are applying to have their work—poetry, fiction, essays, and creative nonfiction—accepted for a panel at a writers' conference or convention, whether virtual or in-person. Students should be prepared to engage in several online research and task activities. Reserve your space at https://www.writersgrotto.org/classes-and-events/get-invited-to-read-at-literary-conferences-with-lyzette-wanzer

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** SOLD OUT **

 

This seminar for writers of color offers information, guidance, and support to BIPOC writers who are applying to have their work—poetry, fiction, essays, and creative nonfiction—accepted at a writers' conference or convention, whether virtual or in-person. You've heard the alphabet soup of these events: ACA, AWP, CEA, MLA, PCA, and so many others. In a safe and supportive environment, we will explore how to choose the right writers' conference for you, how to prepare a polished submission, make a professional impression, create a conference plan, get financial support to attend, and avoid common and costly mistakes in your CV and bio that mark you as an amateur. Registration is now open.

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

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