WORKSHOP : Making the Leap from Fact to Fiction

Writer Cynthia Reeves is the 2018 “Art of the Climate” resident at Art + Science In the Field: AS IF Center. Her current writing project is a trilogy of linked novellas entitled The Comfort of Water. All three are set on the Svalbard archipelago, where in June 2017 she shared the Arctic Circle Summer Solstice expedition with 31 other artists. 

10:00am-2:30pm with a break for lunch
(try Fox & the Fig or DTs Blue Ridge Java)

This workshop will focus on finding inspiration for creative writing in “fact” and incorporating research into fiction.  We will address questions such as: How do you write authentically about subjects with which you might be only tangentially familiar? Why do certain subjects–climate change and historical events, for example–intrigue you? How can that fascination be put to use in your writing?

Preparation for the workshop will include completing several reading assignments totalling approximately eight hours. The workshop will consist of an informal lecture as well as a writing exercise that will be completed in class and shared with other participants. Due to time constraints, there will not be an opportunity for Cynthia to read the work of participants beforehand.  

Minimum 8 participants / Maximum 12
Workshop registration closes March 10
To apply, write a brief (250-300 word) essay about why you are interested in the workshop, and email by March 10 to AS IF Center Director Nancy Lowe.