Workshop Group

This group will serve as a sounding board and support group for serious writers interested in discussing and implementing aspects of craft. We operate in workshop style: each member submits new creative work (prose or poetry, maximum of 10 pages total) at least one week before each meeting. Each member, in turn, closely reads and comes to the next meeting ready to discuss each members’ work supportively and honestly by clarifying and offering points of value, clarification, and suggestions.

We are looking for participants who share the philosophy that feedback and revision are vital elements of the writing life. Anyone interested should be able to devote enough time to thoroughly read each member’s submission before we gather together, should be willing to offer honest yet supportive feedback during workshop discussion, and should be open to hearing the feedback of others when they are workshopped. 

We anticipate meeting monthly, and ask that anyone interested commit to meeting for 6 months. We anticipate our in-person meetings to last 2-3 hours, depending on the number of participants; with our goal of 6 participants per group, this gives us 25-30 minutes of workshop time per participant (we will all likely need a bathroom break or two). We anticipate our time together looking something like this:

10am—workshopping starts

10-10:25—workshop participant 1

10:25-10:50—workshop participant 2

10:50-11—break

11-11:25—workshop participant 3

11:25-11:50—workshop participant 4

11:50-12—break

12-12:25—workshop participant 5

12:25-12:50—workshop participant 6

12:50-1—wrap up/share good news/etc

The space will be open starting at 9:30 and will remain open after workshop ends if anyone wants to socialize so we can do that without cutting into workshop time.

We anticipate meetings will occur once per month on either a Friday evening or Saturday—specific day/time will be determined by majority group preference. We will meet in the Olathe area.

Want to join us or learn more? Email me at backtoallen at gmail dot com.