New York Writers Workshop and NYPL present: Narrative Nonfiction: Three Ways of Telling a Story with Dawn Raffel

Have you ever struggled with where to begin, or how to find a way in? Please join us for our in-person writing workshop series. In each of three sessions, we’ll look at three ways of approaching a true story. Each session will offer examples, strategies, and one or two writing prompts, with opportunities to share our work.

This workshop series runs for three consecutive sessions.  These sessions are related but not sequential, so you can feel free to participate in one, two, or all three. Keep in mind that short pieces can be self-contained, or can be expanded to create a longer work. They’re great for unlocking creativity and getting unstuck.

Monday, October 21^st @ 5 pm: Treasured Objects. Our prized possessions are repositories for memory and emotion. We’ll look at how to tell a personal story centered around an object.

Other sessions in series:

Monday October 28^th @ 5 pm: Amazing Animals. We love them and sometimes fear them. We may see animals as beloved companions or as scary, symbolic, or mythical beings. In this session we’ll craft a short piece around an animal.

Monday, November 4^th @ 5 pm: Unforgettable People. In this final session, we’ll work on crafting a short evocative piece about someone who has left a lasting impression, whether that is a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger we met only once.

About the instructor

Dawn Raffel is the author of six books, including The Secret Life of Objects, a bestselling memoir in vignettes, and The Strange Case of Dr. Couney, which won a Christopher Award for books that promote the highest values of the human spirit. She was a senior-level magazine editor for many years, and has taught at the Center for Fiction, International Literary Seminars, and Columbia University, and is a member of New York Writers Workshop. Her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, BOMB, New Philosopher, the San Francisco Chronicle, Conjunctions, Open City, The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories, Best Small Fictions, Best Microfictions, and numerous anthologies. She was a senior-level magazine editor for many years, and has taught at The Center for Fiction, International Literary Seminars, and Columbia University, and is a member of New York Writers Workshop. 

New York Writers Workshop is an alliance of published authors and professional writers of fiction, non-fiction, journalism, poetry, plays and screenplays, who live and teach in New York City and a growing list of locales across the globe. NYWW is dedicated to offering professional guidance, resources and workshops that teach craft, foster creativity and help readers achieve their goals.