s r e t i r W i m a Mi e t u t i t s n I
MAY 3 - 6, 2017
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
a creative writing conference of
ONE NIGHT. FIVE YOUNG AUTHORS.
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The National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 program honors young fiction writers at the beginning of their careers. Every year, five National Book Award Finalists select one promising writer each. Join us for a reading with the most recent 5 Under 35 honorees, BRIT BENNETT, YAA GYASI, GREG JACKSON, S. LI, and THOMAS PIERCE. Wednesday, May 3, 8 p.m. Gramps, 176 NW 24th St Wynwood FREE ADMISSION
In partnership with the National Book Foundation.
Four days of intensive workshops on fiction, nonfiction, poetry and more! Taught by respected visiting writers in the heart of downtown Miami. Quality workshops? Of course. But the Writers Institute is so much more:
Welcome! On Tuesday, May 2 at 6 p.m. enjoy a pre-Writers Institute drink
compliments of Miami Book Fair at a Miami hot-spot. Meet your fellow writers before you embark together on an intensive writing journey.
First Draft: A Lunchtime Literary Social
On Saturday, May 6 at 1:30-3:30 p.m. join us for drinks and a writing prompt with a twist!
Lunchtime Reads: Each day, gather for lunch and hear Writers Institute faculty read from their work.
A Night with the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35: (Wednesday, May 3, 8-9:30 p.m.) Every year, five National Book
Award Finalists select one promising writer each to recognize at the beginning of National Book Awards week in November; each Honoree is under 35 and has published one novel or short story collection. This year, the 5 Under 35 program finalists are making their way to Miami for an evening of readings with Brit Bennett, Yaa Gyasi, Thomas Pierce, S. Li and Greg Jackson. In partnership with the National Book Foundation and Books & Books.
Crafts and Craft – A Conversation Series on Writing: Wind-down and refresh after an immersive day of writing workshops
with a craft beer as you explore different aspects of writing with our craft talk series. For more information, see page 11.
Manuscript Consultations: Get feedback on your manuscript
during a one-on-one session with literary agent Jill Marr. Space is limited. For more information, see page 10.
Ready to Register? See page 15 for deadlines, fees and instructions. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: MIAMIBOOKFAIR.COM
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miami writers institute
4-Day Workshop
4-Day Workshop
Wednesday - Saturday, May 3 - 6 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday - Saturday, May 3 - 6 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
With a Voice Like That…Developing Voice and Persona in Poems with Adrian Matejka
Ventriloquy in Fiction with Tiphanie Yanique
In this workshop we will study the work of poets with clear poetic personae or “voices” in order to develop a more effective poetic voice for ourselves. We will also look at a small sampling of persona poems and talk about the use of persona to explore the mechanics of voice. The poems we read will serve as models for new poems we will generate together through a series of free- and directedwriting exercises. This workshop will be relaxed and supportive and ideal for beginning poets as well as more advanced writers. ADRIAN MATEJKA is a graduate of Indiana University and the MFA program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He is the author of The Devil’s Garden (Alice James Books, 2003) which won the New York / New England Award, and Mixology (Penguin, 2009), a winner of the 2008 National Poetry Series. His most recent collection of poems, The Big Smoke (Penguin, 2013), was awarded the 2014 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. His new book, Map to the Stars, is forthcoming from Penguin in March 2017. He teaches in the MFA program at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Writers of novels and short stories must create entire worlds, peopled with multiple voices. It's not about finding one voice, but rather about finding many. In this workshop you will be challenged to write from voices both familiar and unfamiliar to you. You will learn how to create character and narrator with more authority and variety. TIPHANIE YANIQUE is the author of three books of poetry and fiction, including, Wife, which won the 2016 Bocas Prize in Caribbean poetry and the 2016 Forward/Felix Dennis Prize for a First Collection. Land of Love and Drowning won the 2014 Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Award, the Phillis Wheatley Award for PanAfrican Literature, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Rosenthal Family Foundation Award. How to Escape from a Leper Colony won her a listing as one of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35. Yanique is from the Virgin Islands and is an associate professor in the MFA program at the New School in New York City. She lives in New Rochelle, New York with her husband – teacher and photographer Moses Djeli – and their three children. ReadCaribbean programs created in partnership with Sosyete Koukouy, Bocas Literary Festival and ReadJamaica, with the support of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Green Family Foundation.
Sponsored by
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Adrian Matejka
Tiphanie Yanique #miamiwrites /
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Brian Turner
Brit Bennett page 06 / miamibookfair.com
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Wednesday - Saturday, May 3 - 6 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Memoir as Interior Renovation with Brian Turner In this four-day intensive workshop on memoir, we’ll offer critique and feedback on the memoir you’ve begun, as well as discover ways to expand and explore the work you’ve already created. With a literary tool belt and an eye toward renovation, we’ll knock out some of the walls, put in skylights, and revamp the inner corridors so that all the rooms interconnect with one another. Required: Participants must turn in 30-60 pages of a memoir-in-progress prior to the course start date. BRIAN TURNER is a poet and memoirist who served seven years in the US Army. He is the author of two poetry collections, Phantom Noise and Here, Bullet, which won the 2005 Beatrice Hawley Award, the New York Times “Editor’s Choice” selection, the 2006 PEN Center USA “Best in the West” award, and others. Turner’s work has been published in National Geographic, the New York Times, Poetry Daily, Harper’s Magazine, and other fine journals. His recent memoir, My Life as a Foreign Country, has been called, “achingly, disturbingly, shockingly beautiful.”
3-Day Workshop Wednesday - Friday, May 3 - 5 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Desire in Fiction with Brit Bennett Kurt Vonnegut famously said, “Every character should want something, even if it's only a glass of water." At its simplest form, a story is just that: a character who wants something and faces obstacles to getting it. But many stories flag under characters whose desires are muddled or boring or weak. How do we create desires that are powerful enough to drive the story forward and reveal character? In this workshop, we will examine desire in published stories as well as studentsubmitted work and discover new ways to create characters whose desires are convincing, specific, and compelling.
miami writers institute
4-Day Workshop
Born and raised in Southern California, BRIT BENNETT graduated from Stanford University and later earned her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Paris Review, and Jezebel. Don't miss Brit Bennett at the Miami edition of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 event! Wednesday, May 3rd at 8 p.m. at nearby Gramp's Bar in Wynwood.
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miami writers institute
3-Day Workshop Wednesday - Friday, May 3 - 5 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Plot Is Not A FourLetter Word — A Story Workshop with Thomas Pierce Plot is sometimes sneered at by literary fiction writers. A necessary evil, it’s often called. A way to hold the reader’s attention. But in a fundamental sense most stories are nothing more than a simple sequence of events, a build-up of distinct moments – scenes, images, thoughts, things said and not said – and it is only in their accumulation that the story assumes meaning and coalesces into something more than the sum of its parts. In this workshop, we’ll look at your stories through the prism of plot, tension, movement, and escalation. THOMAS PIERCE was born and raised in South Carolina. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Oxford American, and elsewhere. A graduate of the University of Virginia creative writing program, he lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his wife and daughter. Don't miss Thomas Pierce at the Miami edition of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 event! Wednesday, May 3rd at 8 p.m. at nearby Gramp's Bar in Wynwood.
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In Spanish/en español 3-Day Workshop Jueves 5 y viernes 6 de mayo | 6:30 a 9:30 p.m. y Sábado 7 de mayo | 10:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m.
Cómo convertirte en escritor y no morir (ni matar) en el intento, con Rosa Montero (For an English translation of this information, please visit miamibookfair.com and click on Writers Institute.)
Este minicurso de escritura creativa destripa los mecanismos de ese aprendizaje del oficio de escribir, desde la manera de abordar los problemas en la construcción de un relato, hasta las herramientas para poder sortear tanto el bloqueo narrativo como el excesivo flujo verborrágico, ese aluvión de ideas que a veces acaban por asfixiar una obra. Se tratarán diversos géneros narrativos: novela, cuento, microrrelato y periodismo literario. Habrá además una parte práctica y diversos ejercicios a realizar en clase. ROSA MONTERO: Periodista y escritora española. Trabajó para el diario El País. En 1978 ganó el Premio Mundo de Entrevistas, en 1980 el Premio Nacional de Periodismo para reportajes y artículos literarios y en 2005 el Premio de la Asociación de la Prensa de Madrid a toda una vida profesional. Su obra está traducida a más de veinte idiomas. Es Doctora Honoris Causa por la Universidad de Puerto Rico y Premio Internacional Columnistas del Mundo 2014. Su último libro publicado es La carne (Alfaguara, 2016)
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Thomas Pierce
Rosa Montero
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Get Feedback from a Pro Wednesday - Friday, May 3 - 5 (various times, as appointed.) Consultations are limited to 30 people.
Manuscript Consultations with Literary Agent Jill Marr JILL MARR is an agent at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. She graduated from San Diego State University with a BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing and a minor in history. She has a strong Internet and media background and nearly 15 years of publishing experience.
1-Day Publishing Seminar Thursday, May 4 | 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
The Publishing Process: An Overview with Literary Agent Jill Marr In this workshop we will discuss the process to publication, including how to find an agent, do the research, and write a winning query letter. We'll also talk about the process of submitting to publishers and what happens after a contract is offered. And finally, we'll prepare you for the editorial process, heading toward publication and beyond.
Jill is interested in commercial fiction, with an emphasis on mysteries, thrillers, romantic suspense and horror, women's commercial fiction and historical fiction. Jill is looking for nonfiction projects in the areas of history, narrative nonfiction, sports, politics, current events, health & nutrition, pop culture, humor, music, and very select memoir. Please note that Jill is specifically NOT interested in: YA, children's books, sci-fi, romance, screenplays, graphic novels, or anything involving unicorns. TIPS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR ONEON-ONE MANUSCRIPT CONSULTATION: 1. Do your homework. Read the agent/ editors bio, visit their web sites, and Google their names to get a sense of their areas of interest and expertise. 2. Bring a list of questions. 3. There is no criticism, only feedback. The industry professional with whom you’ll meet is here to give you an honest assessment of your manuscript and its potential to be published. 4. Manage your expectations. Be prepared for the possibility that you may have some work to do before your work is ready to be published.
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Crafts and Craft:
A Conversation Series on Writing Wind-down and refresh after an immersive day of writing workshops with a craft beer as you explore different aspects of writing with our craft talk series – just one of the many social events you can attend during the Miami Writers Institute. Visit miamibookfair.com for more information on our other offerings. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC (Food and beverage costs apply.)
Wednesday, May 3 | 6:30 p.m. Gramps, 176 NW 24th Street, Wynwood
MENTORSHIP AND CANONIZING WITH TIPHANIE YANIQUE For whom do you write? What traditions are you writing alongside? What texts are you writing against? In this craft talk, Tiphanie Yanique will explore how actual texts serve as mentorship, how to learn from your masters (dead or alive) and how to create your own personal canon.
INTERIOR RENOVATION: THE SEARCH FOR THE PROFOUND IN CREATIVE NONFICTION WITH BRIAN TURNER With a literary tool belt and an eye toward renovation, Brian will talk about knocking out some of the walls, putting in skylights, and revamping the inner corridors so that all of the rooms interconnect with one another. (Stay for the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 Reading at 8 p.m.!)
Thursday, May 4 | 6:30 p.m. Books & Books - Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Downtown Miami
THE MASKS WE WANT: PERSONA POETRY & ITS CONTEMPORARY POSSIBILITIES WITH ADRIAN MATEJKA The word persona comes from the Latin term for the masks ancient Greek actors used to exaggerate their features during performances. In this craft talk, Adrian Matejka will explore how donning a linguistic mask can help you to create new and complicated narratives in your poetry.
RAISING THE STAKES WITH BRIT BENNETT What are the narrative stakes of your story? In other words, why should anybody besides you care about what happens to these characters? In this craft talk, Brit Bennett will examine what makes a story matter, and discuss how to create and heighten the stakes of a story.
Friday, May 5 | 12:30 p.m. Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus, Room 6100 (Bldg. 6, 1st floor)
A THERMODYNAMIC STORY WITH THOMAS PIERCE Stick a cold spoon in a hot bowl of soup, and the spoon heats up. Any successful story-even a quiet, plotless one is, in some essential way, a hot bowl of soup. The atoms and molecules contained within it vibrate and bounce and careen. They exist in a state of high entropy. Enter the reader, our cold spoon. In this craft talk, Thomas Pierce will consider fiction as a transfer of energy.
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Schedule at a Glance
Tuesday, May 2
Friday, May 5
6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Biscayne Tavern: Welcome Happy Hour (YVE Hotel Miami Downtown, 146 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132)
8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
Wednesday, May 3 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast 9:30 - 12:30 p.m. Workshops with Adrian Matejka, Tiphanie Yanique & Brian Turner 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Lunch and Faculty Readings with Brit Bennett & Adrian Matejka 2:30 - 5:30 p.m. Workshops with Brit Bennett & Thomas Pierce 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Crafts and Craft @ Gramps: Tiphanie Yanique & Brian Turner (176 NW 24th St, Miami, FL 33127) 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. Gramps: The National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 (176 NW 24th St, Miami, FL 33127)
Thursday, May 4 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
9:30 - 12:30 p.m. Workshops with Adrian Matejka, Tiphanie Yanique & Brian Turner 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Lunch and Craft Talk with Thomas Pierce 2:30 - 5:30 p.m. Workshops with Brit Bennett & Thomas Pierce
Saturday, May 6 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast 9:30 - 12:30 p.m. Workshops with Adrian Matejka, Tiphanie Yanique & Brian Turner 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. First Draft: A Lunchtime Literary Social
Hospitality Suite Hours Wednesday - Friday, from 8:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
9:30 - 12:30 p.m. Workshops with Adrian Matejka, Tiphanie Yanique & Brian Turner 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Lunch and Faculty Readings with Tiphanie Yanique, Brian Turner & Thomas Pierce 2:30 - 5:30 p.m. Workshops with Brit Bennett & Thomas Pierce 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Crafts and Craft @ Books & Books Arsht Center: Brit Bennett & Adrian Matejka (1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132) 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Publishing Seminar with Jill Marr
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* All events, workshops and activities take place at Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus in Downtown Miami unless otherwise noted.
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The Miami Book Fair not only presents great writers, it rewards them! The Miami Book Fair is pleased to announce its partnership with The de Groot Foundation to launch the Miami Book Fair / de Groot Prize for an unpublished novella, awarded for exceptional fiction of 17,000-40,000 words. The winner will receive $6,000, publication, and a trip to the 2018 Miami Book Fair. Two runners-up receive $2,000, and a trip to the 2018 Miami Book Fair. Submission period is May 1 - June 15, 2017
Prize details available at MiamiBookFair.com. Winners will be announced #miamiwrites in the fall of/ 2017. page 13
In order to foster diversity within the arts, Miami Writers Institute has partnered with two groundbreaking organizations: CantoMundo and Kundiman, to provide fellowships for two emerging writers of color
CANTOMUNDO supports the creation, circulation, and critical analysis of Latina/o poetry. CantoMundo cultivates a community of Latina/o poets through an annual writing retreat, regional workshops, public readings, and the CantoMundo Poetry Prize, an annual book contest that publishes and promotes a poetry volume by a Latina/o writer.
KUNDIMAN is dedicated to the creation and cultivation of Asian American literature, offering a comprehensive spectrum of arts programming that gives writers opportunities to inscribe their own stories, transforming and enriching the American literary landscape.
About the Scholarship Each scholarship will include the following: • • • • •
Full tuition ($630 value) One creative writing workshop with an award-winning author One manuscript consultation with literary agent Jill Marr Craft talks by all teaching faculty Publishing seminars
Each recipient will be an outstanding creative writer who will benefit from and contribute to participation in the workshop. A writing sample, letter of introduction, and description of need are an integral part of the application and selection process. Scholarships are open by application only to past and present fellows of CantoMundo and Kundiman.
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How to Register Visit miamibookfair.com and click on Writers Institute. Follow the instructions to register online. If you have any questions, call 305-237-3940.
Deadlines Last day to register: April 19, 2017 Last day to submit a manuscript consultation: April 1, 2017 All workshops are limited to 15 people, unless otherwise noted Note: Space in workshops is limited. Register as soon as possible to secure your space. Payment must be received at time of registration and must have cleared at least five business days prior to the first day of class. Please note registration deadlines for each course. Please speak to a member of our registration staff if you require clarification.
Registration Fees 4-DAY WORKSHOPS: $550 Registration fee includes: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Workshop Fee 1-Day Publishing seminar Continental breakfast Wednesday - Saturday Boxed lunch and lunchtime reading with WI faculty Craft talks One free drink at welcome happy hour One seat at the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 reading Invitation to First Draft with one free drink Access to Hospitality Suite with complimentary snacks and beverages Access to Writing Lounge equipped with Mac computers Swag Bag 10% discount at Books & Books locations
3-DAY WORKSHOPS: $450 Registration fee includes: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Workshop Fee 1-Day Publishing seminar Continental breakfast Wednesday – Saturday Boxed lunch and lunchtime reading with WI faculty Craft talks One free drink at welcome happy hour One seat at the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 reading Invitation to First Draft with one free drink Access to Hospitality Suite with complimentary snacks and beverages Access to Writing Lounge equipped with Mac computers Swag Bag 10% discount at Books & Books locations
THE HERMIONE GRANGER: $750 (time-turner not included) Registration fee includes:
• R egistration in your choice of a 4-day workshop AND a 3-day workshop • 1-Day Publishing seminar • Continental breakfast Wednesday – Saturday • Boxed lunch and lunchtime reading with WI faculty • Craft talks • One free drink at welcome happy hour • One seat at the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 reading • Invitation to First Draft with one free drink • Access to Hospitality Suite with complimentary snacks and beverages • Access to Writing Lounge equipped with Mac computers • Swag Bag • 10% discount at Books & Books locations
3-DAY WORKSHOP IN SPANISH: $300 Registration fee includes: • • • •
One free drink at welcome happy hour Workshop Fee Invitation to First Draft with one free drink Access to Hospitality Suite with complimentary snacks and beverages • Access to Writing Lounge equipped with Mac computers
1-DAY QUERY WORKSHOP WITH JILL MARR: $50 (Included in 3 and 4-day English workshop pricing. Limited to 20 additional participants.)
MANUSCRIPT CONSULTATIONS: $80 (limited to 30 people) *Manuscript consultation fees are not reading fees and do not go to the agent; rather, they support the programs and initiatives of Miami Book Fair.
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Miami Dade College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, marital status, age, religion, national origin, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation or genetic information. Contact the Office of Director, Equal Opportunity Programs/ADA Coordinator, at 305-237-2577 for assistance.
Eduardo J. Padrón, President, Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College District Board of Trustees Armando J. Bucelo Jr., Chair • Armando J. Olivera, Vice Chair Helen Aguirre Ferré • Marili Cancio • Benjamín León III Daniel Diaz Leyva • Bernie Navarro
With the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the MiamiDade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
Supporters of Miami Book Fair include:
300 N.E. Second Ave. Miami, Florida 33132-2296
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