2023 Writer's Salon Workshops Series

This workshop will teach emerging writers how to turn their memories into transformational stories whether they want to write privately or to be published. Personal Stories Matter because you can use your voice to harness social, political, and cultural change, not only for a just society but an equitable society where we all have a seat at the table. Workshop Structure: This short class will focus on setting, scene, plot structure, and narrative voice. You will begin the class by reading short excerpts of published letters, and then you will learn how to apply storytelling techniques to nonfiction letter writing. During the session, you will be given various writing prompts. The writing prompts are not your ordinary; they are structured as a nonfiction essay arc, and this method helps you get “unstuck.” At the end of our writing session, you will have an outline of your first nonfiction essay or letter that you can turn into a publishable article. Workshop Takeaways: You will learn the basics of the drafting process You will learn the importance of journaling to enhance your writing practice You will learn straightforward, practical craft lessons and writing prompts You will feel empowered to tell your own life story and gain the confidence to write your own stories.

About the Facilitator: Leslie-Ann Murray a fiction writer from Trinidad & Tobago. She created Brown Girl Book Lover, a social media platform where she interviews diverse writers and reviews books that should be at the forefront of our imagination. She also produces a monthly newsletter, Come Get Your Diversity. Leslie-Ann is currently working on her first novel, This Has Made Us Beautiful. Leslie-Ann has been published in Poets & Writers, Zone 3, Ploughshares, Brittle Paper, Obsidian Literary Magazine, and Salamander Literary Magazine. Leslie-Ann has taught creative writing in France, Trinidad and Tobago, South Africa, China, and New York City. She’s currently the Director of Education Programs at Bard Prison Initiative.