Devote a day to your writing at our Spring Writing Retreat, Saturday, May 24 from 11am-5pm at the Cleveland State University Mather Mansion.
We'll have food and drink, chairs and tables, community for encouragement and accountability, and writing prompts in each genre to help you make progress on your project or to get started on something new.
After a brief welcome, you will head to the genre room of your choice to get some brief writing prompts and inspiration from your genre leader: Anthony Tognazzini in poetry, Mary Quade in nonfiction, and Chiyuma Elliott in fiction. Then we will have 45 minutes of silent writing time for you to generate new work with built in breaks between writing sprints will allow you to stretch, refuel, and chat with other writers before getting back to work.
Knock out a new poem or two, draft a chapter of a novel or memoir, revise that essay or story you have been working on, and earn a reward for achieving your writing goal for the day.
11:00-11:30am Check In
11:30am-12:00pm Welcome/orientation
12:00-12:15pm Breakout 1 with writing prompts in each genre
12:15-1:00pm Writing Sprint 1
1:00-1:30pm Break
1:30-1:45pm Breakout 2 with writing prompts in each genre
1:45-2:30pm Writing Sprint 2
2:30-3:00pm Break
3:00-3:15pm Breakout 3 with writing prompts in each genre
3:15-4:00pm Writing Sprint 3
4:00-5:00pm Optional sharing
Prerequisites: None
Genres: All fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and more
Level: All levels
Format: Generative time with optional prompts, breaks, snacks, and sharing
Location: This class takes place at Cleveland State University Mather Mansion (2605 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115).
Size: Limited to 100 participants (including scholarships)
Suggested Sequence: Follow this class with another generative writing workshop or a feedback course.
Scholarships: Scholarship spots are available for this program for writers in Northeast Ohio. Email info@litcleveland.org.
Cancellations & Refunds: Cancel at least 48 hours in advance of the first class meeting to receive a full refund. Email info@litcleveland.org.
Devote a day to your writing at our Spring Writing Retreat, Saturday, May 24 from 11am-5pm at the Cleveland State University Mather Mansion.
We'll have food and drink, chairs and tables, community for encouragement and accountability, and writing prompts in each genre to help you make progress on your project or to get started on something new.
After a brief welcome, you will head to the genre room of your choice to get some brief writing prompts and inspiration from your genre leader: Anthony Tognazzini in poetry, Mary Quade in nonfiction, and Chiyuma Elliott in fiction. Then we will have 45 minutes of silent writing time for you to generate new work with built in breaks between writing sprints will allow you to stretch, refuel, and chat with other writers before getting back to work.
Knock out a new poem or two, draft a chapter of a novel or memoir, revise that essay or story you have been working on, and earn a reward for achieving your writing goal for the day.
11:00-11:30am Check In
11:30am-12:00pm Welcome/orientation
12:00-12:15pm Breakout 1 with writing prompts in each genre
12:15-1:00pm Writing Sprint 1
1:00-1:30pm Break
1:30-1:45pm Breakout 2 with writing prompts in each genre
1:45-2:30pm Writing Sprint 2
2:30-3:00pm Break
3:00-3:15pm Breakout 3 with writing prompts in each genre
3:15-4:00pm Writing Sprint 3
4:00-5:00pm Optional sharing
Prerequisites: None
Genres: All fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and more
Level: All levels
Format: Generative time with optional prompts, breaks, snacks, and sharing
Location: This class takes place at Cleveland State University Mather Mansion (2605 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115).
Size: Limited to 100 participants (including scholarships)
Suggested Sequence: Follow this class with another generative writing workshop or a feedback course.
Scholarships: Scholarship spots are available for this program for writers in Northeast Ohio. Email info@litcleveland.org.
Cancellations & Refunds: Cancel at least 48 hours in advance of the first class meeting to receive a full refund. Email info@litcleveland.org.
Anthony Tognazzini's recent work has appeared in Electric Literature, Guernica, Crazyhorse, and TriQuarterly, among other journals, as well as on NPR's Selected Shorts and in Norton's 2018 anthology New Micro. His fiction collection, I Carry A Hammer In My Pocket for Occasions Such As These, was published by BOA Editions. Anthony has received fellowships from Yaddo, Millay, and the Ohio Arts Council. He currently lives in Ohio.
Mary Quade is the author of Zoo World: Essays (The Ohio State University Press/Mad Creek Books, 2023) and the poetry collections Guide to Native Beasts (Cleveland State University Poetry Center) and Local Extinctions (Gold Wake). She is the recipient of an Oregon Literary Fellowship and four Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards for both poetry and creative nonfiction. She teaches creative writing at Hiram College.
Chiyuma (Chi) Elliott’s scholarly work and teaching focus is on African American literature (particularly the Harlem Renaissance) and poetry and poetics. She is the author of The Rural Harlem Renaissance (forthcoming, Oxford University Press) and four books of poetry, most recently Blue in Green (University of Chicago Press, 2021).
