Prose Writing Group (with Melenie Freedom Flynn)
NEW! This is an ongoing group that meets weekly for eight weeks, followed by a 2 - 3-week break, before continuing on for another eight week session, and so forth. Registration in this group is according to an ongoing subscription / membership plan: once you register, your place is held in the group and in all future sessions until / unless you withdraw. Please note that payment ($350) is for ONE 8-week session, and if you remain in the group you will be billed before each new session.
The Prose Writing Group meets on Thursdays, 6 - 8pm EST. (Schedule below!)
This group is for prose writers at any stage who want to be part of a supportive, weekly ongoing writing group, whether you’re just starting out or publishing frequently, and whether you’re writing short stories, memoirs, or any kind of prose-based storytelling! Meetings are structured so as to be casual and manageable with busy lifestyles, and as such there will be no readings or assignments outside of group meetings, and of course the commitment to your own writing.
Each meeting may include a mix of looking at masterful excerpts (or complete short pieces) together in class and discussing how they work; discussion and breakdown of different craft topics; prompts and generative in-class writing; and an opportunity to share our work (and goals) aloud with the group for on-the-spot feedback/or brainstorming (always optional).
The week-by-week agenda (including topics of discussion and texts the group will discuss) will evolve and change in response to the interests and goals of the writers in the group, as led by the instructor. Above all, this group is a space of community-building, creative support, writing time, and craft/process development for writers who aim to make time for their work and to connect with other writers.
Please note: This group offers the opportunity for verbal on-the-spot feedback for those who would like to share work during class time, yet this group does not provide formal workshopping, written feedback, or requirements/opportunities to submit work for critique.
SCHEDULE*
Fall 2023 Session: Thursdays, November 2 - December 28 (6 - 8pm EST)*
- *No meeting on 11/23
- January Break (2 weeks)
Winter 2024 Session: Thursdays, January 18 - March 7 (6 - 8pm EST)
- March Break (3 weeks)
Spring 2024 Session: Thursdays, April 4 - May 23 (6 - 8pm EST)
- May/June Break (2 weeks)
Summer 2024 Session: Thursdays, June 13 - August 8 (6 - 8pm EST)*
- No meeting on 7/4
- August Break (3 weeks)
Fall 2024 Session: Thursdays, September 5 - October 31 (6 - 8pm EST)
- No meeting on 10/3 (Rosh Hashanah)
- November Break (4 weeks)
*Some dates may be subject to change, based on instructor, but that would be announced by instructor during the current session, and all changed/rescheduled meetings would be rescheduled for a Sunday evening during a break month.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
MELENIE FREEDOM FLYNN’s memoir-in-progress is currently being supported by grants from the Elizabeth George Foundation and Massachusetts Cultural Council. She is the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship, Djerassi Artist-in-Residence Fellowship, Atlantic Center for the Arts Residency, and scholarships to the Community of Writers Workshop. Her essay “Message from Your Inmate” won the annual nonfiction contest at Vela Magazine and her recent work can be seen in Provincetown Arts Magazine and the Straw Dog Pandemic Poetry and Prose Journal. A graduate of the MFA Acting Program at California Institute of the Arts, Melenie has performed in theatres across the country including the New York Theatre Workshop, the Kitchen (NY), Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre (MA), and Majestic Theatre (MA). Visit her online at meleniefreedomflynn.com.
COURSE GOALS
- Expand and deepen our understanding of various craft tools
- Discuss the nuances of those craft tools in detail
- Practice applying those craft tools through guided free writes
- Build comaraderie, new friendships, and community
- Make time for writing and sharing our work
- Support each other in our goals, writing, and development as writers
RECEIVING THE ZOOM LINK: For one-day workshops, we send out the link to attend the Zoom session 1 - 2 days before the event, via email. For multi-week workshops, you should receive info and the link about a week before the first meeting. Please mark your calendars and look for our emails. If you don't see the email in your inbox on the day before the event (or a few days before, in the case of multi-week workshops), please check your spam and junk mail folders (and search all folders) for an email from joy@pioneervalleywriters.org. We have found that very often our emails end up in those folders. This is based on your own email settings, and you can prevent this by adding our email as a contact.
ONLINE SESSIONS happen remotely, via Zoom video conference. All you need is a laptop, computer, or phone with functioning audio and a webcam. Those who RSVP receive directions and a link to "join" the session via email (please see above note about receiving the Zoom link). All online instructors will log on to the video conference 10 minutes before the start of the session, to help anyone with technical issues, so please plan to log on early if you'd like assistance! We'll do everything in our power to help you get comfortable with this new format, though when the session begins, we will not be able to assist with technical difficulties.
REFUND & CREDIT POLICIES AT PVWW
If you withdraw from a workshop ten days or more before the start of the class: You'll receive full credit toward another workshop OR a full refund (minus automatically-deducted 4% service charge we must pay Square). If you withdraw from a workshop nine days before the start of the class up until 48 hours before: You'll receive a refund minus 20%. If you withdraw from a workshop less than 48 hours before the start of a class or after the class has begun: We are not able to offer you credit toward another class or a refund. In the case of medical emergency, please contact us directly and this will be handled on a case-by-case basis. If you are absent on the day of your workshop or miss it for any reason, we are unable to offer any kind of refund or credit. However, if we have to cancel a class you have paid for, you will receive a full refund, without the service charge deducted, or if you choose, credit in the amount of your payment to be used for any future PVWW class. Anyone who does not specify whether they would like a refund or a credit for a cancelled class will automatically receive credit, which will automatically receive credit. Please contact Joy (joy@pioneervalleywriters.org) for all matters concerning credit and refunds.
For Ongoing Groups: Each 8-week session is considered a new "class" for purposes of this policy.