Writing Workshop in Santa Fe
Join Linda Watanabe McFerrin and Andy Ross for a Writing Intensive Workshop in Santa Fe
Join us in Santa Fe for another exciting Writing and Publishing Workshop
Award winning novelist, poet, travel writer, editor, and teacher, Linda Watanabe McFerrin and top literary agent, Andy Ross are conducting a 7-day writing workshop for fiction and creative non-fiction. The workshop will focus on craft and, where it’s appropriate, getting your project ready for publication. The workshop will run from September 7 (arrival) – September 15 (departure), 2018.
Registration in now open. See details below. To register or get more information, email Andy at andyrossagency@hotmail.com or Linda at http://lwmcferrin.com/services/.
Santa Fe, New Mexico is one of the world’s most magical cities and a great place for writing. It lies at the foot of the majestic Sangre de Christo Mountains in the high desert of Northern New Mexico. It is the third oldest city in America, founded in 1607. The Palace of the Governors on the Plaza was built in 1610, making it the seventh oldest building in the United States. The city is a center for art, Native American crafts, and great food. It has over 300 galleries, extraordinary museums, and historic buildings reflecting New Mexico’s Spanish and Native American heritage. You can go horseback riding in the mountains or take a side trip to Taos and visit the famous pueblo. Santa Fe also has a distinguished literary tradition. The legendary Archbishop of Santa Fe Jean Baptiste Lamy inspired Willa Cather’s masterpiece, Death Comes for the Archbishop, and General Lew Wallace, who was governor of the territory, wrote his epic novel, Ben Hur, in his office on the Plaza. It’s also the site of some of Andy’s childhood literary and not-so-literary adventures.
The Workshop:
Mornings after breakfast you’ll attend workshops from 10 am to noon devoted to literary craft. Be prepared to bring portions of your writing projects. We will discuss them in group and individually with Linda and Andy. Afternoons will consist of exploring your environment, sampling the local fare, and finding the best spots to linger and write.
Workshops will be directed by Linda and Andy. We will conduct classes and workshops on:
- Finding your literary voice
- Creating irresistible characters and centers of interest
- Creating spellbinding plots and strategies for structure
- First pages
- Best literary bells and whistles
- Steps to getting published
Linda Watanabe McFerrin is an award-winning novelist, poet, travel writer and popular workshop leader, and contributor to numerous newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She is the author of two poetry collections, past editor of a popular Northern California guidebook and a winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction. In addition to authoring book-length fiction and an award-winning short story collection (The Hand of Buddha), she has co-edited twelve anthologies, including the Hot Flashes: sexy little stories & poems series. Her latest novel, Dead Love (Stone Bridge Press, 2009), was a Bram Stoker Award Finalist for Superior Achievement in a Novel.
Linda has judged the San Francisco Literary Awards, the Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence and the Kiriyama Prize, served as a visiting mentor for the Loft Mentor Series and been guest faculty at the Oklahoma Arts Institute. A past NEA Panelist and juror for the Marin Literary Arts Council and the founder of Left Coast Writers®, she has led workshops in Greece, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Central America, Indonesia, Spain, Japan and the United States and has mentored a long list of accomplished and celebrated writers and best-selling authors toward publication.
Andy Ross opened his literary agency in 2008. Prior to that, he was the owner of the legendary Cody’s Books in Berkeley for 30 years. His agency represents books in a wide range of non-fiction genres including: narrative non-fiction, science, journalism, history, popular culture, memoir, and current events. He also represents literary, commercial, historical, crime, upmarket women’s fiction, and YA fiction.
For non-fiction Andy looks for writing with a strong voice, robust story arc, and books that tell a big story about culture and society by authors with the authority to write about their subject. In fiction, he likes stories about real people in the real world.
Andy is the author of The Literary Agent’s Guide to Writing a Non-Fiction Book Proposal. He has participated in writers’ conferences throughout the country and has taught classes about writing book proposals, composing query letters, working with agents, and getting published. His popular blog, “Ask the Agent: Night Thoughts About Books and Publishing”, has received over 500,000 unique views.
Authors Andy represents include: Daniel Ellsberg, Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, Anjanette Delgado, Elisa Kleven, Tawni Waters, Randall Platt, Mary Jo McConahay, Gerald Nachman, Michael Parenti, Paul Krassner, Milton Viorst, and Michele Anna Jordan.
Andy is a member of the Association of Author Representatives (AAR).
Price, Registration, and Details
The price for the workshop is $1800 per participant. This does not include the cost of housing. Participants will be responsible for their own housing in the Santa Fe area.You can find an inexpensive room on AirBnB or you can stay at the legendary and luxurious Bishop’s Lodge, or anything in between. The price includes the full 7-day workshop, 7 breakfasts together at the house, 2 lunches, and 3 dinners in situ or at charming local restaurants. Air and Ground transportation are not included. Classes begin at 10 am, Saturday, September 8 and the last class will end at noon on Friday, September 14. We will be renting a lovely house for the workshops and communal activities, and there will be some space available for a few participants at full cost of $2800, but you must reserve this space in advance.
Deposit and Payment.
In order to reserve your place, we require a deposit of $500 due with registration. This is non-refundable unless the workshop is cancelled for any reason. The balance of the payment is due by July 1, 2018.
Payment can be by Paypal or by personal check.
For more information, contact Andy Ross at andyrossagency@hotmail.com