Summer Workshop Program 2024

Cleyvis Natera The Art of the Story July 14 to July 19, 2024 Time 9 am - 12 pm Discipline: Fiction Open To All On-site Housing NOT Available - Off-site Housing Options

Whether you’re new to fiction or have been working at it for some time, there are concepts you must master to have your intention fully realized on the page in such a way that others will be engaged in reading your work. In this workshop, writers will learn craft elements such as perspective, setting, escalating conflict, and characterization to imbue new or existing writing with life. We will spend time discussing craft elements through the lens of recently published fiction that showcases said elements. Then, through a series of writing prompts, you will craft your own stories. The intention of this workshop is not only to strengthen your own writing but also to aid in the development of your peers and to that end, you will share new and existing work with each other in a safe and supportive environment. For the last class, I’ll invite participants to revise an existing story (that could have been written earlier that week or from before) and we will explore key concepts of revision so that each seed you plant during our week together will blossom long after our time together comes to an end.

Biography

Cleyvis Natera is the award-winning author of the critically acclaimed debut novel, Neruda on the Park. She studied literature and creative writing at Skidmore College and holds an MFA in Fiction from New York University. Her fiction, essays, and criticisms have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, URSA Story, TIME, Gagosian Quarterly, The Brooklyn Rail, The Rumpus, The Washington Post, The Kenyon Review, Aster(ix), and Kweli Journal, among other publications. Natera teaches creative writing at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City. She lives with her husband and young children in Montclair, NJ.