Guest Radio Appearance

I'll be a guest on the the radio show Playtime with Bill Turck and Kerri Kendal, 1550 FM, Evanston, IL,  at 1:00PM. We'll be talking about my work-in-progress, My Secret Lives (a book of Dreams), my novel Hey, Liberal!, and wherever else the conversation takes us. Please tune in.

Novel Basics with Shawn Shiflett

If scene is the backbone form of the novel, other essential narrative forms commonly lumped into the category of exposition can be thought of as the novel’s connective tissue. In this generative workshop, we will explore the many building blocks essential to writing a novel. Topics such as chapter placement, timeline management, character development, point-of-view, plot, and more will be discussed.  Classes will include Story Workshop® method word exercises, in-class writing activities, and the out loud reading of writing started in class.  Note: This is not a critique workshop, and an engaging, supportive environment for exploring narrative possibilities on the page will be the goal of each class.

November 1-3. Sponsored by Continuing Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Register online, or by phone: 608-262-2451.

Write On Hypertext!

"How can you make a huge difference in both the indie lit scene AND the lives of Chicago adults kicking addiction, reclaiming their lives after decades of incarceration, or recovering from chronic homelessness and poverty? By attending Hypertext's Write On! Book Launch & Fundraiser."

I'll be reading alongside other writers, including special guests Ana Castillo and John McNally. If you are interested in joining in the fun, please click here for details. 

Dreams in Fiction

A two hour workshop at the Galena Center for the Arts exploring the use of dreams in fiction. Models will be taken from the works of acclaimed authors such as Franz Kafka, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and others. This workshop is not about psychoanalyzing dreams, rather it is about exploring dreams for their rich, immediate, and vivid imagery, as well as for their story potential.

Attendees should come equipped with pens/pencils and notebooks. If you would like to join in, please click here to register. 

I will be teaching a novel writing class at the fourth annual Mining the Story Writing Retreat at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Join us for a three day event in a vibrant artists' community, alongside teachers Patricia McNair, Chris Maul Rice, Sarah Hammond, Eric May, and Philip Hartigan. Click here for more details.