Thursday, February 1, 1 to 4 p.m.
Dialogue is tricky. It’s not simply recorded speech; conversation must sound natural—while also creating a sense of a character and advancing the action. How does the writer learn that balance, knowing when characters should talk and when maybe they should keep quiet? How can your conversations build layers of meaning? This hands-on, interactive class will focus on helping you learn the tricks needed to get your characters to talk the talk! This class is appropriate for fiction writers, memoirists and anyone looking to sharpen their dialogue skills. All levels of experience are welcome. Please bring a notebook/pen or charged computer for writing exercises.
Best American Short Stories 2017, edited by Meg Wolitzer
**Please read "Last Day on Earth" by Eric Puchner, and "Famous Actor" by Jess Walter; other examples from the book may be cited, though these are the only stories that will be discussed fully.
Leslie Pietrzyk’s third novel, Silver Girl, is forthcoming in February 2018. This Angel on My Chest, her collection of linked short stories about the death of her first husband, won the 2015 Drue Heinz Literature Prize and was named by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best short story collections of 2015. Her short fiction and essays have appeared/are forthcoming in many publications, including The Washington Post Magazine, Salon, Southern Review, The Hudson Review, Gettysburg Review, The Sun, Washingtonian, and Cincinnati Review. She has received fellowships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Pietrzyk is a member of the core fiction faculty at the Converse low-residency MFA program and often teaches in the MA Program in Writing at Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia. More information: www.lesliepietrzyk.com
REFUND POLICY: Please note that we can issue class refunds up until seven (7) days before the first class session.
