8 – 8:50 am: WAKE UP AND WRITE!
Judith Hannan
A series of quick writing prompts to encourage free association and the revelation of scenes and stories. A great way to get your creative juices flowing for the day ahead.
JUDITH HANNAN is an author and essayist who has facilitated writing workshops for those coping with physical and/or mental illness, medical professionals, homeless mothers, and those within the criminal justice system. (Judi’s popular “Wake Up and Write!” workshop is how Islanders Write begins every August. We’re delighted she can join us to continue this tradition in March.) judithhannanwrites.com
9 – 10 am: WRITING DIALOGUE
John Hough, Jr.
There is all the difference in the world between dialogue as we speak it and the dialogue of the characters in our fiction. John will discuss this difference, and the use of dialogue to reveal character, sustain tension, move the story forward, and entertain the reader. Who doesn’t like good dialogue? It can make or break your story or novel.
JOHN HOUGH, JR., is the author of “A Fiction Writer’s Guide to Dialogue” and eight novels, including “The Sweetest Days,” “The Last Summer,” and “Seen the Glory: A Novel of the Battle of Gettysburg,” which has scenes set on the Vineyard. He has been running writing workshops in West Tisbury for 22 years.
10:15 – 11:45 am: CREATING CHARACTERS WHO BELONG WHERE YOU PUT THEM
Nicole Galland
Characters are more than, well, character. Like all of us, their ineffable self is informed by their environment. In this 90-minute writing workshop, we’ll play around with characters in context — the world they came from, and the world they’re in now. From basics (Are they from Majorca, Maine, or Mars?) to the more complex (Can they safely express their political or religious beliefs, and what are those?), to obscure (What’s the first song they memorized? How’s their dental health?), we’ll do writing exercises to help ground the character firmly in the world they live in.
NICOLE GALLAND’S most recent novel is “BOY” (February 2025). Her historical fiction includes “I, Iago,” and “The Fool’s Tale.” Her contemporary work includes “On the Same Page,” about two competing newspapers on Martha’s Vineyard. nicolegalland.com
This workshop is at the same time as the CHARACTERS workshop (above)- please only register for one!
10:15 – 11:45 am: WRITING FROM THE HEART
Nancy Slonim Aronie
Whether you’re in the middle of something and need inspiration, or you’re yearning to write but have little motivation. Maybe you’re fantasizing about your booksigning, but not doing a thing that might lead to an actual book. Or perhaps you want your grandkids to know who you REALLY were. Because if this is you, then this is the workshop for you.
NANCY SLONIM ARONIE’s most recent book is “The Seven Secrets of Writing the Perfect Personal Essay: Crafting the Story Only YOU Can Write.” She is also the author of “Writing from the Heart” and “Memoir as Medicine.” Nancy is a columnist for The MV Times and the founder of the Chilmark Writing Workshops. chilmarkwritingworkshop.com
12:15 – 1:15 pm: THE ART OF LAYERING FOR SCENE AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Jennifer Smith Turner
This workshop is an introduction to the art of layering to develop three-dimensional characters and intriguing scenes that will hold the reader’s attention and create a thirst for “what’s next.” Just as visual artists use layering as a technique to build their canvas, as writers we can learn to layer our writing so that we build a canvas of words that catches the reader’s interest for the full length of a novel.
JENNIFER SMITH TURNER is an awardwinning author of the novel “Child Bride,” and of two poetry books. She has conducted online writing workshops for Storycircle Network, and run poetry workshops for high school students in Massachusetts and Connecticut. theauthorjennifer.wordpress.com
This workshop is at the same time as the LAYERING (above) – please only register for one!
12:15 – 1:45 pm: LET MUSIC INSPIRE YOUR WRITING
(Bilingual English/Portuguese writing workshop)
Marcia De Castro Borges
Os participantes ouvirão dois músicos e compositores laureados nas suas línguas originais. Analisaremos então a versão traduzida e faremos um exercício de escrita criativa freestyle inspirado na música.
MARCIA DE CASTRO BORGES: Brasileira, escritora, fotógrafa e Educadora residente nos EUA. Investiga as relações entre imagem, história, memória e identidade, com o foco na reflexão sobre questões de gênero, migração e cultura Brasileira. Publicou no volume contos da Coletânea Feminista Abraçar e Resistir (2022), na Dream Out Loud Anthology vol II e III.
Participants will listen to two laureate musicians and songwriters in their original languages. We will then analyze the translated version, and do a freestyle creative writing exercise inspired by the music. MARCIA DE CASTRO BORGES is a writer, photographer and educator who investigates the relationships between image, history, memory, and identity, focusing on the reflection on issues of gender, migration, and Brazilian culture.
1:30 – 3 pm: THE ART OF THE ESSAY
Charles Sennott
How to weave a point of view into nonfiction narrative writing, whether it is to publish in magazines, memoirs, newsletters, podcasts or just for your own diary. How to do interviews, scene setting, real reporting and digging for facts that make for a stronger point of view as an essayist.
CHARLES SENNOTT is the publisher of The MV Times, and the founder and editor-in-chief of the GroundTruth Project, and an awardwinning correspondent for the Boston Globe, and best-selling author and editor with 30 years of experience in international, national, and local journalism.
3:15 – 4:45 pm: GOING INDY — FINDING A PATH TO PUBLISHING AND MARKETING YOUR BOOK
Elisa M. Speranza
So you’ve been toiling away on your book, and you’re almost ready to get it out into the world. Or maybe you’ve decided to go the independent route, and hybrid- or self-publish. Either way, it’s unlikely there’s a marketing team standing by to help you. In this interactive, in-person workshop for writers of all genres, we’ll review the different paths to publication, and demystify the world of book publicity. Writers can expect to leave with actionable strategic and practical ideas for their book launch and marketing strategy. Remember, it’s never too soon or too late to find your readers.
ELISA M. SPERANZA spent 30-plus years in marketing for organizations ranging from small nonprofits to large government agencies, to Fortune 500 companies. She self-published her debut historical novel, “The Italian Prisoner,” in 2022, and has leveraged her skills, experience, and networks into a successful “encore career” as an author and workshop facilitator. elisamariesperanza.com
