April 5, 2022

Say It With Authority

An Online Writers Conference
For writers 13 to 18
June 14 – July 14, 2022 (Session A)
July 5 –  July 28, 2022 (Session B)

 

Except for the video camera, this is old-school workshopping.
We’re looking for people who want to write and learn from other writers.
We read the big dawgs…and each other.
We think deeply, we goof, we strive, we meander,
But, and this is crucial,
We get better. 

We are claiming authority and authorship.

During this month, we will each write, revise,
and prepare a story, essay, or poem(s) for publication.

Bring something new, and be ready to share.

 

Stochastic Band by Richard Owen

OUR METHOD

Expostulate and Reply
(You say, I say, We say)

Writers take turns submitting (3 writers per session).
We read the text aloud and respond.

We revise constantly.

Regina Spektor, whose authority is unquestioned

OUR IDEAS

♠ What is an Author?   [“People are saying” there’s no such thing.]

♣ Authority and How to Get It   [Strategies for Writing and for Reading Like a Writer]

♥ Form, Content, Purpose   [How We Write, What We Write, Why We Write]

Anticipating and Creating an Audience   [Who really cares?]

 

What if? by Richard Owen

BRETT REEVES, EDUCATOR

I’m Brett Reeves, a writer and educator living in Austin, Texas.

Brett Reeves, Educator

As a professional writer, I’ve produced journalism, textbooks,
historical nonfiction, advertising, and even some testing materials,
but I’m most proud of my poems and songs.

Teaching keeps me alive, not only by paying the bills, but by bringing me together with all sorts of people, each with a particular set of ambitions and frustrations.

My motto is, “I’m Here to Help.” 

I work independently, accountable only to my participants and parents.

 

BRAGGING RIGHTS

Among last year’s participants, one won a National Gold Medal from Scholastic Art & Writing.
Another wrote and self-published her first novel.
Everyone grew.

OUR SCHEDULE & AGENDA

PRE-CONFERENCE INTRODUCTIONS

Present Your (Authorial) Self with Flash Fiction

Write a story, essay, or poem using between 6 and 300 words.

CLICK HERE for Flash Fiction Guidelines
(see “MicroFiction,” 300 words or less). 

The Flash reveals something about you as an author.
We’ll read these together during our first meetings.

WEEK 1 

Flash, Read, Reflect, Launch

For each of Week 1’s sessions, we read each other’s flash fiction,
and we reflect on published writing that exemplifies authority.

 

Session 1
Read and respond to these published writers.

“Doe Season” (story) by David Michael Kaplan
“Push Play” (personal essay) by Chris Dennis
“Boys” (story) Ric Moody
“Anecdote of the Jar” (poem) by Wallace Stevens

In “Push Play,” Chris Dennis takes his Dolly Parton obsession to high school.

 Session 2
Read and respond to these published writers.

“Everyday Use” (story) by Alice Walker
“Accident” (story-essay) by Dave Eggers
“The Bedwetter” (personal essay) by Sarah Silverman

 

 

WEEKS 2-4 Workshop

3 writers per session submit.
Writers draft and revise a piece toward publication.  

 

Week 2: First Draft
Week 3: Revision
Week 4: Final Draft

 

SPECIFICATIONS, SCHEDULE, TUITION

Email BrettReevesEducator@gmail.com for inquiry &  payment information

CONFERENCE A
June 14 – July 14, 2022
*We skip week of July 4*
Tue & Thu 3-4 PM CST / 1-2 PM PT
via Google Meet

CONFERENCE B
July 5 –  July 28, 2022
Tue & Thu 3-4 PM CST / 1-2 PM PT
via Google Meet

 

 

   * Each Conference runs 4 weeks, 2 sessions per week
   * Sessions are 60-75 minutes
   * Requires ~ 5 hours participation per week
       (2 hours meeting, 3 hours writing)
   * Registration is limited to 6 writers per session

 

Tuition: $160 (Zelle, Venmo, PayPal)

 

 

 

 

 

 

CERTIFICATION, OR “Get Bonafide!”

Writers receive a certificate of completion when they submit their work to at least one publishing opportunity.