Creative Writing Community Workshop offered at Spalding’s Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing, Nov. 18-20. Applications open now!
Curious about Spalding’s graduate programs in creative writing? Looking for a top-notch workshop and enrichment experience to jump-start your writing? The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing is offering a creative writing community workshop November 18 – 20. Qualified applicants will study and write with workshop leader Lynnell Edwards, a prize-winning poet and member of the Spalding MFA faculty.
With the Community Workshop package, you’ll
receive thoughtful, constructive feedback on your writing in the genre of your choice (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting) by the faculty leader and other workshop participants
deepen your understanding of literary technique as you take part in a group conversation providing feedback to other workshoppers
gain insight into best practices and pitfalls of writing
gather reading recommendations
receive access to the School’s fall residency curriculum sessions outside of workshop hours. These sessions, normally open only to enrolled students of the Naslund-Mann School, delve into literary craft elements such as voice and point of view. Learn from Kathleen Driskell, Kentucky Poet Laureate and chair of the Naslund-Mann School; Whitney Collins, associate programs director; and Spalding MFA faculty members Angela Jackson-Brown, Douglas Manuel, and others.
Community Workshop participants are also invited to these special events:
Tuesday, November 17: an evening presentation by nationally acclaimed poet and writer Paisley Rekdal, author of West: A Translation and 2026 winner of the Spalding Prize for the Promotion of Peace and Justice in Literature.
Thursday, November 19, a pop-up book shop on Spalding’s campus featuring books by Spalding faculty members including Kentucky Poet Laureate Kathleen Driskell, bestselling author Silas House, and many others. Books are provided by Carmichael’s Bookstore.
The workshop meets from 2:45 to 5:00 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, November 18 – 20. To apply, fill out the form at bit.ly/4clPhuO and send the following as Word document attachments to schoolofwriting@spalding.edu:
Personal statement outlining, briefly, your writing experience and goals (maximum 500 words).
A writing sample consisting of one of the following:
2–3 poems (no more than five pages total).
Fiction (a complete story or an excerpt of a novel, no more than 15 pages double-spaced).
Creative nonfiction (a complete essay or an excerpt of a memoir, no more than 15 pages double-spaced).
A complete act of a play or a short play (no more than 12 pages).
Please include your name and email address at the top of each document. If accepted, the application writing sample will be read by the workshop leader and members and discussed during the workshop.
Applications are due Monday, October 12. Participants will be notified of acceptance on or before October 15. Questions? Email schoolofwriting@spalding.edu.
Cost: $295.00 Space is limited! 5-8 students. Once accepted, participants are emailed a link to pay by credit card.
Lynnell Edwards is a member of the poetry faculty of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing, where she is also book reviews editor for Good River Review, the School’s literary journal. Her six collections of poetry include, most recently, The Bearable Slant of Light (Red Hen Press, 2024), a reflection and investigation of mental illness in the family and our greater society, and This Great Green Valley (Broadstone Books, 2020), which explores and reconsiders the narratives of Kentucky’s pioneer history. Her work has recently been featured on The Slowdown poetry podcast as well as in journals such as Porchlight, Plume Poetry, and Southern Poetry Review. Read her work, including essays and book reviews, at lynnelledwards.com.