Nothing inspires the writing life like the adventure of travel. The new sights, sounds, smells, and all the feels of new ground under our feet inevitably prompts new ways into our work. For the first time, our international residency—which takes place in Paris, July 18-26—will include a Professional Writing and Editing workshop. Professional Writing students will eat, drink, and write in the City of Lights with a workshop led by Lynnell Edwards, associate programs director of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing.
The curriculum and texts are designed so that students can choose the “adventure” they wish in writing about their experience. Maybe you’d like to write a short history of Black literary life in Paris, a guide to great cheap eats, or a New York Times-style “36 Hours in Paris” write-up? Using the city as our classroom, we’ll write reviews, travel narratives, culinary appreciations, media communications, and a variety of other content for target audiences such as the readers of Lonely Planet, Eater, or other travel and culture publications. Students will submit a brief worksheet in advance, but there will be lots of generative, on-the-scene opportunities for writing in the wild! We will also discuss the foundations for professional writing essential to freelance, non-profit, and corporate settings, including writing proposals and grants, document design, social media and press communications, and editing and professional house style.
This workshop (as space is available!) is available to both new and returning students, who may take this as an out-of-genre residency or full semester. Alumni may enroll in the residency course for three credits or may pursue the 15 credit Post-master’s Certificate in Professional Writing and Editing. Alumni pursuing the certificate may be eligible for a $2,000 discount on tuition.
Looking for a way to stretch your writing muscles? Thinking about dipping your toe into short feature writing and other freelance opportunities? You can earn the certificate by taking an independent study in professional writing and create a portfolio of new work suitable for publication or use in your own workplace. For more information about the certificate programs, the full Master of Arts in Professional Writing and Editing, or professional writing and editing as an out-of-genre residency, contact Lynnell Edwards at ledwards02@spalding.edu.