We are pleased to announce another Image Intensive, an opportunity to dive deeper into your craft, guided by faculty from our community who understand the unique impulses and challenges facing artists at the intersection of art and faith.

From our facilitator, Beth Kephart:

Every Thursday afternoon in May, writers will join Beth Kephart for a two-hour workshop that explores and celebrates the lives we live and the memories we carry forward. The Art of the Moment, Character Development, and Home Life offer new ways of seeing the life story, the telling detail, the people in our lives, and the spaces that hold or have held us. Each presentation is illustrated and exemplar-rich. The prompts embedded throughout the presentations invite writers to share immediate responses to provoking questions.

Weekly Structure:

1.  The Art of the Moment: What, in fact, are artfully perceived and distilled moments? Where do we look for them, and how do we record them? In this illustrated, exemplar-rich presentation, we’ll consider the memoir types (brand memoirs, journey memoirs, reflection memoirs); the diary, journal, and obsession vessel; telling details, unreliable details, and superfluous details. We’ll pause along the way to respond to brief prompts. Writers will share their prompt responses at the close of the session and receive Beth’s thoughts on this first-draft work.
2. Character Development: Where do the characters we choose to write about come from? Why do they matter to us? How might we discover more about the people in our lives and write them—honorably, faithfully, and honestly? In this illustrated, exemplar-rich presentation, we’ll take a deep dive into the writing of our characters, pausing along the way to respond to brief prompts. Writers will share their prompt responses at the close of the session and receive Beth’s thoughts on this first-draft work.
3. Home Life: Our stories are rooted in real places—in the kitchen, perhaps, in the crook of a tree, in an attic space, in a garden. In this illustrated, exemplar-rich presentation, we’ll explore the worlds of our stories, the places we’ve called home, the words that help bring our personal places to life. We’ll pause along the way to respond to brief prompts. Writers will share their prompt responses at the close of the session and receive Beth’s thoughts on this first-draft work.
4. Manuscript Review: During this final time together, each writer will be given thirty minutes for a full-class review of a manuscript of 2,200 words or less. Beth will also send written notes to each writer.

What's Included:

• 4 live sessions (2 hours each) over 4 weeks
• Craft-focused classes with generative prompts
• One personalized critique (up to 2,200 words submitted)

Who is this class best suited for?
This workshop is for nonfiction writers of all levels. If you are yearning for a compassionate writing community, seeking to learn more about yourself, hoping for a thorough review of your work, or wishing for a supportive place to grow in your craft, this workshop is for you.