This three-part webinar series explores how writers can play with time to add depth, complexity, and emotional power to short stories and novels. Fiction writer and Iowa Writers’ Workshop alum Andrew Steiner begins by visually charting several different paths stories take through time, from the cleanly linear to the freer and more associative. The second and third videos focus on two masterpieces of short fiction to examine the surprising and bold ways they move their tales through time. Throughout, the viewer will be given concrete, practical steps for using time to unlock the dramatic potential in their own stories. Authors discussed include Alice Munro, Kazuo Ishiguro, Edwidge Danticat, Denis Johnson, and Joan Silber.

We get it. Scrivener can look a little scary at first. Maybe you don’t know where to start or are hesitant to leave the comfort zone of Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Watch our webinar introduction to Scrivener, with journalist and author Jennifer Chesak. She covers the platform's benefits over traditional word-processing programs and provides an easy-to-understand tutorial. Think of Scrivener as your writing project’s ultimate Trapper Keeper. Fear not! At any time, you can compile a Scrivener draft into a traditional word-processing document with a quick click. We’ll take the “scaries" out of Scrivener so that you can navigate your writing, research, and notes with ease, whether you craft fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism articles, or anything else.

In this 3-part webinar, students will receive a comprehensive overview of a historic and timeless essay, "Notes of a Native Son" by James Baldwin. First published in 1955 when the writer was 31 years old, the essay deals with grief, racism, and love that co-exists with hatred and anger. In Part 1, the instructor will provide a brief overview and demonstrate a close analysis of the opening paragraphs. Part 2 will focus on Baldwin’s recurring motif of the “shattered glass,” which will hopefully inspire you to write a personal essay using an evolving motif. Part 3 will focus on the way the essay wraps everything up towards a climactic ending. After each part, the instructor will provide several writing prompts that build on what we’ve learned and lead to the next lesson. It is recommended that the students read the full essay while spacing out the three videos according to their own schedules. These webinars are designed for writers at all levels, and readers who may or may not have previously read Baldwin’s work.