Upcoming Workshops

    • February 22, 2025
    • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Providence United Methodist Church, Room 106, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
    • 12
    Register

    Hosted by Darnell Arnoult

    In this workshop we will explore habits and hacks to help developa fict ion writing practice that serves your creative energy and aspirations, while keeping ego in the closet where it belongs. As Joyce Carol Oates has said, and I paraphrase, all you have is your process until you are done. Then you have a product. Too often writers put their idea of product before the work of their practice (as in practice of law), much like putting the cart before the horse. In this workshop, through discussion, prompts, and in-class writing, we'll focus on loading the cart! Bring your paper and pencil or laptop.  

    Darnell Arnoult is the prize-winning author of Galaxie Wagon: Poems and What Travels With Us: Poems (LSU Press) and the novel Sufficient Grace (Simon & Schuster, Inc.), which received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. Her recent poetry collection, Incantations is forthcoming from Madville Publishing. Her shorter works have appeared in a variety of journals, including Cutleaf, Appalachian Places, Appalachian Heritage, Asheville Poetry Review, Nantahala Review, Now and Then, Sandhills Review, Southern Cultures, Southern Exposure,  Southwest Review, and various anthologies.

    Arnoult holds an MFA from The University of Memphis, an MA in English and Creative Writing from North Carolina State University, and a BA in American Studies with a concentration in Southern Folklore from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Go Heels!

    Workshop Refund Policy:

    If circumstances force the CWC to cancel a workshop or move it to an alternative date, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if asked to do so within 2 weeks. If a workshop is held according to schedule and an enrollee cannot attend, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if notified 48 hours before the workshop begins. Any credit issued must be used within 12 months.


    • March 08, 2025
    • March 22, 2025
    • 2 sessions
    • Providence United Methodist Church, Room 106, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
    • 17
    Register


    Hosted by Sarah Archer

    In this two-session workshop, we'll dive into the world of screenwriting, with particular attention to the art of the scene. We'll cover the basics of what makes screenwriting unique from other forms of creative writing and how successful screenwriters think. Then we'll discuss the principles of scenecraft, exploring what makes a scene compelling on its own and as part of a larger story. This class is appropriate for novice or experienced screenwriters, and will include techniques that are relevant for fiction as well.


    Sarah Archer's debut novel, The Plus One, was published by Putnam in the US and received a starred review from Booklist. It has also been published in the UK, Germany, and Japan, and is currently in development for the screen. As a screenwriter, she has developed material for MTV Entertainment, Snapchat, and Comedy Central. She is a Black List Screenwriting Lab fellow who has placed in competitions including the Motion Picture Academy's Nicholl Fellowship, the Tracking Board’s Launch Pad, and the Austin Film Festival. Her short stories and poetry have been published in numerous literary magazines, nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and reached the finals of the Doris Betts Fiction Prize. She has spoken and taught on writing to groups in several states and countries, and interviewed authors around the world as a co-host of the award-winning Charlotte Readers Podcast.


    You can find her online at saraharcherwrites.com.



    PLEASE NOTE, THIS WORKSHOP HAS A MINIMUM ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT OF 8 PARTICIPANTS. IF WE DO NOT REACH THE MINIMUM, WE WILL REFUND YOUR MONEY.

    Workshop Refund Policy:

    If circumstances force the CWC to cancel a workshop or move it to an alternative date, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if asked to do so within 2 weeks. If a workshop is held according to schedule and an enrollee cannot attend, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if notified 48 hours before the workshop begins. Any credit issued must be used within 12 months.

    • April 26, 2025
    • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Providence United Methodist Church, Room 106, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
    • 20
    Register

    Hosted by Chris Arvidson

    Ever just feel like you want to write, but getting those first words on the page eludes you? Or, you feel like you’ve got a jumble of words in your head, but they just aren’t organizing themselves. How about that nagging “I’ve got something to say…” but can’t quite get it out of your head? Or, maybe just sick of working on the stuff you’re working on and want to begin anew? This workshop is designed to get words out of your brain and onto the page. We’ll work with imaginative, and maybe even whacky-seeming prompts, to get you jumpstarted on your writing. The aim will be to fill your writing notebook with a handful of starts worthy of further work. We’ll sprint our way to new poems or prose. Participants should bring paper, writing utensils, and an adventurous open mind. I promise it will be fun, and that you’ll sprint your way into new writing.

    Chris Arvidson was born and grew up in Michigan. She has worked in national politics in Washington, D.C., and as a nonprofit communications and development professional at Habitat for Humanity, in higher education, and with two land conservancies. She holds a B.A. from Olivet College, an M.A. from UNC Charlotte, and an M.F.A. from Goucher College. Chris has been an adjunct instructor at Robert Morris University and at UNC Charlotte. She has co-edited three anthologies in which her own work also appears: Mountain Memoirs: An Ashe County Anthology (Main Street Rag), Reflections on the New River: New Essays, Poems and Personal Stories (McFarland), and The Love of Baseball: Essays by Lifelong Fans(McFarland).

    Her poetry chapbook The House Inside My Head was published in May, 2022. In January 2025, Finishing Line Press will publish her poetry collection, Nobody Cares What You Think, which is currently in pre-sale at finishinglinepress.com. Chris maintains an art studio at the Charlotte Art League, where she mounted a show composed of her composed of her poetry and paintings. 


    Workshop Refund Policy:

    If circumstances force the CWC to cancel a workshop or move it to an alternative date, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if asked to do so within 2 weeks. If a workshop is held according to schedule and an enrollee cannot attend, the CWC will issue a full refund or credit for a future workshop if notified 48 hours before the workshop begins. Any credit issued must be used within 12 months.