11/12 Class - Writing Family Stories with Aida Zilelian - $25/$20 For Members
Date: 11/12/22
Time: 9 am - 11 am PST
Cost: $25/$20 for members
Class Level: Emerging - Intermediate
Link and materials will be emailed at least 30 minutes before class.
Families are complex, interesting, funny and filled with conflict. First, we will read short excerpts from various authors (David Sedaris, Jhumpa Lahiri) that reflect family dynamics as well as underlying conflicts. Then participants will brainstorm stories they want to write based on personal experiences or imagined familial conflicts. Sometimes the best fiction is thinly veiled reality! Participants will learn how to employ elements such as dialogue and characterization that will help highlight their stories. If time allows, participants are encouraged to share a line or excerpt of their writing (optional).
Your Instructor: Aida Zilelian is a first generation American-Armenian writer, educator and storyteller from Queens, NY. Her debut novel The Legacy of Lost Things was published in 2015 and was the recipient of the 2014 Tololyan Literary Award. Aida has been featured on NPR, The Huffington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Poets & Writers, and various reading series throughout Queens and Manhattan. She is also the curator of Boundless Tales, which was one of the longest running reading series in Queens, NY. Her short story collection These Hills Were Meant for You was shortlisted for the 2018 Katherine Anne Porter Award. Aida’s most recently completed novel, All the Ways We Lied, is forthcoming in January 2024 (Keylight Books).
Date: 11/12/22
Time: 9 am - 11 am PST
Cost: $25/$20 for members
Class Level: Emerging - Intermediate
Link and materials will be emailed at least 30 minutes before class.
Families are complex, interesting, funny and filled with conflict. First, we will read short excerpts from various authors (David Sedaris, Jhumpa Lahiri) that reflect family dynamics as well as underlying conflicts. Then participants will brainstorm stories they want to write based on personal experiences or imagined familial conflicts. Sometimes the best fiction is thinly veiled reality! Participants will learn how to employ elements such as dialogue and characterization that will help highlight their stories. If time allows, participants are encouraged to share a line or excerpt of their writing (optional).
Your Instructor: Aida Zilelian is a first generation American-Armenian writer, educator and storyteller from Queens, NY. Her debut novel The Legacy of Lost Things was published in 2015 and was the recipient of the 2014 Tololyan Literary Award. Aida has been featured on NPR, The Huffington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Poets & Writers, and various reading series throughout Queens and Manhattan. She is also the curator of Boundless Tales, which was one of the longest running reading series in Queens, NY. Her short story collection These Hills Were Meant for You was shortlisted for the 2018 Katherine Anne Porter Award. Aida’s most recently completed novel, All the Ways We Lied, is forthcoming in January 2024 (Keylight Books).
Date: 11/12/22
Time: 9 am - 11 am PST
Cost: $25/$20 for members
Class Level: Emerging - Intermediate
Link and materials will be emailed at least 30 minutes before class.
Families are complex, interesting, funny and filled with conflict. First, we will read short excerpts from various authors (David Sedaris, Jhumpa Lahiri) that reflect family dynamics as well as underlying conflicts. Then participants will brainstorm stories they want to write based on personal experiences or imagined familial conflicts. Sometimes the best fiction is thinly veiled reality! Participants will learn how to employ elements such as dialogue and characterization that will help highlight their stories. If time allows, participants are encouraged to share a line or excerpt of their writing (optional).
Your Instructor: Aida Zilelian is a first generation American-Armenian writer, educator and storyteller from Queens, NY. Her debut novel The Legacy of Lost Things was published in 2015 and was the recipient of the 2014 Tololyan Literary Award. Aida has been featured on NPR, The Huffington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Poets & Writers, and various reading series throughout Queens and Manhattan. She is also the curator of Boundless Tales, which was one of the longest running reading series in Queens, NY. Her short story collection These Hills Were Meant for You was shortlisted for the 2018 Katherine Anne Porter Award. Aida’s most recently completed novel, All the Ways We Lied, is forthcoming in January 2024 (Keylight Books).