Schedule

INTENSIVES ($175 Early Bird/ $199 Late Registration)

Choose one from the following six, all-day Intensive classes.

Weekend Workshops AND Friday Intensive: $499/$569 

Connie Josefs

Unwritten Characters in Memoir (online)

In memoir, we write about significant people we have known, those at the forefront of our lives who, for better or worse, have influenced who we have become. But what about the characters we haven’t written about? As children, we’re drawn to exchanges under the radar, interactions with plants, trees, animals, spirits, and imaginary friends. As time moves on, we form connections with houses, landscapes, cities, lost loved ones and ghosts. Who are these characters? How do they speak? What are the circumstances of connection?

In this workshop, we will explore characters we haven’t written about and encounters that are often overlooked. Class format include advance preparation, readings, writing exercises, discussion and supportive feedback.

Susan Mihalic

From the Mind to the Page: A Generative Writing Workshop (live)

What are your writing goals? Are you hitting them? Or are you thinking about your story but too seldom setting words to the page? “From the Mind to the Page” describes exactly what this workshop is designed to do: Get your story out of your head and onto the page. Whether you’re working on fiction, creative nonfiction, or memoir, whether you’re just starting your manuscript or are mired in the middle, “From the Mind to the Page” will work for you. Rather than thinking about the story you’d someday like to write (or finish), “From the Mind to the Page” will turn someday into now, helping you generate scenes, find your characters’ arcs, and determine the throughline, or plot, of the story.

The workshop kicks off with a brief discussion about characters and plot, followed by timed writing assignments that allow you to delve deeply into characters and scenes. You will write in response to a variety of prompts, generating narrative material that may wind up in your final manuscript—or may show you what doesn’t belong in your story. You may be asked to read your writing aloud to the group, but this workshop is about generating material and coming to know your story, not critique.

By the workshop’s end, you’ll find yourself brimming with ideas and super-charged with motivation.

I will provide you with the following take-home materials:

– character questionnaires and a “physical characteristics” sheet that will help you get to know your characters inside and out

– a list of exercises to try on your own

– a suggested reading list

– a list of favorite quotes about writing

Veronica Golos

Walking the Wild, Writing the Wild: Poems of Journey (live)

A multi-year favorite, this workshop takes us to Wild Rivers, a 45-minute drive from Taos. There, amid blue mountains, gold grasses, and evergreens, we hike a short walk, stop for lunch at the knock-your-socks-off Gorge where Two Rivers meet. It is here we will begin writing our Poems of Journey. Both the packets that participants receive prior to the workshop, and the gorgeous spread of land, are there to inspire us. The Packet will include the Japanese form, Haibun, and Journey poems of length. We will end the day back at the Visitor’s Center, where we read our poems aloud, discuss them deeply, surrounded by sunlight.

Aaron Abeyta

The Poems for Which We Are Grateful (live)

Each poem, those personal gestures of honesty, compassion, healing, and joy, are our attempts to enter a temporal and sacred space – where the universal and the personal meet at the confluence of our lives shared with those of our readers. It was W.H. Auden who said that there were only a handful of poems for which he was truly grateful. What is the stuff – the magical, technique, the myths, the scars, the many homes of our hearts – that occupies the page in a poem that we can point to as being truly grateful for? Fishtrap, 2024 will be our examination of the techniques, the leaps, and the consistent work of what makes a poem, not just a keeper but timeless and therefore human in a way that only a poem can be. What are the elements of a poem for which we are truly grateful – that work which creates its own mythology while simultaneously examining the daily work of living – bold, accessible and brave for having been written?

Each of us is carrying that poem within us. We have contemplated it for years, decades, some of us since before we can remember. We will seek that poem. Our workshop will explore the multiple and complex emotions, those which seem disparate and difficult to tether to one another in a meaningful way, and we will write, write again, navigate the dangerous and safe places that poem will take us. Together, we will craft the poem we have always wanted to write, surrendering ourselves to the places, people and the voice the poem dictates, not us…the poem will guide us into its existence (that’s the hope)

Nick Flynn

Keynote Reading

5:30PM  at SOMOS, 108 Civic Plaza Dr, Taos, NM 87571.

WORKSHOPS ($335 Early Bird/ $385 Late Registration)

Choose one workshop from each time slot for Day 2 and Day 3.

Weekend Workshops AND Friday Intensives: $499/$569

Nick Flynn

poetry as bewilderment (live)

In The Unnamable, Beckett offers this: “Dear incomprehension, it’s thanks to you I’ll be myself in the end.” In our time together, I’d like to examine this idea by thinking about the concept of “bewilderment” and how it gets acted out in our poems—either through syntax, our accessing the duende, leaps into the unconscious, or simply circling around what is unsaid, unknown, unrealized. This will be a generative workshop, in the sense that we will look closely at work we bring in to find ways to transform it & go deeper into this shadow world. Please come with 10-20 pages of work in various states of completion, from rough drafts to lists to notes scribbles on the back of envelopes—this will be the raw material we will use to generate new work.

E.J. Levy

Science-Fictions: Writing fiction from astonishing fact (live)

We live in an age of remarkable scientific discoveries—from the language of whales to the mapping of the Milky Way to AI. Often science reportage can seem abstract, remote from our lives. How does great fiction illuminate the factual, making science intimate and meaningful?

This 3-hour workshop will focus on building fascinating fictions from the seed of scientific fact. We’ll consider how character serves as conduit for drama and understanding. What’s the place of voice, speculation, the body? Inspired by excerpts and stories by great practitioners of science-based fiction—e.g., Octavia Butler, Julia Phillips, Italo Calvino, George Saunders—this workshop will ask students to read several brief pieces before workshop and to complete a 1-2 page, single-spaced, story start (inspired by the works we’ll read and by your own favorite science fact) to discuss in class. Our goal is to achieve new understanding of the intersection of science and imagination and create seeds for vivid new works.

Helen Rynaski

Playwriting Workshop (live)

The workshop will include: elements of playwriting—discussion of components (Freytag’s Pyramid, staging, dialogue, roles), and contrast with print fiction; theatre games to familiarize participants with the actor’s experience and challenges in fun activities; Flash Theatre practice—each participant will randomly draw a cast and a prop, then have a set time to write a three-to-five-minute one-act play; staged readings—each play will be read by participants taking the roles of different characters; critique/discussion—feedback and suggestions from participants and facilitator.

Johnny Boggs

Writing Western Fiction Workshop (online)

Attendees follow the path of writing book-length fiction, historical and contemporary, about the American West. First, we’ll answer the question: “What is a Western?”

We’ll discuss prep work (outlines, schedules, process and historical research:

how/when/where/why/how much/when to stop? Beginnings/endings – and keeping the reader READING) before diving into Western specifics.

Is a villain necessary? How to make land and weather a character? Who is publishing Western fiction and how do you find them? Are agents necessary? Is your book title OK?

All writers, but especially Western writers, face 21 st Century challenges – Is “woke” bad? Can you write outside your gender/race? Politically or historically correct?

What is the future of Western novels?

And then I want to hear a killer title, a perfect opening sentence, and an elevator pitch for your Western novel.

Questions will be asked – but there are no right or wrong answers.

ROUNDTABLES

The Taos Writers Conference offers lunchtime Roundtables on Saturday, Day 2 only.
These value-added lunch events are informative and free to attend. Bring your brown-bag lunch to the group discussions with local experts on topics of interest in the literary world.

Saturday 12-2 Author Book sales 

Linda Michel-Cassidy

Publishing a Collection of Short Stories

Michael Blevins

Tips to Self-Publishing

Sharon Oard Warner

Revision Workout for Prose Writers (live)

Most of us begin our writing lives as drafters. Creating something from nothing is what holds us in our seats. Later, when we have a readership, even one as small as a writer’s group or a devoted spouse, our focus shifts from process to product. We become revisers.

Seasoned writers may prefer one phase or the other, but we must learn strategies that allow us to complete both stages in the process of writing fiction and nonfiction. Revision means to see again, and there are two fundamental ways of seeing—from a distance and close-up. We step back to see the architectural integrity of the structure.

Then, we transition to small-scale revision— or fix-up work. Finally, we turn our attention to editing.

To participate in the workout, you’ll need to share (and revise) a short story, an essay, or a prose chapter of 10-20 pages.

Sallie Bingham

The Writer’s Nose (live)

A three hour intensive on Saturday to introduce and develop the use of all five senses in writing fiction, nonfiction or poetry, specifically focusing on the sense of smell. Although often considered the most evocative of the five senses, writers seldom use its power to create and communicate both physical settings and emotional states.

Each participant should bring an item whose smell–bad or good–is evocative.  We will write a paragraph describing the memories, thoughts or feelings this smell inspires. We will read these paragraphs and imagine ways it might lead to a scene in your memoir.

I will bring some samples from my box labeled, “A Writer’s Nose”, including a cigar, saffron, lavender etc. We will each chose one of these samples and write a paragraph describing the smell and what memories or feelings or thoughts it inspires. We will read these aloud and comment.
The sense of taste is associated with the sense of smell. In fact, someone who loses one often loses the other. You may want to include the sense of taste, as in Marcel Proust’s description in “In Search of Lost Time”:

“The taste was that of was that of a little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Leonie used to give me, dipping it first in her cup of tea…”

Buttery? Sugary? Proust doesn’t say. But we are free to imagine.

Jean-Marie Saporito

Dancing with Words – Implementing Literary Rhetorical Devices in Our Work (live)

Memorable writing engages a reader not only on an intellectual level but can evoke corporeal responses: stuttering hearts, flushing skin, a cloak of comfort warms us melting the iciness of isolation. With rhetorical devices, a writer conveys emotions in a way that words alone cannot. In this workshop, we will discover the techniques we already use, and may not be aware of, and add a few more to our tool bags. Participants will be asked to bring a page of their own prose. This will serve as a portal to generative writing. Then we’ll dance with the words on the page, intentionally employing some of the devices.

Linda Michel-Cassidy

Expansive Notions of Ekphrastic Practices: A Generative Workshop (live)

The ekphrastic practices traditionally feature a writer, usually a poet, using the artistic experience of viewing a piece of visual art as a starting point for their writing, often beginning with description. I am interested in working with a more expansive notion, i.e., those conversations moving back and forth between a wider array of artistic practices. In this workshop, which will have a significant generative component, we will write at, from, and after artistic materials, as well as those which lead us to a similar ecstatic impulses. We’ll engage with a variety of starting points, including sound, photos, abstracted images… and more. We’ll discuss what ekphrasis can be, as well as investigate how these methods can be used as prompts for participants’ own writing practices.

Radha Marcum

The Art of the Poetry Manuscript: Assemble Your Poetry Collection (online)

How do you transform a pile of poems into a cohesive and compelling manuscript? Whether you’re working on your first book or refining a subsequent collection, this workshop offers a step-by-step process to guide you from start to finish. Beginning with identifying the unique qualities of your current work, each poet will follow a structured series of steps to assemble a manuscript and develop a personal blueprint for further refinement. You’ll learn how to thoughtfully select and arrange poems, creating a structure that guides readers through the book’s themes. Along the way, we’ll discuss what publishers are looking for and highlight the essential qualites that set standout manuscripts apart. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a clear vision for your manuscript and the tools to create a poetry collection that resonates with readers and captures the attention of publishers.

Holly Day

Getting Your Word Out—Submitting Short and Book-Length Fiction for Publication (online)

Anybody can write, but it takes a special type of determination to see your work through to print. In this workshop, we’ll discuss proper manuscript formatting for poetry, fiction, creative fiction, and journalism, and go on to discuss how to find magazines to submit your work, market lists, deciphering writer’s guidelines, finding agents (and the purpose of having one), as well as how to write a solid book query letter and proposal for both fiction and nonfiction manuscripts. The how-tos and pros and cons of self-publishing and the basics of putting a marketing package and plan for your published manuscript will also be covered. There’ll be time during class to go over any specific questions students have on the whole publishing process.

Faculty Readings Book signings/sales (live)

5:30pm – 7pm

Naomi Wax

Objects Tell (Fascinating) Stories: Mining Memory and Meaning for Powerful Writing (live)

Drawing from my book What We Keep—which features conversations with authors Cheryl Strayed, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Tim O’Brien about their most treasured objects—this interactive workshop explores how everyday items can unlock extraordinary narratives. Whether a worn pocketknife, a faded T-shirt, or a rusty old skillet, our objects can serve as gateways to memory, emotion, and universal human experiences that captivate readers.

Through guided exercises and playful exploration, you’ll discover how turning your attention to personal objects can clear creative blocks, bring dimension to fictional characters, and uncover deeper layers of meaning in your writing. You’ll practice using sensory details, shifting perspectives, and narrative voice to unearth the compelling stories held within the objects that surround us. Perfect for both new writers seeking an inviting entry point and experienced authors looking to deepen their craft, this workshop offers practical tools for accessing authentic emotion and forging stronger connections with readers.

David Pérez

Voice to Words: A sensory exploration into what we write and how we read (live)

Writing isn’t just for the eye and the mind. It’s meant to be given voice.  The written word and the spoken word are literally two sides of the same creative coin.

In this eye-opening workshop led by Taos author and actor David Pérez, you’ll discover how improvisation, along with body and vocal techniques, can launch your writing to new heights, enhance your craft, and vitalize your words through the art of play, imagination, and fully engaging your senses. All while having fun. 

What happens, for instance, if you read a poem or prose like a fairy tale, or when shouting to the heavens, or while jogging in place? What revelations might we make about voice, tone, intent, and place when we speak our words to life in unexpected ways? 

The workshop will also discuss the elements of a good public reading, from preparation to performance. As all writers know, a strong and entertaining reading is vital to getting your work out there. Indeed, it can make all the difference in the world: the strength of voice, the precision of diction, the control of pacing and breathing, the inhabiting of persona and place and dialogue. 

Bring a short, two-minute piece to read. All genres and levels welcome!

Veronica Golos

The Persona Poem: Seeing the World Through the Eye of the Other. A generative workshop. (online)

Seeing the world through the eyes of another, or other, is at the heart of the Persona Poem. That is, Persona is a mask, an entryway into the merging into the voice and eyes of another or other; person or nature, or object: The voice of the Rio Grande, a fairy tale persona, say Little Red Riding Hood as an old woman; or someone famous and fixed into the public, what did Marilyn Monroe think when alone?; what has the Grandfather clock seen in 100 years, why is the Whale singing? Participants will receive a packet of Persona poems and suggestions before the workshop. Bring your poems in, and we will discuss deeply, and, have fun!

Allegra Huston

Write What You Don’t Know (live)

Are you thinking of writing a memoir, but you don’t know where to start? Maybe you’ve started, but the words aren’t coming out on the page the way they sound in your head. Could the problem be that you’re writing what you know?

When you write only what you know, it’s a slog. The result often feels stale and secondhand. Your inner critic sinks its teeth in. And writer’s block lurks on every blank page.

But when you write what you don’t know, you surprise yourself. Writer’s block disappears, and you retrain your inner critic to become your inner coach. Your voice is lively and authentic. Your words sparkle and sizzle. And you may just discover that your story is not what you thought it was.

“It’s not what you think.” It’s what you imagine, and play around with. It’s what you discover. It’s what you’ve never thought of before. That’s how to make your memoir vivid, personal, and powerful.

Chelsea Jackson

Writing Disruption (online)

Creativity is powerful. It allows for the excavation of self, the questioning of systems, and the challenge of the status quo. In a time when book bans are at an all-time high and censorship is a looming concern for so many writers, presses, and libraries, the tools and methods needed to write change become even more vital. In this intensive, we’ll examine three literary methods—myth, ekphrastic poetry, and documentary/found poetry—to see how they can disrupt the self, reader, and systems and make space for imagination and change beyond the page. This class interweaves reading, discussion, writing, and workshopping examples of each method, providing writers with the space and support to draft new work using these forms. Though examples of the literary techniques discussed will center around poetry, all writers are welcome to join, as these methods are transferable across genres.

Manuscript Consultations available.

For prose consultations submit no more than twelve pages double-spaced.
For a poetry consultation submit no more than 3 poems of no more than one page each.
Consultations are thirty minutes and cost $125. Instructors will be notified of the students’ contact information to arrange either an online or live meeting.

David Pérez – memoir/nonfiction/fiction
Connie Josefs – memoir
Radha Marcum – poetry
Naomi Wax – fiction/nonfiction

Early Bird Registration ends 6/28/25. All registration closes on 7/23/25.

PLEASE NOTE OUR CANCELLATION POLICY: 100% refund minus a $35 administrative fee for cancellations dated 6/28/25 or earlier; 50% refund minus a $35 administrative fee for cancellations received between 6/29/25 – 7/23/25. No refunds given for cancellations received after 7/23/25.