What: Writing Family Stories – Prose Workshop, led by Aida Zilelian
Where: Online via Zoom
When: Thursday, April 6, 2023, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. CST
Cost for Workshop: $30 for MWC Members, $40 for non-MWC Members. Scholarships available for students, veterans, and those with financial need – contact MWC for more information
Contact: Ryan Collins: ryan.collins@mwcqc.org | 309-732-7330
Workshop Description:
Writing Family Stories
Families are complex, interesting, funny and filled with conflict. First, we will read short excerpts from various authors 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).
Instructor Bio:
Aida Zilelian is a first generation American-Armenian writer, educator and storyteller from Queens, NY. Her fiction explores the depths of love and family relationships, culture and the connections between characters that transcend time and circumstance. Her first novel (unpublished) The Hollowing Moon, was one of the top three finalists of the Anderbo Novel Contest. The sequel The Legacy of Lost Things was published in 2015 (Bleeding Heart Publications) 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. 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 slated for release in January 2024 (Keylight Books/Turner Bookstore).
Website: www.AidaZilelian.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/aidazilelian/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/aida.zileliansilak/ and www.facebook.com/AidaZilelian
Twitter: twitter.com/AidaZilelian
This workshop is made possible thanks to the support of Illinois Humanities and the Illinois Arts Council Agency