1 Session: Saturday, July 11
11:00am-1:00pm ET
Kleaver Cruz

Kleaver Cruz, nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Debut Author, is the writer of The Black Joy Project: A Literary and Visual Love Letter to How We Thrive. They hold an MFA in Fiction from the University of Pittsburgh. Cruz has been selected for residencies and fellowships at Loghaven Artist Residency, Cultured Magazine, and Alma|Lewis, and has participated in the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. Kleaver believes in telling the stories that did not exist when they needed them the most.

Stuck at the starting line? Sometimes the most direct path to a story begins by walking sideways. During our time together, we will explore "tangential thinking" to unlock fresh openings for your fiction. Drawing from my own practice, inspired by poet Harryette Mullen's Urban Tumbleweed, we will use the Tanka to sharpen our observational skills. For those new to the form, a Tanka is a succinct, five-line Japanese poem. Its power lies in its brevity and the volta, or turn, in the final two lines that shifts perspective or deepens emotion. This technique translates beautifully into the expansive flow of prose. Rather than summarizing plot, we will write Tankas to capture the sensory textures and quiet moments orbiting your characters, using the poem's structure to bypass writer's block and access the emotional core of your work.

We will then bridge the gap between poetry and prose, transforming these single-stanza observations into compelling opening sentences or narrative musings. Whether you are drafting a new novel or revisiting a piece that feels stalled, this practice offers a unique lens to re-engage with your story. Join us for a journey from syllables to sentences and discover how to reignite the story you are itching to tell.

Workshop Highlights:

• Discover a new practice for crafting sentences through poetry.

• Deepen your understanding of the relationship between poetry and prose.

• Draft the beginnings of a new story or reinvent a work in progress.

This class has 1 full and 1 partial scholarship available. To apply, please fill out this form by Friday, July 3.