Columbia Fiction Foundry has had a busy couple of months! In addition to our regular, bi-monthly workshops, CFF hosted two special events and, in March, a live, in-person/Zoom Saturday workshop at the Columbia Alumni Center.
On March 28, for our Distinguished Speaker Series, CFF hosted an in person/Zoom conversation with Parul Kapur, CFF member and winner of the AWP Prize for the Novel for her debut novel, INSIDE THE MIRROR, published by the University of Nevada Press.
Tania Moore, President of CFF, spoke with Parul at the Alumni Center. Topics ranged from a discussion of the novel to the devastating effect of British colonial rule on India. The webinar also covered journalistic techniques that Parul used for her fiction, as well as her long road to publication. There was a book-signing and a reception following the conversation.
On April 8, CFF’s Executive Committee, led by Ken Schept, hosted a Zoom webinar guiding participants through the ins and outs of CFF’s writing workshops. The tutorial covered topics ranging from how to submit, to workshop etiquette, and tips for critiquing and commenting on manuscripts. To watch the full CFF workshop orientation webinar, please click here.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Workshops are open to anyone with a Columbia affiliation who is currently writing a work of fiction, including novels and short stories.
- Workshops take place monthly, on Saturday morning and Wednesday evenings, and last for two hours.
- A call for manuscripts (up to 5,000 words) goes out two weeks prior to the workshop. The first six manuscripts received are sent a week before the workshop to the authors and anyone else who would like to participate.
- Participants are encouraged to briefly critique each manuscript during the workshop and send each author written notes. It’s also fine to simply observe.
- In addition, CFF produces programs about the business of writing, including topics such as how to find an agent. Many CFF members have successfully found agents and had their work published by a wide variety of publishers and in literary magazines. Recordings of these events can be found on the CFF YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@columbiafictionfoundry5636.
We wish you a productive and fun spring, and hope to see you at one of our workshops soon!
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