The Columbia Fiction Foundry’s writing workshops are held twice a month throughout the year, and are open and free to all Columbia alumni, students, and faculty. These will be run either fully online over Zoom or hybrid with in-person and online access. Any in-person component will be at the Alumni Center, 622 West 113th Street, New York, NY. Each workshop is two to three hours long.

Two weeks in advance of the workshop date, a volunteer moderator emails an invitation for the workshop with details and a call for manuscripts. After the manuscripts are accepted, they are then distributed at least one week before the workshop so that participants can review and prepare critiques for each work. Typically, six manuscripts are covered, each one ranging between 2,500 and 5,000 words.

Prospective members are encouraged to attend one workshop before submitting their own material so they can learn how the process works and judge whether it’s potentially useful for them. If you wish to be added to our distribution list for upcoming sessions, please email us at [email protected].

Guidelines for Manuscript Submissions: 

• Manuscripts should be no more than 5,000 words.
• Manuscript should be double-spaced, 12pt Times Roman, with a header or footer containing with your name, title, and page number
• At the top of the manuscript include a brief introduction with the title, manuscript type (short story or novel excerpt), your name and email, along with necessary context, and any questions for the readers to keep in mind. This introduction counts toward the 5,000 word limit.
• Carefully proofread your manuscripts before submitting.
• Manuscripts should be submitted as a .doc or .docx (Word) file.

Guidelines for Manuscript Readers:

• Read the submissions in advance of the workshop, preparing a short comprehensive summary focusing on high-level topics, such as character development or dialogue, for each manuscript you read. Also provide line edits or other notes. You’re not required to read and comment on all the submissions; passing is always acceptable.
• For each manuscript, present your comments constructively in the time allotted, usually two to three minutes.
• Email authors copies of the marked up manuscripts you read, along with your comprehensive summary. 

Even if you are not submitting a manuscript, CFF members are invited to receive and comment on the workshop’s submissions. Please let the moderator know. 

For more details about the CFF workshops and workshop schedules, please visit the Columbia Fiction Foundry website.