Writing Workshops
We offer a range of writing workshops here at the Community Writing Center where you can explore a variety of writing topics in theme-based classes. Past workshops include Journaling for Mental Health, Poetry, Novel Writing, Songwriting, Food Memoirs, and Creative Writing. Workshops are created in response to community requests and are taught by our talented Writing Assistants. If there's a workshop you'd like us to offer in the future, please let us know by emailing us at cwc@slcc.edu.
Most workshops take place at the Community Writing Center. We try to keep the cost of workshops as low as possible, and are able to offer some for free through partnerships and grant funding. Fees can be waived for financial hardship. Otherwise, donations are always welcome. Due to limited space, it is necessary to register in advance if you plan to attend a workshop. Registration will close twenty-four hours prior to the scheduled event. Registrants who choose not to attend may call to cancel up to one week prior to the workshop; after this time payments are non-refundable.
Note: If you have any issues or problems registering online for one of our workshops, please contact us at 801-957-2192 or cwc@slcc.edu for assistance.
Fall 2024 Workshops
AFTER SCHOOL SCARY STORIES
1-part workshop
Wednesday, October 2, 4-6 pm
Calling all middle schoolers! Get into the Halloween spirit, and join us for an after-school workshop all about horror and spooky fantasy. We’ll discuss monsters, magic, and different strategies for giving your readers goosebumps. You’ll have a chance to start writing your own fantasy or horror story and submit to our Salt Lake Teens Write Anthology. Ages 11-14.
Cost: Free. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
WRITING ABOUT CHARACTERS WITH DISABILITIES WITH GUEST AUTHOR JONATHAN REDDOCH
1-part workshop
Thursday, October 3, 6-8 pm
Join us for a judgment-free exploration of characters with disabilities. We will focus on writing with sensitivity, authenticity, and nuance. We will create characters that are more than their disabilities or mere stereotypes. Including tips, examples, and hands-on activities.
Cost: $15. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
BOOK DESIGN AND LAYOUT
1-part workshop
Saturday, October 5, 12-3 pm
Learn the basics of book design! We will cover designing both the cover and inside pages of a book. This workshop will walk you through how to set up a document in InDesign, import text, layout pages, and add details like pages numbers and images to create an appealing design. No need to have a book finished, this workshop is for everyone in any stage of the creative process!
Cost: $15. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
PERFECTING FEAR: A HORROR WRITING WORKSHOP WITH GUEST AUTHOR SYLVIA "CODY" LANGILLE
3-part workshop
Tuesdays, October 8, 15, and 22, 6-7:30 pm
Summon your inner horror author in this workshop designed to not only get under your skin but also sharpen your writing. During the three days, we will delve into the darkness that is the horror genre exploring topics such as: the evolution of horror; the many sub-genres within the horror realm; how to build dread and tension using different techniques; how to identify and properly use horror tropes; how to effectively utilize blood, gore, and violence in your writing. This is a hands-on workshop, so come expecting to get your hands bloody with plenty of writing exercises and feedback. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge and tools to craft creepy and disturbing tales that will stick with your readers well after they’ve put the story down. No prior horror writing experience needed.
Cost: $30. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
FANTASY AND HORROR FOR YOUNG WRITERS
1-part workshop
Saturday, October 12, 9:30-1:30 pm
What makes something “spooky?” Join the Community Writing Center for a morning discussing the spooky and fantastical. This workshop focuses on writing horror and fantasy. Come learn about the undead, the eldritch, and the otherworldly, and explore different ways to add fright and suspense to your writing. You’ll also have some time to workshop your own horror stories and submit to our Salt Lake Teens Write Anthology. Ages 15-18, registration required.
Cost: Free. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
Debunking Myths and Misconceptions: A Poetry Writing Workshop at Tea Zaanti
1-part workshop
Saturday, October 23, 5:30-7:00 pm
When you think of poetry, what first comes to mind? Shakespeare? Rhyming? Form? Inferred truths and deeper meanings that seem impossible to figure out? Join us in debunking these common misconceptions through a workshop all about poetry. In this workshop, we will reflect over the myths versus the realities that the genre entails whilst reading through and writing alongside written works by women and queer poets. This genre contains a diverse and expressive world… let’s discover it together!
Cost: Free. Registration is required.
Location: Tea Zaanti, 1944 S 1100 E, Salt Lake City
SHE SAID: MONSTROUS WOMEN
1-part workshop
Wednesday, October 23, 6-8 pm
Folktales, myths, legends, and other monster stories contain a myriad of monstrous women (monstresses) from Medusa to the aswang to the witch to the werewolf to the siren and many more. These monstresses were often originally portrayed as deviant, wicked, deceptive, and dangerous. Join the CWC and Amplify Utah to explore how girls and women have been represented and monstrous and how monstresses in storytelling across time, place, and tradition are sites of cultural struggle as well reclamation. We'll work on re-imagining and reclaiming monstresses as symbols of stories we want to tell about girlhood and womanhood in Utah and beyond. No previous writing experience or preparation required!
Cost: Free. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
CREATING MONSTERS WITH GUEST AUTHORS JONATHAN REDDOCH AND ELIZABETH SUGGS
1-part workshop
Saturday, October 26, 1-3 pm
Ever wanted to make your own horrific creation? In this workshop, we'll go through the steps to making not just any monster, but a memorable monster for your story. You will have a chance to share your work and get feedback from two seasoned horror publishers and the group!
Cost: $15. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN STORYTELLING & CRAFTING
1-part workshop
Wednesday, October 30, 6-8 pm
Celebrations of Halloween blend together themes of community, festivity, remembrance, the supernatural, transformation, transition, harvest, death and renewal. In this writing workshop, we'll explore how stories of haunted places, spaces, objects, and beings can be powerful ways to explore those themes. To conclude the workshop, we will carve erasers into stamps to illustrate our haunted Halloween stories.
Cost: $10. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
STARTING FROM THE MIDDLE: OVERCOMING WRITER'S BLOCK WITH GUEST AUTHOR ELIZABETH SUGGS
1-part workshop
Saturday, November 2, 1-3 pm
This workshop is designed to help writers overcome writer's block by encouraging them to start their stories from the middle. By focusing on the middle of the story first, participants can build momentum and later develop the beginning and end, resulting in a well-rounded narrative. This can be in any genre, but I'll give examples mostly in speculative fiction.
Cost: $15. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
Register for Starting from the Middle: Overcoming Writer’s Block
NANOWRIMO ’24
3-part workshop
Thursdays, November 7, 14, 21, 6-8 pm
November is National Novel Writing Month! Join us for this fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. We’ll explore techniques for writing 50,000 words in 30 days and attempt to end the month with a rough draft. Don’t worry about mistakes; that’s part of the process. Coaching sessions will also be available throughout the month.
Cost: $45. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
BEYOND THE DUNGEON: TABLETOP GAMING FOR BEGINNERS
1-part workshop
Saturday, November 9, 12-2 pm
Are you interested in tabletop roleplay games and looking for a place to start? Join us for an afternoon workshop where we talk about imaginative worldbuilding and collaborative storytelling through TTRPGs. We'll discuss the broad mechanics of tabletop gaming, different tools and techniques you use to build your world as a Gamemaster and create our own characters using the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition rules.
Cost: $15. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
SHE SAID: WOMANHOOD IN UTAH – BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING
1-part workshop
Wednesday, November 13, 6-8 pm
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Shirley Chisholm, Sandra Day O'Connor, Kamala Harris. Or perhaps Kathrine Virginia Switzer, Billie Jean King, Ronda Rousey, Serena Williams, Simone Biles. From politics to sports and business to STEM, women around the world have toppled invisible barriers for generations. Join the CWC and Amplify Utah to explore how women have navigated reaching, breaking, and shattering the glass ceiling, both on the public stage and in their personal lives. Inspired by the voices of women who have shaped history, this workshop presents guided writing exercises that foster self-discovery, reflection, and empowerment. No previous writing experience or preparation required.
Cost: Free. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
GRANT WRITING
2-part workshop
Saturdays, December 7, 14, 10-1 pm
Join the SLCC Community Writing Center for an interactive workshop on the basics of grant writing. We’ll cover the basics of grant proposals and explore strategies of persuasive storytelling to make a strong case for your projects and organization.
Cost: $50 (fee can be waived on request; contact kati.lewis@slcc.edu). Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.
PET MEMOIRS
1-part workshop
Tuesday December 10, 6-7:30 pm
We love to read and write about our animal friends, whether it is through personal photo scrapbooks, stories about incredible animal adventures, or following our favorite cat personality on social media. Join the CWC in this workshop celebrating our favorite furry, scaly, and feathered friends as we explore the ways we connect with animals and one another through writing.
Cost: $15. Registration is required.
Location: CWC, 210 East 400 South #8.