Springfed offers classes in poetry, prose, fiction, young adult fiction, creative writing and memoir.  Scroll down to view all of the classes.

Registration online here or with form below.  Basic Membership here.

Winter 2015 CLASSES!
Each class is $130/Springfed members or $180/nonmembers (additional $50 makes you a member for 1 year).

Secrets Fiction Workshop with Danielle Etienne: Mahany/Meininger Community Center, Room #1, 3500 Marais, Royal Oak, 48073, Mondays, February 9, 16, 23, March 2, 9 & 16, 7pm-9pm. Designed for those who are seeking an alternative method of writing.  We will push the boundaries of traditional narratives with methods such as collage writing, flash fiction, avant-garde prose and autobiographical storytelling.  Danielle Etienne received her BA from Wayne State with a focus on playwriting and is currently working on her MA at Eastern Michigan University. She is a four-time recipient of the Tompkins Award for fiction, the Loughead-Eldridge Award, the Heck-Rabi Award for playwriting. Her work has been featured in Wayne Literary Review, Hobart, DOGZPLOT, Specter Magazine (Brooklyn), and Honeysuckle Magazine.  Her first chapbook, Straight To Hell Or Astrology will be released through DOGZPLOT PRESS.  REGISTER HERE

Creative Writing (Poetry/Memoir/Fiction) with Joy Gaines-Friedler: Farmington Hills Library - Conference Room B, 32737 W. 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, Tuesdays, February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10 & 17, 12pm-2pm. Award winning poet, writer & teacher Joy Gaines-Friedler is offering a survey-style workshop in Creative Writing. The emphasis will be on having serious fun, meaning, we will take our writing seriously while having fun. As all good writing incorporates the crafts of poetry (figurative language,) fiction (imagination,) and memoir (our own experiences and perceptions) this workshop is for anyone interested in any one, or all, genres. Beginning, intermediate and advanced writers are all welcome and will find this workshop useful. Hurry, this workshop will fill quickly. Limited to 10. www.joygainesfriedler.com  THIS CLASS IS FULL

Poetry

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Kristine Uyeda: Mahany/Meininger Community Center, Room #2, 3500 Marais, Royal Oak, 48073, Thursdays, February 12, 19, 26, March 5, 12 & 19, 7pm-9pm. This workshop, we’ll focus on honing our craft.  Using the work of poets who have lived and written in Michigan, we’ll examine and discuss specific elements of craft each week. Limited to 8 poets.  Kristine Uyeda is a Kundiman fellow whose poems, micro fiction, and essays have appeared in a number of journals and anthologies.  She holds an MFA in Poetry from Vermont College of Fine Arts.  Poets who haven’t been in Springfed classes before please send 3 sample poems to kristineuyeda@gmail.com REGISTER HERE

Poetry and Prose with Carolyn Walker:  Big Boy, 6440 Dixie Highway, Independence Township, Friday mornings, February 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13 & 20, 10:30am-12:30pm. Carolyn Walker has been awarded the 2013 Kresge Arts Fellowship in Literary Arts.  She has an MFA from Vermont College of  Fine Arts. Her memoir, Every Least Sparrow, is being circulated for publication by her agent.  She has been published in The Southern Review, Crazyhorse, The Writer's Chronicle, among others. One of Walker's essays has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.  Walker won 1st place in Springfed Arts 2010 fiction contest. She spent October, 2014, as a writing resident at the Vermont Studio Center, in Johnson Vermont, where she worked on a new memoir.  REGISTER HERE

An Intensive Poetry Workshop with Zilka Joseph: Interfaith Center, 704 Airport Blvd., Ann Arbor 48108, Mondays, February 9, 16, 23, March 2, 9 & 16, 6:30pm-8:30pm. Class begins with a short craft discussion. Participants receive prompts, write new work (prose poetry, short memoir pieces, flash fiction acceptable),and receive detailed critiques. We will challenge you to focus on poems as art and revise with a critical eye. To apply for this advanced class, please send 3 samples of your work to info@springfed.org  Maximum - 8 students. Zilka Joseph has been nominated twice for a Pushcart prize. Her chapbooks Lands I Live In and What Dread were both nominated for awards, and her work has appeared in journals such as The Kenyon Review Online and Review Americana. She won a Hopwood award, a Zell Fellowship and an Elsie Choy Lee Scholarship from the University of Michigan. More info at http://www.zilkajoseph.com/  REGISTER HERE

A Creative Writing Workshop with Zilka Joseph: Interfaith Center, 704 Airport Blvd., Ann Arbor 48108, Wednesdays, February 18, 25, March 4, 11, 18 & 25, 6:30pm-8:30pm. For writers who want focused and critical feedback on their poetry, short fiction, novel excerpts, essays and memoir pieces (and anything in between). Instructor will provide critiques and offer guidance. Though this class is designed for writers preparing work for submission, anyone who needs a sharp third eye to help improve their work and writers who want to experiment with different genres will benefit from this class. Beginners welcome. To apply for this class, please send 3 samples of your work to info@springfed.org Max 10 students.  Zilka Joseph has been nominated twice for a Pushcart prize. Her chapbooks Lands I Live In and What Dread were both nominated for awards, and her work has appeared in journals such as The Kenyon Review Online and Review Americana. She won a Hopwood award, a Zell Fellowship and an Elsie Choy Lee Scholarship from the University of Michigan. More info at http://www.zilkajoseph.com/  REGISTER HERE

A Creative Writing Workshop Days with Zilka Joseph: Interfaith Center, 704 Airport Blvd., Ann Arbor 48108, Thursdays, February 12, 19, 26, March 5, 12, & 19, 10:30am-12:30pm. For writers who want focused and critical feedback on their poetry, short fiction, novel excerpts, essays and memoir pieces (and anything in between). Instructor will provide critiques and offer guidance. Though this class is designed for writers preparing work for submission, anyone who needs a sharp third eye to help improve their work and writers who want to experiment with different genres will benefit from this class. Beginners welcome. To apply for this class, please send 3 samples of your work to info@springfed.org Max 10 students. Zilka Joseph has been nominated twice for a Pushcart prize. Her chapbooks Lands I Live In and What Dread were both nominated for awards, and her work has appeared in journals such as The Kenyon Review Online and Review Americana. She won a Hopwood award, a Zell Fellowship and an Elsie Choy Lee Scholarship from the University of Michigan. More info at http://www.zilkajoseph.com/ REGISTER HERE

Prose

Getting There from Here - Prose with Maureen Dunphy: Mahany/Meininger Community Center, Room #2, 3500 Marais, Royal Oak, 48073, Fridays, February 13, 20, 27 and March 6, 13, 20, 11:30am-1:30pm. Begin—or return to—that writing project of your dreams.  Learn how to set writing goals that work for you and then discover the techniques that can help you achieve them.  Share works in progress with a supportive group while you practice using the paths employed by successful writers to continue writing, achieve your objectives, and move toward completing your project, regardless of your genre. Dunphy earned her MFA in fiction writing from Goddard College. She has been published in Peninsula:  Essays and Memoirs from Michigan (Michigan State University Press, 2000) and in Between the Lines:  Writing What You Couldn’t Say (Plain View Press, 2000).  She has taught creative writing courses at Oakland University, Oakland Community College-Orchard Ridge and the University of Windsor.  Owner of Dunphy Consulting Services, LLC, she is interested in helping you write your way into your future and offers coaching services for writers, writing workshops and retreats, assistance with book proposals and manuscripts, and editing and proofreading services.  REGISTER HERE

Getting There from Here II - Prose with Maureen Dunphy: Mahany/Meininger Community Center, Room #1, 3500 Marais, Royal Oak, 48073, Wednesdays, February 11, 18, 25 and March 4, 11, 18, 7pm-9pm. This workshop is limited to 8 writers who have already taken at least one session of "Getting There from Here."  Continue setting writing goals for yourself, and add new methods of generating material to your writing toolbox. Share works in progress with a supportive group while you practice using the paths employed by successful writers to move toward completing your project, regardless of your genre. Dunphy earned her MFA in fiction writing from Goddard College. She has been published in Peninsula:  Essays and Memoirs from Michigan (Michigan State University Press, 2000) and in Between the Lines:  Writing What You Couldn’t Say (Plain View Press, 2000).  She has taught creative writing courses at Oakland University, Oakland Community College-Orchard Ridge and the University of Windsor.  Owner of Dunphy Consulting Services, LLC, she is interested in helping you write your way into your future and offers coaching services for writers, writing workshops and retreats, assistance with book proposals and manuscripts, and editing and proofreading services.  REGISTER HERE

Memoir

Memoir with Nancy Owen Nelson: Nelson Studio, Dearborn, Tuesday nights, February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10 & 17, 7pm-9pm. This workshop will provide opportunities for beginning and experienced writers to work on the craft of personal narrative.  Nancy Owen Nelson has published poetry and creative nonfiction pieces as well as articles in several academic journals and anthologies. She was editor  and/or co-editor of three academic books. She earned her B.A. in French and English at Birmingham-Southern College and her M.A. and PhD in English at Auburn University.  She taught composition and literature at Auburn University, Augustana College, Albion College, and Henry Ford Community College. She also served as Assistant Director of the Hassayampa Institute for Creative Writing at Yavapai College, Prescott, AZ.  In addition to looking for a publisher for her memoir, Divine Aphasia, she is researching and writing a memoir about three generations of women; her grandmother, her mother, and herself.  Registrants privy to location.  Contact Nelson at nelnan@aol.com or 928-308-3785.  www.nancyowennelson.com REGISTER HERE

Memoir with Nancy Owen Nelson: Nelson Studio, Dearborn, Thursday days, February 12, 19, 26, March 5, 12, & 19, 2pm-4pm. This workshop will provide opportunities for beginning and experienced writers to work on the craft of personal narrative.  Nancy Owen Nelson has published poetry and creative nonfiction pieces as well as articles in several academic journals and anthologies. She was editor  and/or co-editor of three academic books. She earned her B.A. in French and English at Birmingham-Southern College and her M.A. and PhD in English at Auburn University.  She taught composition and literature at Auburn University, Augustana College, Albion College, and Henry Ford Community College. She also served as Assistant Director of the Hassayampa Institute for Creative Writing at Yavapai College, Prescott, AZ.  In addition to looking for a publisher for her memoir, Divine Aphasia, she is researching and writing a memoir about three generations of women; her grandmother, her mother, and herself.  Registrants privy to location.  Contact Nelson at nelnan@aol.com or 928-308-3785.  www.nancyowennelson.com REGISTER HERE

Each above class is $130/Springfed members or $180/nonmembers (additional $50 makes you a member for 1 year). Financial aid available. Register before workshops begin. Writing classes are limited to the first 12 people who enroll.

NEW ONLINE COURSE FOR 2015!

Introduction to Fiction Writing: Short Story (Online Class) with Kelly Fordon:  February - June , 2015 (Register by February so that you'll have four months to complete the six-week course).  Online classes are $150 for members.  $200 for nonmembers (you'll be made a member for one year). Do you have a great idea for a short story or novel? Have you kept a writing journal full of ideas and are now ready to take the next step? This is the class for you!  Each week we will practice one of the craft elements essential to creating compelling fiction: plot, point of view, character, setting and theme.We will read well-known authors and talk about what makes a great story work. You will also complete writing assignments and turn in up to ten pages per week of your own original work. Your instructor will provide constructive feedback on all of your homework. No need to worry about starting late or finishing on time. This course is available from February 1st to June 1st.  You may complete the assignments at your own pace.  You have until June to complete the course.  Kelly Fordon worked at the NPR member station in Detroit and for National Geographic magazine. Her fiction, poetry and book reviews have appeared in The Boston Review, The Florida Review, Flashquake, The Kenyon Review (KRO), The Montreal Review, Rattle, Red Wheelbarrow, The Windsor Review and various other journals.  She is the author of two poetry chapbooks, On The Street Where We Live, which won the 2011 Standing Rock Chapbook Contest and Tell Me When it Starts to Hurt, which was published by Kattywompus Press in May 2013.  Her short story collection, Garden for the Blind, will be published in 2015. She received her MFA in fiction writing from Queens University of Charlotte in 2013. She works for Inside Out Literary Arts in Detroit as a writer-in-residence. See www.kellyfordon.com for more information about your instructor. REGISTER HERE

Registration online here or with form below.
Basis Membership online here.

Please fill out the form below and send to:

John D. Lamb, Director-Springfed Arts,

PO Box 304, Royal Oak, MI 48068-0304.

Title of Workshop_________________________________ Fee________

If you are a new or renewing member add membership donation.

Total enclosed_______________________________________________

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Advanced Poetry Workshops with Lucinda Sabino:  New Royal Oak Location! Mahany/Meininger Community Center, Room #7, 3500 Marais, Royal Oak, 48073, Wednesday afternoons, October 8, 15, 22, 29, November 5 & 12, 1pm -3pm. If you’ve been writing poetry for a while and are ready to take your work further this workshop is for you.  We will discuss individual poems weekly, focus on projects, pulling together a collection, collaborations and other ideas.  This is a great opportunity to share your work in a supportive, respectful but challenging environment. Enlarge your poetry community and join us.  Lucinda Sabino is a Michigan poet whose work treats longing and loss with humor and hope. Her chapbook We’re Coming Close was published by Pudding House Press. Her poetry and short fiction have appeared in Driftwood, The Bridge and PrePress: New Michigan Writers. She is currently working on a collaborative book of poems and photographs about children in Cambodia and Viet Nam.  Poets who haven’t been in a Springfed Arts Advanced Poetry Workshop before please send three sample poems to lucindamau@comcast.net THIS CLASS WILL RETURN IN SPRING

Advanced Poetry Workshop with Dawn McDuffie: The Cathedral Church of St. Paul Educational Annex, Detroit, Tuesday nights, October 7, 14, 21, 28, November 4 & 11, 6:30pm - 8:30pm. The fall session will focus on the use of variety in line, tone, rhythm and in the creation of a collection of poems.  Dawn McDuffie has taught creative writing since 1999 and is the author of Carmina Detroit, Bulky Pick Up Day, and Flag Day in Detroit. Her poems have appeared in Rattle, Feminist Studies, The MacGuffin, and the anthology, Mona Poetica. McDuffie was the winner of the 2009 MacGuffin Poet Hunt, and her essay, "Humor and Poetry," was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. THIS CLASS WILL RETURN IN SPRING