The Real Paris Summer Workshop for Writers

Spend afternoons on literary excursions and writing in cafes, enjoy evenings at spoken word events and in late night craft conversations, and receive top-notch feedback on your work in progress.

• Workshop meets in neighborhoods frequented by artists and writers rather than by tourists
• Participants receive close attention to their manuscripts, both in workshop and one-on-one
• Registration includes lodging at the BLC Design Hotel in the 11th arrondissement, popular with locals and creatives.

Your workshop facilitator is Shannon Cain, a writer, editor and manuscript consultant living in France since 2014. Shannon taught creative writing for 15 years in kitchen table workshops, online seminars, and universities in the U.S. and Europe. Her writing has been recognized with the O. Henry Prize, two Pushcart Prizes, the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Read more about Shannon here.

Writers submit their work in advance--fiction, nonfiction, autofiction, memoir; maximum 5,000 words--for rigorous group discussion. The workshop is limited to 10 participants.

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Registration includes:

Four nights' accommodation at the BLC Design Hotel

Daily critique workshop with craft discussion

Optional tours and outings

Individual manuscript consultation with Shannon

Welcome and farewell receptions

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Fees

Early Bird Registration (before May 1): $2,395

Regular Registration: $2,595

Plus-One Registration: $250 (includes all gatherings except workshop)

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Admission is by application. To apply, send five double-spaced pages of your best prose to therealparisworkshop@gmail.com.  You don't necessarily need to workshop the same material in your application. Admissions are made on a rolling basis and space is limited, so it's best to apply early.

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Daily Schedule

9:00 am to 11:30 am: breakfast and workshop

11:30 to 1:30 pm lunch break

1:30 to 5:30pm, afternoon outings:

• Tour of Paris West Bank literary sites
• Street art tour of Belleville and the Canal St. Martin
• Writing afternoons in parks and cafés

8:30 to midnight: optional after-dinner outings such as on open mic evening, theater or live music

Feedback

"I’m more than happy to share the educational, inspiring, and supportive experiences I’ve had working with Shannon. From the start, she has guided my writing with honesty, compassion and creativity. Shannon was the editor of an anthology I was published in 2007. The book, Powder: Writing by Women in the Ranks, from Vietnam to Iraq, was my first creative nonfiction publication, and I was just beginning my MFA. Shannon worked with me on everything from the macro to the minutiae, ensuring my piece was not only polished but solid. Over the years I’ve attended workshops with Shannon and learned how to take control of a narrative while crafting the best sentences within each piece. Moreover, with Shannon, I feel permission to be bold. I trust her openness, honesty and taste. With her, I’ve written things I wouldn’t dare explore in other workshops. I’m currently working with her now, and I’ve recommended her for nearly twenty years." -- Christy Parrott, MFA Vermont College of Fine Arts

"Ten years ago I began my writing journey in Shannon's workshop.  There was so much to learn from her: strengthening my voice, understanding the craft, developing content and ideas, editing and eventually publication. Shannon has a keen eye and mind for writing and as a teacher I have seen very few individuals who can do what she does.  Her abilities in drafting, revising and editing are outstanding. She is the real deal and a master at her craft. Since that first workshop, I have published four novels. I will always be grateful for the gifts she shared."  --Starr Sanders, self-published author of Finding Grace, Pinkwashed, The Allegations and The Boy Without A Face.