The Wednesday Workshop in Paris

Six Wednesdays from 18h30 to 20h30

April 12 to May 17, 2023

Ten participants maximum; admission by application

• Workshop meets in the charming vaulted cave at Mikuna Saint-Martin
• Participants receive close attention to their work in progress from peers and faculty
• Sessions include craft talks on topics such as dialogue, story structure, character development, pacing and plot as well as advice and support around publishing
• Workshop instruction and facilitation is based on current best practices in creative writing pedagogy

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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. Over the course of six sessions, each participant will workshop two stories, essays or chapters.

Fees and application

Registration for the six-week workshop is 275€. Admission by is application. To apply, send five double-spaced pages of your best prose to shannoninparis@gmail.com.  Acceptances are made on a rolling basis, so it's best to apply early.

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.