Bay Area Writes

Join three 50-min. writing workshops with acclaimed authors. Explore travel, nature, or family storytelling—sign up for one or all of them!

Always wanted to become a travel writer, a nature poet, or teller of your family story? In collaboration with the Bay Area Book Festival, we are delighted to present three writing workshops which will be led by one or more highly accomplished authors. The workshops will be 50 minutes with a short break between each. You are welcome to sign up for all three workshops or just one.

All levels of writers are welcome—from seasoned authors to first-time adventurers of the page.

Program

3:30–4:20
Workshop 1: Family Stories led by Margaret Lee and Rosa Kwon Easton

4:30–5:20
Workshop 2: Writing the Wild: Generative Poetry on Nature, Place, and Adventure led by Lalit Kumar

5:30–6:20
Workshop 3: Travel Writing 101 led by Lalit Kumar and Alec Scott

Workshop 1: Eliciting and Sharing Family Stories

In this workshop you will explore how to approach and speak to loved ones about the past, especially when painful memories are involved. Designed for those who are curious about their family stories and how to capture them, we will delve into creative approaches to opening up real (and imagined) conversations with family members, in particular, reticent elders—and even those who are no longer with us. Included are brainstorming sessions about methods to spark communication, including the use of prompts—letters, photos, food, etc.—to draw out anecdotes about the past, as well as tips to manage expectations during the process.

Workshop 2: Writing the Wild: Generative Poetry on Nature, Place, and Adventure

In this dynamic, generative poetry workshop, participants will explore how the natural world, a spirit of adventure, and their personal experience can converge to create vivid, resonant poems. Drawing on landscapes from California’s mountains, coastlines, and deserts, as well as the inward terrain of migration and belonging, the session invites writers of all levels to engage in fresh seeing, sensory writing, and creative release. Drawing on his own journey, Lalit guides writers through the art of seeing place as muse: how nature, adventure, and displacement can inform imagery, rhythm, and emotion.

By the end of the session, participants will leave with new drafts, deeper awareness of how place and adventure inform their inner landscapes, and practical techniques to continue writing poetry rooted in observation, awe, and courage.

Workshop 3: Travel Writing 101

If you love to travel and love to write, this travel writing course will get you one step closer to learning what it takes to become a travel writer. Let us unwrap the magic of travel writing for you by teaching how to:

• make your stories sparkle with transportive language;

• bring characters to life;

• craft irresistible query emails that will sell your stories;

• build an online presence;

• and so much more!

Attendees will walk away with the inspiration to launch a travel writing career as well as the tools and strategy to make it a reality.

COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS: We strongly encourage attendees to wear masks at our events, although they will NOT be required. We will have masks available for attendees who want them. Do NOT attend the event if you, or any member of your family, have any respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, runny nose, and/or sore throat), or have had a significant exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

ACCESSIBILITY: We never want cost to be a barrier to admission for our community. Please email events [at] keplers [dot] org if you would like to attend this event but cannot afford a ticket. To request an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for this event, please email events [at] keplers [dot] org at least one week prior to the event.