Manuscript Lab

This small-group workshop is designed for writers ready to receive thoughtful, in-depth feedback on their work-in-progress.

6 sessions (March - August on the 3rd Sat of each month)
2 hours each: 1:30 - 3:30 PM
At Thought Fox Writers Den located inside Bank Square Books
Limited to 6 participants
$300

This small-group workshop is designed for writers ready to receive thoughtful, in-depth feedback on their work-in-progress. Limited to just six participants, the Manuscript Lab meets once a month for two hours, creating a supportive and rigorous space for critique, craft conversation, and literary camaraderie.

Each session focuses on two writers, who circulate up to 25 pages of work one week in advance. Over the course of six months, every participant will receive two full-length critiques on their own writing and will have the opportunity to engage deeply with the work of their peers.

In addition to critique, each session includes a brief craft talk on elements such as structure, voice, character, revision, or theme—along with flexible space for open discussion. Writers are encouraged to bring questions about writing, publishing, and marketing, or to suggest topics for group conversation. Whether you’re polishing a manuscript, navigating submissions, or exploring your creative voice, this is a space to ask, learn, and connect.

Details:

• Meets once a month (on the 3rd Saturday) for 6 months
• 2-hour sessions
• Capped at 6 participants
• Two writers are critiqued per session
• Each participant receives two critiques over the course of the workshop
• Writers submit up to 25 pages for critique, distributed 1 week in advance
• Includes mini-lessons on craft, publishing, and marketing
• Space for Q&A and participant-driven discussion topics
  
  Dates:
  Third Saturday of the month, from 1:30 - 3:30 PM
• March 21
• April 18
• May 16
• June 20
• July 18
• August 15

Writers of all genres are welcome. This is a generative, generous, and serious workshop for those looking to sharpen their manuscripts and deepen their writing practice through community and critique.

Workshop Leader

Lara Ehrlich is the author of the novel Bind Me Tighter Still (Red Hen Press, 2025) and the story collection Animal Wife, which won Red Hen Press’s Fiction Award judged by Ann Hood and was published by the press in 2020. Lara is also the host of Writer Mother Monster, a conversation series devoted to dismantling the myth of “having it all," and the founder and director of the creative writing center Thought Fox Writers Den. www.LaraEhrlich.com