Silences + Blank Spaces: A Line-Editing Study

LitArts RI

Revision is more than just editing or fixing flaws. While writing requires a kind of courage and energy that can feel at times almost mystical, most stories come to life only when the right pieces are cut away. This workshop will include a discussion of omissions within the writing of Virginia Woolf, Abigail Thomas, Ada Limón, Su Hwang and Lucille Clifton and a guided revision exercise. Our task will be to uncover the secret of the story in your text, the story’s best version of itself, even if it means cutting all but one sentence or phrase. Sharpen your red pencils! It’s time to get excited about letting things go. Open to writers of all genres with a work in progress. This is a 2-hour workshop. Please bring a 10-15 page draft to workshop. This workshop meets on Saturday from 12-2pm at LitArts RI on October 4.

About Your Teaching ArtistCOURTNEY DENELLE (she/her) is the author of IT’S NOT NOTHING (SFWP, 2022), a novel- in-fragments drawn from her experience of homelessness and recovery. Winner of the 2021 Poets &amp; Writers Maureen Egen award, Courtney has received a Hawthornden Fellowship, as well as residencies from Hedgebrook and the Jentel Foundation. She lives in Providence, where she received her greater education from the public library.

Community Access LotteryLitArts RI offers a lottery for free admission to those who could not otherwise afford to attend. The lottery closes 2 weeks before each workshop, at which time entrants will be notified if they are a recipient of one of the free seats.

Safe and Brave Space PolicyWriting workshops can be vulnerable spaces. As a literary arts organization, LitArts RI is committed to providing a safe, brave, inclusive and accessible space to all participants, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, citizenship status, age, size, abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Be sensitive, be supportive, be respectful and engage with care. Discriminatory, hateful, and threatening content will not be tolerated; we ask that you bring any concerns to our attention immediately.

AccessibilityLitArts RI is wheelchair accessible. The organization is actively committed to cultivating a community that values and reflects diversity, equity and inclusivity and to providing programming that is accessible to all attendees. Please let us know about any accommodations we can make to allow you to participate fully in this event.

Health Safety GuidelinesIf you have tested positive for Covid-19 within a few days of attending an event at LitArts RI, please contact Staff so we can let others know of possible exposure. We ask that you wait 14 days or until testing negative to return to the Center.

This activity is made possible in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by a Project Fund grant from Providence Art, Culture and Tourism.