Do you love writing? Would you like to finish that story you started last year? Or perhaps you are looking for a community of writers with whom to share your work in a supportive way? If so, join us for a lively creative writing evening during which we are hosting not one but two workshops exploring winter warmth and farewells with Helena Grande and Sci-Fi with Busra Erkara. See below for descriptions of each workshop.
The evening will end with a sharing session where participants can, if they wish, share work written during the workshops or some already existing writing. We will also hear from our workshop leaders who are writers themselves.
There will be music from Groover Jazz, free drinks, and fries from Hieper de Pieper to keep you running all evening.
Winter Warmth with Helena Grande
In this workshop, we will focus on generative writing and free association exercises to enhance your imagination. Whether it is a personal or fictional story, this class will allow you to experiment with ideas and structure. You will surely end up writing at least one tiny story!
Since winter is coming, we will touch upon themes of winter warmth and saying goodbye. Get ready to jot down ideas, recount memories, or give birth to a new character! Together we will generate a safe space to share our writing. No previous experience writing is needed.
Sci-Fi with Busra Erkara
In this entry-level science fiction workshop, we will explore the makings of a compelling sci-fi story and work on short writing exercises to get the participants started on world and character-building. As part of the workshop, the participants will read snippets from the works of Isaac Asimov, Octavia Butler, Greg Egan, and more. The session will close with a short Q&A and reflection session. Expect collective rage and creativity!
Programme:
17:00–19:30 – Workshops: Sci-Fi with Busra Erkara and Winter Warmth and Farewells with Helena Grande
19:00 onwards – Hieper de Piper Fries truck
19:00–20:00 – Groover Jazz performance
20:00–21:00 – Collective Sharing
Please note: Tonight, the are two writing workshops taking place simultaneously. If you’d like to attend one of these workshops you must reserve a ticket here.
This event takes place in Move and Create.
About Helena
helena grande is a writer and educator. She is the author of the flash fiction collection Speech Choke. Her writing has appeared in Dostoyevsky Wannabe, Fictional Journal, nY, and diSONARE among others. helena holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and her work has received support from Het Cultuurfonds, Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, The New School, and WriteOn NYC. She is currently working on a new book .
About Busra
I’m a writer, editor, and project manager. After spending some time between the US, Scandinavia and Turkey, I graduated from Bogazici University and moved to New York City in 2011, then called it home for seven years.
Previously, I was a staff editor for BULLETT, Nylon, and Wayward Wild, a media incubator. Other than writing and editing, I produced events, launched e-commerce sites, and worked as a copywriter and fact checker for these brands. I also worked with Hearst Digital on their industry-leading Snap publication, Sweet.
My writing has appeared in The New York Times, i-D, Office Magazine, Munchies, Culinary Backstreets, and Dazed Digital among others. (And you can hear what I sound like on BBC World Service’s The Conversation!) I worked on the rebranding/transition of Zero Istanbul, a city magazine into Year Zero, a glossy quarterly. I was the editor-in-chief for the brand’s first print issue.
I write a newsletter called Tutto at Aposto which you can read/sign up for here. I’m based in Rotterdam and available for select freelance projects and hosting/speaking engagements.