Fees

PRIVATE WORKSHOPS

Alison can design a private, intensive, one-day workshop for you and your writing friends. Her specialties include short stories, books for children (from picture books to novels), novels, and many aspects of craft. Below are some of the workshops she has taught in the past. She can also design an individualized workshop based on your specific interests and challenges.

1. In a Child's Voice

If you're an adult, how can you write in the voice of a child? How can you tap into your own past, your own childhood, and once again be the person you used to be? How do you write in the voice of a child, or write a book for a child, without being condescending or precious or know-it-all? This intensive workshop focuses on the aspects of writing for children, or writing in the voice of a child, a unique and wonderful challenge. Through a series of writing exercises and analysis of published materials, you'll learn how to convey the world of a child to adult and child readers. This workshop is designed both for writers of children's books specifically and also for those writers who wish to write convincingly from the point of view of a child.

2. The Art of Revision

The act of revising is at heart an act of focus, an act of gathering energy. What do we leave in, and what do we leave out? This intensive workshop focuses on many aspects of good writing, including dialogue, transitions, adverbs, endings and beginnings. Using published examples and writing exercises for inspiration and example, we will focus on how to shape and pare your writing to its essence, how to make it alive, how to make it shine.

3. Point of View and Tense

Take a sentence. This one, for example: Dark shapes of skiers flitted past, and the old man kept walking. Now rewrite it in the present tense: Dark shapes of skiers flit past, and the old man keeps walking. Hear the difference? Now try a different point of view, future tense, second person: Dark shapes of skiers will flit past, and you will keep walking. Using another tense or point of view can subtly or dramatically change a sentence, a paragraph, a book. Attuning your ear to the gradations of emotion as expressed in the cadence of tense and point of view helps expand your writerly horizons. This workshop uses lecture, writing exercises, and discussion of published examples to help you gain a better command of these powerful tools.

4. The Geometry of Picture Books

Geometry is a part of mathematics concerned with questions of size, shape, and relative position of figures and with properties of space. These questions are fundamental to the writing and construction of picture books, too. In 32 pages (the length of a typical picture book), a question or tension is presented and explored. How many characters can a picture book contain? What subjects can be addressed in a picture book? How will the subject matter best be presented? What's the best way to pace such a succinct book? What's the audience for a picture book? Through a variety of writing exercises, discussion of published materials, and lecture, Alison will lead you through the essential questions that picture book writers must consider.

WORKSHOP FEES: $1800 plus travel expenses (if applicable) for up to 25 students, including all copied materials.

FOR SCHOOLS

1. Elementary. Alison loves to visit elementary schools and talk about picture books. In a lively half-hour to hour-long session, she and the students will brainstorm ideas for good picture books and talk about all aspects of writing a picture book, including characters, settings, dialogue, and illustrations. Alison will bring along some classic picture books and also read through and discuss the process of writing one of her own picture books.

2. Middle. Alison can design a 45- to 60-minute workshop or program specifically for your middle school students. She'd be happy to talk about any aspect of the writing process, from brainstorming ideas to writing poetry or fiction or memoir to what it's like to write an entire book. Alison will bring along her middle- grades novel, Snap, and talk about all aspects of the writing process.

3. High School. Alison used to teach high school and has a special place in her heart for adolescents. That love of teenagers led her to write her young adult novels, All Rivers Flow to the Sea and Falling Boy. She'd love to design a workshop or program for your high school on any aspect of writing and she's open to collaborative work as well.

FOR TEACHERS

As a university creative writing teacher herself, and a former high school teacher, Alison believes that teaching is a calling and that teachers are engaged in the most honorable and devoted of professions. She loves to work with teachers and would be happy to design a workshop for your writing and literature teachers on any aspect of creative writing or the teaching of creative writing. She could teach an intensive mini-workshop on the art of developing characters or writing in a child's voice, for example, or she could put together a presentation on her best tips for effectively teaching creative writing.

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITIES

As the founder and current coordinator of Metropolitan State University's renowned undergraduate creative writing program, as a former faculty member of Vermont College's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and as a founding faculty member of Hamline University's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, Alison has many years' experience working with adult creative writers. She has also been a guest artist-teacher at Carleton College, Macalester College, the University of Minnesota, and has been a guest lecturer at many other universities. She would be happy to design a program or workshop specifically for your college or university.

SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY FEES: $1800 plus travel expenses (if applicable), for up to three presentations per day.

FOR CONFERENCES/WORKSHOPS

Alison is in demand as a keynote speaker or workshop leader at conferences for writers, librarians, and teachers. She loves speaking to small or large audiences about the life of a working artist. She can also tailor-make a workshop for your conference.

LECTURE FEE: depending on distance, $1000-$2000 plus travel expenses.