Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual writing workshops led for and by our community members. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

As an adult, writing for young people can be challenging. But tapping into our own adolescent experiences can help. In this free hour-long session, middle grade novelist Eric Bell will provide several prompts designed to help you see the world from a younger POV. There will be time to write, optional sharing, and an inside look at Eric's Kidlit Playground writing group.

Eric Bell (he/him) is the author of ALAN COLE IS NOT A COWARD (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins) and ALAN COLE DOESN’T DANCE (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins), two middle grade novels about a gay seventh grade boy dealing with bullies, crushes, the power of art, and coming out. The first book was nominated to the Rainbow Book List for LGBTQ Books for Children and Teens. The books have also been translated into multiple languages. Eric is also featured in the queer middle grade short story anthology THIS IS OUR RAINBOW: 16 STORIES OF HER, HIM, THEM, AND US (Knopf). Eric has taught courses on writing middle grade and young adult novels. He is a packet exchange instructor at Drexel University’s Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing program. Eric has also run numerous virtual workshops and writing groups, including the Kidlit Playground, a group geared toward writers working on children’s books.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom or in-person at CultureWorks in Philadelphia.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group but encourage connecting with other participants to do so on your own!

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual writing workshops led for and by our community members. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

In this free hour-long workshop, we'll study the components of poetic spells (e.g. repetition, invoking powerful forces, spoken delivery) and practice writing our own. We'll start with source texts like June Jordan's "Intifada Incantation: Poem #8 for b.b.L." then gather materials to generate (and optionally share) our own incantations. We'll close with strategies for giving our incantations power, asking ourselves: What physical form could the words take? What happens when you sing it to the air, paint it on a banner, or write it on a stone and throw it in the ocean?

Miriam Saperstein (they/them) is a poet, mixed-media artist, and arts educator. Miriam engages history, ritual, and art to teach practical skills for sustaining communities, which is all we’ve got at the end of the day. They know our struggles are interconnected, from Lenapehoking to Palestine, and thus they strive to teach, create, and strategize accordingly.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual writing workshops led for and by our community members. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

From LiveJournal to Substack, blogs have come a long way. In this free, hour-long workshop, we'll explore strategies for writing online personal essays, options for free self-publishing platforms, and tips for establishing a posting routine. Expect a generative writing prompt and group discussion, as well as a Q&A, if time permits.

Natalie Crystal is an essayist documenting the little things in life that spark inspiration (and spiraling) over at her digital journal, sky mind, on Substack.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual writing workshops led for and by our community members. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

Writing a book may be a solitary process, but it takes a team to prepare it for publication. In this free hour-long workshop, professional book coach and editor Dayna M. Reidenouer will provide an overview of the publishing process, with a focus on the multiple types of editing in traditional and independent publishing, how to find editors, and what to do with editorial feedback.

Dayna M. Reidenouer (they/she) is Your Publishing BFF, a line/copy editor and book coach specializing in inclusive romance, cozy mysteries, and children's books. They’ve also been known to ghostwrite, turning the frameworks of stories into fleshed-out novels readers return to again and again. When Dayna’s not polishing a manuscript, reading another MM romance, or tinkering with their website, they can be found in a professional development class or volunteering. Dayna chaired the 2024 Contemporary Romance Writers virtual writing conference and is in their second term as an elected member of the Editorial Freelancers Association board of directors. Your Publishing BFF is a partner member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. Learn more about Dayna’s editing, coaching, and writing services at www.YourPublishingBFF.com, and follow them at www.instagram.com/yourpublishingbff and @YourPublishingBFF on Threads.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual writing workshops led for and by our community members. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

This free, hour-long session takes its inspiration from the Paolo Freire quote, "Reading the world thus precedes reading the word and wríting a new text must be seen as one means of transforming the world." Participants will read short excerpts from writers like Kao Kalia Yang and Audre Lorde, examining their use of narrative to explore power dynamics. Through discussion and generative writing prompts, we'll work to narrativize our own experiences in "reading the world."

Note: This session will not be recorded.

Sakae Kikuchi is a writer and organizer based in Philadelphia. They have over a decade of labor and community organizing experience and hold an MFA in creative writing from Rutgers Camden.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual writing workshops led for and by our community members. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

This free hour-long workshop explores how writing depictions of play — sports, games, make-believe, and other cooperative and competitive activities — can produce compelling scenes, characters, and dynamics. We'll analyze examples from film, prose, and poetry; respond to writing prompts; and discuss our goals and inspirations.

C.P. Jude (Colin Bonini) is a writer from San Jose, California. His work appears in The Under Review, The Michigan Quarterly Review, Wig-Wag, The Masters Review, The Chicago Review of Books, The 2024 Driftwood Anthology, The Adroit Journal, and elsewhere. He is a graduate of Gonzaga University and earned his MFA from Arizona State University. He currently lives, writes, and teaches in Philadelphia, PA, and is eternally heartbroken about the A’s leaving Oakland.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual writing workshops led for and by our community members. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

This free hour-long workshop uses reflective exercises and poetry to explore how sexual and non-sexual pleasure can be a pathway to personal and collective liberation. Grounded in the teachings of Audre Lorde, bell hooks, and Adrienne Maree Brown, we'll use poetic expression to reclaim our right to sensuality and to challenge systems of oppression. The workshop encourages participants to embrace pleasure and poetry as tools for self-awareness, self-care, and resilience. Expect writing prompts, intentional reflection, and open conversation.

Amir Methvin is a poet, social worker, sex educator, and aspiring sex therapist with a passion for using writing as a medium for healing and liberation. She writes about love, people, pleasure, and pretty sunsets. With a background in psychology and gender studies from Temple University, Amir has spent over six years facilitating poetic spaces that center joy, pleasure, and self-discovery. Their work draws on the teachings of bell hooks and Audre Lorde, with a particular focus on the intersection of pleasure, identity, and liberation. Through workshops like Poetry as Pleasure, Amir empowers participants to explore the intimate connections between body, mind, and spirit through creative writing and reflection. As a Black, queer facilitator, Amir prioritizes creating inclusive, affirming spaces where participants can safely engage with pleasure as a liberatory practice. In addition to writing, Amir advocates for pleasure-centered sex education and consults with nonprofits and social service agencies to help incorporate sex-positive, inclusive frameworks into their work.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual writing workshops led for and by our community members. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

Contracts and clients and copyright, oh my! In this free hour long presentation, local attorney Gabrielle Sellei will address key legal issues for writers and creators. Topics will include contract basics (e.g., how do contracts work? what makes a contract binding? and how do I get out of a contract?) and copyright and intellectual property issues. Attendees will walk away with a clear understanding of what a contract is (and isn't), how to handle a negotiation, and the basics of copyright law as it applies to creative writing. Q&A to follow.

Gabrielle Sellei founded Sellei Law in 2015, after practicing employment, business, and entertainment law in the Philadelphia area for 20 years. Over the course of her career, Gabrielle has led complex business transactions, helped launch numerous start-up ventures, closed on many millions of dollars of financings, negotiated and completed deals for television appearances, video games, podcasts, feature and documentary film rights, sports exhibition matches, celebrity endorsements, and literary rights, and has resolved copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property disputes, on behalf of many creative and talented individuals and their business ventures.

A graduate of Boston University School of Law (JD) and Wesleyan University (BA, Art History), Gabrielle is the Board Vice President of Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and has been a volunteer attorney with PVLA over the course of her entire 25+ year legal career. She also serves on the Board and various committees of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. Gabrielle is also a past Director of The Clay Studio in Philadelphia. She is also involved in the revitalization of the Sculpture Park at the Abington Art Center, in her hometown of Abington, PA. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Sellei was a consultant to artists and fine arts galleries throughout New England.

Ms. Sellei is a frequent speaker on copyright, contracts, start-ups, non-profit entities, and other legal issues affecting artists, entertainers, and entrepreneurs, and has been quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer on these issues. Past teaching and speaking engagements include Drexel University’s Entertainment & Arts Management program, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s (PBI) Real Estate Institute, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Moore College of Art & Design, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, as well as numerous business, networking, and arts organizations.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual writing workshops led for and by our community members. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

In this hour-long introductory workshop geared toward queer, trans/nonbinary, and disabled writers, we'll dive into the gate-kept field of screenwriting. Together, we'll pitch, draft, and revise our plots in a supportive, collaborative environment. Participants will learn about the three-act structure, form new connections, share professional resources, and gain new perspective on the screenwriting process.

Note: This event will not be recorded.

Bridgid Ryan is a writer driven by the idea that storytelling offers relief from isolation. She was head writer for The Core, a series on Shudder, featuring Glenn Danzig, Mary Harron, and Elijah Wood — a must for any horror fan. Bridgid is a community organizer, a tenacious advocate, and was awarded a 2023 CALI Catalyst grant, which supports artists and arts workers who are on the frontlines of effecting greater inclusion, access, diversity, and equity in the arts and culture sector. Her dedication to storytelling, collaboration, and inclusion makes her a formidable asset to any creative project, as long as there isn't a bird in the room. Bridgid is terrified of birds.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual writing workshops led for and by our community members. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

Good writing grabs the reader's attention. In this free one-hour workshop, we'll unpack several examples of solid opening paragraphs from published novels and stories, discussing which details the author has included or excluded, why the authors may have chosen their particular tactic, and what impact those choices have on the reader.

Tony Knighton is an American crime fiction author known for his lean, suspenseful writing style. He is a thirty-eight-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department, which has influenced his writing and given him a unique perspective on the darker aspects of urban life.

Tony has written a collection, Happy Hour and Other Philadelphia Cruelties, and three novels, Three Hours Past Midnight, A Few Days Away, and A Night at the Shore, all published by Brash Books. In addition to his books, he’s had short stories published in various crime fiction anthologies and magazines, further establishing himself as a respected voice in the genre.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual writing workshops led for and by our community members. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

This generative workshop is a space for participants to engage poems that model what daughters are capable of making and unmaking. Through writing prompts, we will work to answer the question: What are you devoted to? This workshop encourages poems that bow to and buck against subjects of devotion like fathers, mothers, lovers, nations, and The World. Participants will leave the workshop having developed maps toward honoring themselves and what they hold dearest.

Hiwot Adilow is an Ethiopian American poet from southwest Philadelphia. Hiwot is co-winner of the 2018 Brunel International African Poetry Prize and author of the chapbooks In the House of My Father (Two Sylvias Press, 2018) and Prodigal Daughter (Akashic Books & African Poetry Book Fund, 2019). Her work appears in Vinyl, Callaloo, The Offing, Reconstructed Magazine, and elsewhere. She has been anthologized in The BreakBeats Poets Vol 2.0: Black Girl Magic (Haymarket Books, 2018), Best Small Fictions (Sonder Press, 2019), The New Teacher Book (rethinking schools, 2019) and An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry: Volume 3, (20.35 Africa, 2020). Hiwot’s writing has been supported by the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop, the Pink Door Writing Retreat, Anaphora Writing Residency, and VONA.

Hiwot holds a BA in Anthropology with a certificate in African Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was a member of the First Wave Hip Hop and Urban Arts Learning Community. She also holds a M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual workshops. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

You’ve done it–you have a book coming out! How do you get readers interested in your work? How do you spread the word about your own name? How do you promote a book or other project effectively? And how do you work effectively with your publisher to achieve your goals? Here we’ll discuss all things book promotion and how to work well with your publishing team to bring the most readers to your book.

PANELISTS:

Whitney Peeling, Co-founder, Broadside PR, handles narrative nonfiction and works with mission-driven organizations. She has a soft spot for big-picture science, technology, and economics; under-explored civil rights/humanitarian issues; ground- breaking research; and top-notch investigative journalism. Current and former authors/projects include Matthew Desmond’s Eviction Lab, Paul Farmer, Carlotta Gall, co-authors David Graeber and David Wengrow, Adam Grant, Kelly Lytle Hernández, Daniel Kahneman, Elizabeth Kolbert, Jaron Lanier, Victor Luckerson, Nathaniel Rich, James Risen, Elizabeth Rush, Reshma Saujani, Eric Schlosser, Safiya Sinclair, Clint Smith, Carrie Sun, Ellen Ullman, Linda Villarosa, The Whiting Foundation, and Muhammad Yunus. Click here for a full list of her clients.

Libby Burton, Executive Editor at Crown, publishes both practical and narrative nonfiction with an eye for stories and insight from traditionally underrepresented voices. She has edited a wide range of award-winning and bestselling authors including former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Stacey Abrams, Katie Porter, Mariah Carey, Melissa Broder, Jessica Valenti, Lyz Lenz, Aurora James, and Ai Weiwei. Previously she worked as an editor at Henry Holt & Company, Twelve Books, and Grand Central Publishing, and is the author of the poetry collection Soft Volcano.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual workshops. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

So, you’re a writer–maybe you’ve written a novel or you have a great idea for a nonfiction book, and you’re the right person to write it. How do you transform that idea or manuscript into a book deal? Do you need a literary agent? And how do you go about getting one–and what do they actually do? What is the query process? What is the relationship between literary agents and editors? Here we’ll discuss the best way to turn that manuscript (or idea) into something that can be published.

PANELISTS:

Jenny Herrera, Literary Agent, David Black Agency, joined the David Black Agency in 2015 after working at Fletcher & Company and Europa Editions, where she was an early advocate of Elena Ferrante. She went to college in Ohio, where she studied Philosophy, French, and Russian, and has master’s degrees in Philosophy and Social Sciences. Her authors have been awarded the Harriet Tubman Prize, nominated for the J. Anthony Lukas Prize, appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air, and been New York Times bestsellers. She loves reading nonfiction books about big ideas and is particularly drawn to smart, issue-driven books, especially those from journalists as well as writers with professional expertise, including science, psychology, philosophy,economics, prescriptive, lifestyle, history, and the stories of underrepresented groups.

Caroline Eisemann, Senior Literary Agent & VP, Frances Goldin Agency, joined Francis Goldin in 2017 after spending four years at ICM Partners. Her clients include Sam Adler-Bell, Delia Cai, Kyle Chayka, Sheldon Costa, Jasper Craven, Cody Delistraty, Rose Eveleth, Linda Rui Feng, Jaime Green, James Gregor, Courtney Gustafson, Katy Kelleher, Theresa Levitt, Rennie McDougall, Micah Nemerever, Haley Nahman, Jenny Odell, the Adrienne Rich Literary Trust, Reagan Penaluna, Cameron Russell, Lauren Slater, Claire Stapleton, Michelle Webster-Hein, Ye Chun, Kate Wagner, and Jennifer Wilson. Authors represented by Caroline have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list and been short or longlisted for the National Book Award in fiction, the National Book Award’s 5 Under 35 Award, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.

Libby Burton, Executive Editor at Crown, publishes both practical and narrative nonfiction with an eye for stories and insight from traditionally underrepresented voices. She has edited a wide range of award-winning and bestselling authors including former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Stacey Abrams, Katie Porter, Mariah Carey, Melissa Broder, Jessica Valenti, Lyz Lenz, Aurora James, and Ai Weiwei. Previously she worked as an editor at Henry Holt & Company, Twelve Books, and Grand Central Publishing, and is the author of the poetry collection Soft Volcano.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual workshops. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

So, you’ve written a fiction or poetry manuscript, or you’ve got a solid idea for a nonfiction book...

What does it mean to have a “platform” as a writer and why does it matter? What are literary agents and publishers looking for in terms of a “platform?” Here we will discuss what platform means in the world of book publishing—both fiction and nonfiction, and even poetry—and how writers should think about their own platform to best position themselves to sell and publish a book.

PANELISTS:

Matt Inman, VP and Editorial Director (Crown and Ten Speed Press, Entertainment and Special Projects), loves distinctive voices, immersive journeys, and books that entertain as they teach. He’s looking for narrative and illustrated nonfiction, including memoir, biography, cultural history, humor, pop culture, and pop reference, as well as select art/photography, how-to, and business books. Matt has acquired and edited New York Times bestsellers by Matthew McConaughey (Greenlights), Dolly Parton (Behind the Seams), Jimmy Chin (There and Back), The Moth (How to Tell a Story, Occasional Magic, and A Point of Beauty), Rhett & Link (Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality and The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek), Gracie Gold (Outofshapeworthlessloser), Conor Knighton (Leave Only Footprints), and The Onion (The Ecstasy of Defeat). His authors also include Shirley MacLaine, Eric Idle, John "MrBallen" Allen, Andrew Rannells, The Explorers Club, Dave Holmes, Mike Matheny, and Olivia de Havilland, as well as the creative teams of The Crown, Black Mirror, and Shark Tank.

Libby Burton, Executive Editor at Crown, publishes both practical and narrative nonfiction with an eye for stories and insight from traditionally underrepresented voices. She has edited a wide range of award-winning and bestselling authors including former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Stacey Abrams, Katie Porter, Mariah Carey, Melissa Broder, Jessica Valenti, Lyz Lenz, Aurora James, and Ai Weiwei. Previously she worked as an editor at Henry Holt & Company, Twelve Books, and Grand Central Publishing, and is the author of the poetry collection Soft Volcano.

Lori Kusatzky, Associate Editor, has been at Crown since October 2023, brought over by Amy Einhorn (from Henry Holt / Macmillan) to restart the fiction division. While at Holt, she published Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie and Kate Flannery’s Strip Tees, and worked with authors Alison Espach, Liane Moriarty, Andy Cohen, John Stamos, and Gary Janetti, amongst others. Prior to being on the editorial side, she worked at Abrams Artists Agency and Innovative Artists Agency. She is a PW Star Watch Honoree and graduated from UNC School of the Arts with a BFA in drama.

Drop-in, creative co-working with peers over Zoom.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life.

We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. Mics will stay off during the silent working portion of the event (3:40-5:20 pm ET).

Note: we do not workshop or read our work aloud to the group.

This event is free and open to all.