In this workshop we'll explore the way in which the repetition of images, symbols and themes can connect seemingly disparate elements in narrative. By employing these devices in a variety of ways over a drawn out period of time or in the arcs of multiple characters, the reader is cued to see relationships between divergent pieces. Motif can serve as a tool to show the way works of fiction or nonfiction can amount to more than the sum of their parts. In this workshop we'll look at examples of these tactics in stories and essays, and then try our hands at brainstorming ways to employ these recurring patterns in our own work.
Bio: Jac Jemc’s story collection False Bingo will be released in fall 2019 and her novel Total Work of Art will be published in 2021, both from FSG. She is also the author of The Grip of It, My Only Wife and A Different Bed Every Time. Jemc has taught creative writing at the University of Notre Dame, Northeastern Illinois University, Illinois Wesleyan University, St. Lawrence University, Catapult, The Loft and StoryStudio Chicago.
Jac will accept manuscripts for critique. Please see manuscript guidelines on our website: ocww.info .
9-9:30 Registration and Socializing
9:30-12 Program
