The Complete Generator Schedule:

All events (October 10, November 14, December 12, January 9, February 13, March 12, May 14) will take place via Zoom from 6:00-7:30 PM CT 

 

• October 10, Jordan Charlton, "Why and How Publication is for You"

The world of literary publishing often feels illusory and daunting. Despite this, writers both new and experienced return to the challenge of sharing their work with the world day after day. In this workshop, we'll take a glance into that publishing world and understand the inner workings of an editor and writer's perspectives on publication, searching for ways we can better understand these processes and get published.

 

• November 14, Joe From Long Island, "Radical Self-Love/Acceptance Through the Lens of Beyoncé"

In this workshop, we will view two videos by The Queen and have a short discussion on the topic of body positivity and empowerment.  We will also take time to write to a prompt about radical self love.  Those willing can share their writing in this boldly welcoming, inclusive space.

 

• December 12, Emily Anderson, "The Gayest Workshop Ever"

Whether you come to the metaphorical ACE Hardware writing store with a specific list or on the wings of serendipitous impulse, something organic and unpredicted inevitably happens during the writing process. I am saying that you're allowed in all the aisles, whether you'd call yourself a plumber or not, to try to put pieces together. I am saying that queerness, gayness, transness, nonbinaryness are also pieces that you can try on in your writing without belonging to their unions (i.e. identities). In this workshop, we'll blend genres and talk in circles and lie to get to the truth (in a good way).

 

• January 9, Paula Bell, "Parentification"

One of many things we all have in common: we are someone's kid.

Stereotypes, familial expectations, religion, cultural and societal "norms" influence roles between parents and kids. Sometimes, those roles reverse. Together, we’ll write about what that looks like and what that feels like.

 

• February 13, Zedeka Poindexter, "Well Fed: Poetry of the Senses"

When you weave your words properly, readers and listeners are transported into the world you are building. We invite you to join us in creating a sensory experience based on food memories. Moderator Zedeka Poindexter will guide us through writing our senses and maybe copy a few recipes that sound particularly delicious.

 

• March 12, Rachel Luck, "Memoir: Preserving the Childhood Memory, and the Art of 'Perhapsing'"

How do you write about something or someone you barely remember? When does truth stray into the realms of fiction? Learn to explore the boundaries of memory’s fragility, while preserving your readers’ trust and writing to the emotional and metaphorical truth of experience.

 

• May 14, Serenity Dougherty, "I Write Comedy—And You Can Too!"

If you think about it, at this point “the one less traveled by” is one of the most universally familiar roads. Life is already full of these delightful little absurdities—you don’t have to stroll out of the womb with a microphone and a suitcase full of props to put laughs in bellies. Comedy writers are not born funny, they learn how to write jokes the same way writers learn how to write in any genre of writing—by practicing, trying, failing (a lot!), learning from their mistakes, and trying again.

In this workshop we will start with a brief introduction to the fundamentals of comedy, then use them in some comedy writing activities, and finish up with an opportunity for participants to share their work (And a laugh!) with one another.  If you’ve always wanted to try humor writing or even if you’re just looking to try something new, this workshop will provide the crash course you need to get started.

>> JORDAN CHARLTON was born in Florida. His writing has been published in The Adroit Journal, Quarter After Eight, Ruminate, West Branch and elsewhere. He is a Pushcart Prize and Best New Poets nominee and former Associate Editor in Nonfiction for Prairie Schooner currently editing his debut poetry collection Slow Kill, which has been accepted for publication with Finishing Line Press in the Fall of 2024. 

>> JOE FROMLONGISLAND (he/him, b.1985) is a multidisciplinary artist.  He writes and performs poems, hosts events, and is the editor-in-chief of the periodical the heARTland dispatch, which currently circulates as a zine.  His work examines queer identity in the contemporary US, he also writes about his garden.  His latest obsession is Padam Padam (Extended Mix) by Kylie Minogue. Follow along at http://joefromlongisland.com.

>> EMILY ANDERSON (she/they) is corn born and holds an MA in English from the University of Nebraska at Omaha where she received The John J. McKenna Graduate Fellowship in Creative Nonfiction, as selected by guest judge Sue William Silverman. They currently teach writing to graduate, college, and high school students; emcee a surprising number of events for an introvert; and sling books at Dundee Book Company.

>> PAULA BELL began writing and performing Spoken Word poetry to cope with life's challenges, overcome shyness, manage fears, gain confidence and be an encouragement to others.

>> ZEDEKA POINDEXTER (she/her) is a North Omaha-born multi-talented and driven professional writer and performer with a robust account management and communications history. She holds a bachelor's degree in Communication from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In her work, Zedeka has built a historical record through poems and essays that draw on all five physical senses to connect with readers and listeners. By sharing stories of people in her community, she creates a relationship with her audience and guides them through the world as she sees and experiences it. Throughout her ten years of serving the NWC as a Teaching Artist, she has earned numerous awards and accolades such as Omaha Entertainment & Arts: Best Performance Poet, Amplify Arts: Public Impact Grant Recipient, The Union for Contemporary Art: Inside/Outside Fellowship Prize, Nebraska Arts Council: Artists In Schools Recipient, and much more.

>> RACHEL LUCK is an emerging nonfiction writer, poet, and graduate student from Omaha, Nebraska, pursuing her MA. She enjoys being a senior editor for The Linden Review and bringing the art of slam poetry into high school classrooms through teaching for the Nebraska Writers Collective.

>> SERENITY DOUGHERTY is an English Rhetoric and Composition PhD student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she is studying local stand-up comedy. She has been writing and performing stand-up for over a decade and has opened for touring comedians Rocky LaPorte, Sam Tallent, Reena Calm, and Nick Thune. She also runs Gender Fluids, a monthly comedy showcase at Omaha’s Blackstone Theatre that features comedians and comedy celebrating diverse gender expression across the spectrum, and Duffy’s Comedy Workshop, which is the longest running comedy open mic in the state of Nebraska.