Advanced Fiction

New to the festival for 2026, this Advanced Fiction Workshop is a limited-enrollment, full-day intensive session for serious emerging writers. Led by award-winning novelist and short story writer Dennis Bock, the workshop is designed to elevate your craft alongside a select group of dedicated peers. The morning begins with a deep dive into the art and practice of characterization. As Dennis notes, "Aspiring writers are often told that good prose shows and never tells. But how do you effectively show your protagonist's longing to revisit her past? How do you show nostalgia, envy, or love without resorting to obvious, purpose-driven dialogue or made-to-order backstory? What about awe, jealousy, or wonder-those powerful emotions that boil within us but hardly ripple the surface? Let's call these 'un-showable' emotions. We'll talk about truly getting to know your characters and how to make them real." Enriched by a reading from Ray Bradbury, the first half of the workshop continues with an exploration of plotting mechanics, and concludes with an examination of different narrative approaches to dealing with the crisis in your story. Come afternoon, the session shifts into an interactive workshop. In the weeks leading up to our meeting, participants will share a longer sample of their writing (up to 1,800 words). The group will workshop these pieces together, devoting roughly fifteen minutes of focused, constructive critique to each individual submission. Successful participants will exchange their 1,000-word submissions of their fellow students (maximum 12) in advance of the festival and will be expected to have read and prepared comments for each piece. This is an all day workshop, with a 90 minute lunch break.