Space is very limited; sign up now to reserve your spot. Send an email to janegordonjulien@gmail.com to register.
2022 Writing Workshops
Creative Writing 101: Starts in late February. Six weeks.
Tell a story. Learn craft. Explore your creativity.
Alone, writing can be hard. In the context of a writing community, you’ll find it far easier. This six-week craft class and writing workshop for beginning and intermediate writers will inspire you to get moving with your writing.
The workshop begins Monday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. Cost is $300; a non-refundable deposit of $150 holds your place.
Class sizes are limited, so sign up now. Meeting location to be determined depending on the spread of new variations of Covid.
Send an email to janegordonjulien@gmail.com to register.
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Advanced Creative Writing: Starts in early April. Six weeks.
You’ve started and stopped, started and stopped, and you’re struggling to maintain consistency and motivation in the fractured world we live in. Join this workshop, advance your craft, and commit to creating the work. The workshop begins Thursday, April 7, and runs for six weeks.
Cost is $300; a non-refundable deposit of $150 holds your place.
Class sizes are limited, so sign up now. Meeting location to be determined depending on the spread of new variations of Covid.
Send an email to janegordonjulien@gmail.com to register.
Let your creativity soar at one of our writing workshops! (All Workshops are online through Zoom)
Autumn 2021 Workshop Offerings
The Candlelight Writing Workshops kicks off its fall offerings with workshops for writers of all levels. Workshops provide inspiration, education, accountability and community. Join us!
Food Writing – A four-week workshop exploring a smorgasbord of ways to incorporate food into writing, from recipes to essays, to memoir and food blogging. Perhaps you have spent the long months of the pandemic cooking and baking. Maybe you have a drawerful of heirloom recipes and a head filled with memories that began at the family table. No previous writing experience necessary.
Space is limited. Held Mondays starting September. 27 at 6:30 p.m. TBD: Virtual or in-person. $160. Instructor: acclaimed food writer Beth Hillson.
Creative Writing – A six-week workshop for writers who wish to advance their skills. Move forward with your storytelling life. Whether it’s a fictional story or a factual rendering, now is the time to get it out of your head and onto the page. $300.
Begins September 15. Held Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Space is limited; register early. Location to be determined. $300. Instructor: Candlelight Writing Workshops founder Jane Gordon Julien.
Advanced Creative Writing – A five-week workshop for experienced writers working on a particular story. Held Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. beginning October 21. $250. Space is limited. Location TBD. Instructor: Jane Gordon Julien.
Beth Hillson has an MFA in creative nonfiction where her thesis was a food memoir, “Well-Fed, I Hungered for Love and Got Brisket.” She has been a food writer and food editor for many years, writing stories that appeared in The Hartford Courant, Yankee, Connecticut Magazine, and the Huffington Post. She is the author of four cookbooks.
Jane Gordon Julien is a career journalist and regular contributor to The New York Times, and winner of numerous awards from state and national press associations. She is the founder of Candlelight Writing Workshops, and also authors an award-winning blog: “Notes on Writing” at janegordonjulien.com. Her writing has appeared in the anthology, “Words Matter: Writing to Make a Difference”, Literary Mama, Newsday, NBC/Today, Northeast Magazine, and more.
The Candlelight Writing Workshops at the River Bend Bookshop is offering two workshops on Zoom in February and March for writers of any level. Workshops provide inspiration, education, accountability and community; join us! Space is very limited; sign up now to reserve your spot. email janegordonjulien@gmail.com.
(Mondays) Feb. 1 – March 8, 6 p.m.: Introduction to Creative Writing. A six-week craft class and workshop on Zoom for writers wishing to enhance their skills.
(Tuesdays) Feb. 2 – March 9: Advanced Creative Writing. A six-week craft class and workshop on Zoom for participants who have completed at least one introductory course in creative writing and who have the approval of the instructor. Class limited to six students. $300. This class is full. There is a waiting list.
(Tuesdays) March 30 – May 4, 6 p.m.: Build Your Story. Craft class and workshop on Zoom focusing on plot development, character creation, description and metaphor to support the narrative.
April – “Tell the Story You’ve Been Waiting to Tell” – a six-week workshop taught by Candlelight Writing Workshops founder Jane Gordon Julien. This workshop is online.
From Jane: “It’s time to stop waiting. Move forward with your storytelling life. Whether it’s a fictional story or a factual rendering, now is the time to get it out of your head and onto the page. For six Wednesdays: April 1, (no class April 8), April 15, April 22, April 29, May 6, and May 13, we will gather to push the boundaries of our writing lives – wherever they have been – into new realms. Space is limited. For writers of all skill levels. Cost: $240. Contact: janegordonjulien@gmail.com.
An essayist and journalist, Jane Gordon Julien is a longtime contributing writer for The New York Times. Her work has been published in magazines and newspapers throughout the nation, including the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Northeast Magazine, NBC/Today.com, and for the Associated Press and was recently included in the anthology, “Words Matter.” She has served as an adjunct journalism professor at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and a guest lecturer at the University of Connecticut. Jane holds a master’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College, where she was assistant editor at the literary journal Lumina, and a bachelor’s degree from the highly acclaimed University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.
May – “Write About Your Life” – a six-week online workshop taught by Candlelight Writing Workshops founder Jane Gordon Julien.
From Jane: “Select a life experience about which you want to write and get the help you need to articulate it clearly and compellingly. We will meet online through ZOOM for six Wednesdays: May 20, May 27, June 3, June 10, June 17, and June 24. Space is limited. For writers of all skill levels. Cost: $240. (This workshop includes a visit from Andrew Julien, publisher of The Hartford Courant. Andrew will talk about The Courant’s Sunday section, Insight, which encourages personal stories from readers.) Contact: janegordonjulien@gmail.com.
Registration for Fall Workshops…
Workshop: Creativity Through Writing: Finding your Voice through Storytelling
Workshop: The Art of Story Structure
Workshop: How to Submit for Publication & Manage Rejection
Here’s what happening this summer at the Candlelight Writing Workshops at River Bend:
Writers’ Accountability Group
Candlelight Writing Workshops and River Bend sponsor a Writers’ Accountability Group that meets regularly at the bookshop. The next meeting – our inaugural meeting – is 6:30PM on Monday, September 23. It’s free and open to all writers to share a few paragraphs of ongoing work.
Writers’ Social
For writers seeking support and a chance to meet other writers, the River Bend Bookshop and Candlelight Writers Workshops are co-hosting a writers’ social at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, November 6, at the book shop, located at 2217 Main St., Glastonbury. All are welcome! The events are free and open to the public, please RSVP on Facebook or by calling the shop.
Bring written work; we will pull three names out of a hat to read for three-five minutes each. Questions? Please call the book shop at 860-430-6608.
Writing Prompts
Candlelight Writing Workshops offers free weekly writing prompts. Go to Notes on Writing and challenge yourself.
Writing the Personal Essay
Learn to write a compelling personal essay
$75
If you have something you need to say but are unsure how to say it, the Candlelight Writing Workshops is offering a two-part essay-writing workshop on consecutive Thursdays, June 13 and June 20, beginning at 6:30 p.m., at the River Bend Bookshop, 2217 Main St., Glastonbury.
The personal essay offers one of the simplest paths to becoming a published writer. Numerous publications, including The Hartford Courant, are seeking to publish personal essays. The Hartford Courant’s publisher and editor-in-chief, Andrew Julien, will make a guest appearance to discuss the types of essays in which The Courant is interested.
To register:
email janegordonjulien@gmail.com
Wednesday Night Craft Class and Workshop: “Get Started and Keep Going: Creating a Writing Life” April 3 – May 22, 2019
