Fiction Workshop: Writing the Present Day

A fiction workshop for writers setting stories or novels in the present day — specifically 2016–2026 — and wrestling with how to write about the recent past without losing literary edge.

How do you mention phones, Instagram, or television shows without pulling readers out of the story? How do you make the current moment a backdrop rather than a burden? Led by Maura Cheeks, owner of Liz's Book Bar and author of Acts of Forgiveness, the workshop draws on three contemporary novels — Ann Patchett's Whistler, Erin Somers' The Ten Year Affair, and Brandon Taylor's Minor Black Figures — as case studies. No prior reading required.

Part of the session is dedicated to helping attendees solve specific challenges in their own work.