With YA and advanced writing workshops in Makati this February, Women Writing encourages aspirants to nurture and share their craft
Novelist Annie Proulx once said, “You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page.”
Reading a good piece of writing often has the effect of bringing satisfaction, moving the spirit, and even making the eyes damp.
With workshops in Tagaytay and Makati last year, the highly successful Women Writing collective will be holding two workshops in February to kick off 2025, catering to young adult and advanced women writers.
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Why Ya? Exploring writing for young adults
The first workshop will center on writing for young adult literature. It will be held on Feb. 8, 2025, Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Conference Room of the 2/F Molave Building, 2231 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City.
The all-day workshop will include lectures, interviews with popular authors, and brainstorming sessions that explore the process behind the creatively written word.
The talks will include speakers such as award-winning YA authors Candy Gourlay and Dean Francis Alfar. Meanwhile, adolescent psychologist Dr. Liane Peña Alampay will delve into the internal worlds and psych profiles of young adults today.
Later in the afternoon, there will be a roundtable discussion with romance YA author Mae Coyiuto, sports specialist Gerry Los Baños, historical fiction author Joel Donato Ching Jacob, and LGBTQIA+ writer Ingrid Valenzuela. The roundtable will culminate with an open Q&A session with breakout groups to pitch and share ideas for stories.
To end the day, there will be a talk on the ins and outs of the book industry by Pumplepie Books & Happiness owner Alexine Parreño and her daughter Adriana.
You can secure your spot at the workshop for P7,500, with an early bird rate of P7,000 if you register by Jan. 15, 2025, or gather two friends and obtain the special group rate of P7,000 per person. Register from Jan. 8 to 31, 2025 on https://bit.ly/WW2025YA.
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“Then…Now…Later: Navigating Time In Prose”
The women writer’s workshop “Then…Now…Later: Navigating Time In Prose” will cater to writers with a few years of practicing the craft under their belt. The full-day event will be led by Reni Roxas, award-winning author, publisher, and editor in chief of Tahanan Books.
The craft workshop for intermediate and advanced women writers will be held on Feb. 22, 2025, Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m. at the same venue: Conference Room, 2/F Molave Building, 2231 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City.
The workshop will explore the elastic properties of time in the written story. The five-hour class is for fiction, memoir, and creative nonfiction writers with at least two years of writing experience.
Through lectures, story analysis, discussions, and writing exercises, participants will learn how to uniquely pace, give momentum, and establish structure to narratives that move the reader in the way they intend to. Those who join will be given reading assignments before class.
Each class will have a maximum of only 12 students. Book your spot now on https://bit.ly/WW2025febworkshop. The last day of registration is Jan. 31, 2025. The registration fee is P4,000 with light snacks and beverages.
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Anaïs Nin once said, “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
At a time when Filipinos are reading less than before, the Women Writing Collective is helping transform and cultivate the craft of writing. Beyond stress relief and improved memory, storytelling helps us step into others’ shoes, and develop empathy and connection.
Through these February workshops, Women Writing is not just going beyond the technical lessons of the craft but is also building a community of voices that will help keep the magic of stories in the country thriving.
For inquiries, contact [email protected] or check their Facebook or Instagram.
