We are thrilled to once again offer a live Zoom class for Writing for Animals, beginning March 2! We wanted to share a little bit about what you’ll be learning … as well as share some news and successes of our wonderful Writing for Animals alumni.
This four-week class features lectures, discussions, writing prompts, readings, and assignments aimed to get you started (or to keep you going) on your own writing projects. We’ll talk about the history of animal literature and also focus on elements of craft specific to writing empathically and authentically for animals. We’ll also talk about the myriad ways to approach publishing your animal-themed work.
In Writing for Animals, you’ll learn…
- How animal literature has evolved over the past hundred years and where it is headed
- What anthropomorphism is and how to address it through your writing
- How to give voices to animals while honoring their true voices
- How to create characters that pull readers in and open minds and hearts
- How to navigate the publishing industry, with a focus on animal writing
And when you finish the class, you’ll be part of an alumni network that receives discounts on ACP merch, invitations to special events, and exclusive W4A e-news. Here’s what a few of our alumni have to say about Writing for Animals…
“John and Midge are knowledgeable, positive, and generous. Their class is one part support group, one part craft lesson, one part animal education, and one part industry talk.”
— Heather Marie Spitzberg
“Writing for Animals is an excellent online course for anyone, no matter at what level of writing, to benefit from the wisdom and experience of two professional publishers and writers.”
— Gregory F. Tague, Ph.D., professor, departments of Literature, Writing and Publishing/Interdisciplinary Studies, St. Francis College, N.Y.
“This class is fantastic. It changed my writing and I sold my novel afterwards!”
— Sharon J. Wishnow, author of The Pelican Tide
Here are a few more recent accomplishments of our W4A alumni…
- Kathleen Laufenberg’s story “Happy Thanksgiving” won the Montana Prize for Humor in Fiction, judged by Garrison Keillor, and was published in the Whitefish Review.
- Veronica Noechel’s poem, “Four Legs Will Always Be Faster Than Two” was broadcast on Illinois Public Radio.
- Nona Schrader’s novel Aqua, a young adult environmental fantasy, is available from All Things That Matter Press.
- Nadja Lubiw-Hazard is an especially prolific alum! Her short story “The Things We Left Behind” was published in Plenitude Magazine; her story “Captive,” about a polar bear in a tropical zoo, was published in About Place Journal; and her story “Taken” was published in Honeyguide. In addition, Nadja received the 2021 Siskiyou Prize for her story collection THE LIFE OF A CREATURE, chosen by Deb Olin Unferth.
If you have any questions about the class, feel free to reach out to us anytime. We hope to see you in March!
Midge Raymond is a co-founder of Ashland Creek Press. She is the author of the novels Floreana and My Last Continent, the award-winning short story collection Forgetting English, and, with John Yunker, the suspense novel Devils Island.
