Registration now open for LAR’s Winter Workshops

The editors of LAR are pleased to announce our two winter workshops, beginning January 3, 2011. In addition to our popular Poetry Workshop with Tanya Chernov, we’re excited to introduce the first of our Book Review Writing workshops with Joe Ponepinto.  Learn more below, but hurry, because registration closes December 27.

LAR Winter Book Review Workshop with  Editor Joe Ponepinto

Though often overlooked in literary journals, the book review can be an artistic endeavor of its own, employing language and themes that rival the best of prose, whether non-fiction or fiction. The modern book review not only examines the book in question, it connects the work to literary traditions and discerns its place in art and society—and book reviews are among the fastest avenues to publishing credits in the literary world.

This workshop is intended for writers who not only love a good read, but also enjoy analyzing a book for the author’s ability and intentions. It is designed for writers who understand the tremendous research and thought that goes into a successful book, and want to relate that process for readers, helping them decide whether to read it for themselves. This four-week online class will include writing exercises and critique sessions, and concentrates on the belle-lettres style of reviewing.

About the workshop leader: Joe Ponepinto is the Book Reviews Editor for The Los Angeles Review. His reviews and fiction have appeared in our journal, as well as in varoius other literary journals across the country. He is a former newspaper editor and holds an MFA in Creative Writing.

Dates: January 3 to January 28

Cost: $150, includes our texts for the class, The Los Angeles Review issues 7 and 8.

How to apply for this workshop: Email lareview.bookreviews@gmail.com with a brief writing sample. Please include “Winter Workshop” in the subject line of your email.

Application Deadline: December 27, 2010.

LAR Winter Poetry Workshop with Editor Tanya Chernov

This workshop is intended for people who want to jump-start their poetry practice and to keep the engine oiled. You’ll do plenty of writing and reading, and have lively discussions  about both the craft and the process of poetry. The weekly homework assignments (workshopped the following week) are designed to provide fresh angles of approach that can surprise–even startle–both the writer and his/her readers. As writers, we all get stuck in ruts, and this workshop will offer ways of digging ourselves out, whether we use these strategies to simply get started at writing or to revise a particularly challenging poem.

The class is suitable for a wide spectrum of poets. The focus of the class is generative: to get everybody going and excited about doing new work, to take away strategies that can help with their current and future writing–and to have a great time while we’re at it.

About the workshop leader: Tanya’s poetry has been published all over the literary map, ranging from experimental forms to traditional, from literary narratives to imaginative farces. Tanya holds an MFA in poetry from Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, and serves as both the Poetry Editor and Translation Editor for The Los Angeles Review.

Dates: January 3 to January 28

Cost: $150, includes our texts for the class, The Los Angeles Review issues 7 and 8.

How to apply for this workshop: Email lareview.poetry@gmail.com with a brief writing sample. Please include “Winter Workshop” in the subject line of your email.

Application Deadline: December 27, 2010

*Please note that these are online workshops, and are most suitable for participants who are comfortable using and interacting in an online environment.