creative writing workshops
-

The Rumpus Mini-Interview Project: Felicia Rose Chavez
“Listening is the first and most important step to maintaining a storytelling tradition.”
-

Knowing-Not-Knowing: A Conversation with Hannah Ensor
Hannah Ensor discusses her debut poetry collection, LOVE DREAM WITH TELEVISION.
-

The Importance of Diversity in Workshop
Workshop can be a stressful experience for anyone, but it can be especially stressful for a person of color. Matthew Salesses wrote this piece for NPR, highlighting the importance of making the workshop a safe space for everyone.
-

The Rumpus Interview with Debra Dean
Author Debra Dean discusses the thin line between fiction and autobiography and how she became a writer after a career onstage.
-

Don’t Let the Other Voices Get Too Loud
Before Leslie Jamison was a New York Times bestseller, she was a student at Iowa Writers’ Workshop. In an interview with The Millions, Jamison said she has “a lot of faith and trust in the workshop process,” but this doesn’t…
-

Some Tips for Emily Dickinson
We’ve all heard stories of publishing houses unwittingly rejecting future classics or bestsellers—most recently the detective novel J. K. Rowling wrote under a pseudonym. But have you ever wondered how your favorite authors would fare in a writing workshop? Jayne…
-

To Teach Or Not to Teach?
The ever-contentious subject of teaching creative writing is up for discussion. You can teach the elements, but there are always the “intangibles that cannot be taught.” Roxane Gay is inciting a discussion on HTMLGiant, laying some foundation for all of…
-

The Blurb #14: The Land of Underwater Birds
What makes a good title? The Great Gatsby is one for the ages—but it wasn’t Fitzgerald’s idea. He wanted to call his novel Trimalchio in West Egg, which sounds like something Dr. Seuss dreamed up for The Playboy Channel.
-

Can Creative Writing Be Taught?
I’ll hazard a guess and say that the majority of people who contribute to and work on the Rumpus have some sort of writing degree or are pursuing one, and yet there’s a surprising amount of debate as to just…