Looking for something to read during these fallow, sleepy holiday days? Arshia and Emily rounded up our favorite books of 2020 (note: this list will not necessarily include books that were published in 2020, but books that we happened to read during the year).
Read MoreMeet Rachel Simon, deputy editor of Hello Giggles and writer whose work has appeared in NBC News, the New York Times, Glamour, and many others. Rachel will be teaching our first ever Writing for the Internet class, in which students will workshop pitches and stories and will talk about publication, submission, and polishing their work.
Read MoreIt’s really easy to get into a negative headspace when it comes to creative writing. You set daily writing goals you don’t meet, you feel stalled out in a story, you feel overwhelmed by life—especially during these tumultuous times that give rise to troubling existential questions about whether art matters, about health and safety concerns, and political turmoil. So how do you keep writing?
Read MoreIf you’re new to Redbud, or new to our fiction offerings, look no further than Isabel Walsh’s Fiction I class, which starts next week! Isabel, an NC State MFA graduate and all-around wonderful writer and teacher, will be leading this Fiction I course on Zoom, on Monday nights. Read on to learn all about her!
Read MoreWe asked Melanie Tafejian, who will be teaching our new August class, “The Power of Food Imagery in Poetry,” about inspiration, recently read books, and for a sneak peak into the course. Melanie holds an MFA in Poetry from North Carolina State University where she won the 2020 North Carolina State Poetry Contest. Read on to find out what Melanie had to say on these topics and more!
Read MoreWe have an alternate plan to celebrate our March/April students: a Redbud chapbook. A chapbook, for those of you who may not know, is a hand-made book, usually 40 pages or less. We’ll be gathering poems, flash pieces, and brief excerpts of longer works from our students over the next few weeks; then we’ll assemble the books and ship them out.
Read MoreI know this is a tough time economically and emotionally for most, if not all of you, but we wanted to provide you with a round-up of organizations and funds in the area that have launched to help the artists and literati who are suffering from lost wages and opportunities during this period. If you can, please consider taking the money you’d spend on drinks and dining and fun and kicking a few dollars towards these fundraising efforts.
Read MoreToday, after much consideration, Arshia and I made the very difficult decision to move all of our Redbud classes online for at least the first few weeks of our March/April round.
Read MoreHi everyone! As you all know, coronavirus is rapidly becoming a concern throughout the United States, and many universities and other institutions are canceling or postponing events. We wanted to let our Redbuddies (as we call our Redbud community) that we’re aware of this situation and let you know what we’re thinking about in terms of contingency plans.
Read MoreWe asked Diana Fenves, who will be teaching Fiction I in Raleigh, about writing rituals, recently read books, and the revision process. Diana is a playwright and graduate of NC State’s MFA program. Read on to find out what Diana had to say on these topics and more!
Read MoreMemoir and Meditation?! That’s right! In our upcoming March/April round, we’ll be rolling out a new course that combines the traditional craft and workshopping of our Memoir I classes with meditation practice. Coming on board to teach this new offering is Andrea Rice, a former New York Times reporter and a current freelance writer and yoga instructor. We talked to Andrea about why meditation and memoir are a natural fit, what to expect from this class, her background in writing, her leash-trained cat, and more. Read on to learn all about her, and then sign up for the class, which starts at VAE Raleigh on Tuesday, March 17.
Read MoreWe’re so excited to welcome Duncan Murrell to Redbud! Duncan is an editor at Harper's Magazine, The Oxford American magazine, and The Normal School. He has also written for The Highline @ The Huffington Post, The New Republic, Men's Journal, Our State Magazine, and Southwest Magazine. His work has been recognized in Best American Essays and he holds a master’s in journalism and an MFA in fiction. Duncan will be teaching a class called Advanced Essay for us—this is a must-take if you’re interested in nonfiction. Read on to find out more!
Read MoreRaleigh poet Ina Cariño is the founder of Indigena, an ongoing reading series by and for people of color, queer people, and disabled people.
Read MoreThis week, we sat down with one of our fiction instructors, Shervon Cassim. Shervon teaches Fiction I and Fiction II for us, in addition to his role as assistant director to the NC State MFA program and his position as president of the North Carolina Writers Network’s board.
Read MoreWe asked Lucas Church, who will be teaching a Fiction I class for us at Epilogue books about writing rituals, recently read books, and the revision process. ead on to find out what Lucas had to say on these topics and more!
Read MoreWe’re offering our first-ever screenwriting/playwriting class starting in January 2020! We sat down with instructor Annie Sarac, who holds a playwriting MFA from UNLV and has had plays staged in Ohio, Nevada, and California, to find out more about her and this exciting new course.
Read MoreWe were thrilled to see a new bookstore open in Chapel Hill, especially one as stylish and welcoming as Epilogue—the pastries! the books! the murals! We’re excited to partner with them in the coming months: we’re hosting a literary trivia night at Epilogue on Friday, Dec. 13 and are hosting one of our six-week Fiction I workshops there starting in January. In advance of that, we wrote to Miranda and Jaime to learn a bit about how Epilogue came to be and their vision for the store going forward.
Read MoreToday, we are thankful for this Q&A with Sarah Ruiz, who will be teaching a class on productivity for us on December 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Quail Ridge Books. (Read more about the class and sign up here. Hurry! Early bird registration rates end November 30.) Sarah is an educator, writer, and mother, and one of the most productive people we know! We asked Sarah about her writing obsessions, her tips on how to write consistently, and more.
Read MoreBen Murphy teaches fiction and freshman composition at North Carolina State University, and is a graduate of the NC State MFA program. He’s going to be teaching our Fiction I class at Quail Ridge Books on Monday nights starting in January. We sat down to talk with Ben about his favorite authors, his teaching philosophy, and more.
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