The Kansas City Public Library is launching a series of online writing classes developed for beginning and intermediate-level writers interested in developing their writing skills for personal reasons or to help advance their careers.

Taught by Lynn Snyder and Shannon Moran, graduate students in the University of Missouri-Kansas City MFA Program in Creative Writing program, the courses are: Writing Found Poems, Writing for Change, Personal Writing in Unprecedented Times, and Adventures in Creative Writing.

Each is offered online via Zoom. RSVPs are required using the links below. Space is limited, and students will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Writing Found Poems

Wednesdays, October 7 through October 28

6-8 p.m.

Participants will write a poem each week, adapting words written by someone else to give them new meaning and insight. The interplay between the source and the new poem adds another layer of meaning.

More information  |  RSVP

Writing for Change

Tuesdays and Thursdays, October 6 through October 27

7-8:15 p.m.

These are unique and trying times. Nonetheless, they offer opportunity and potential for change. Participants will learn how writing a vision, mission, and values (V/M/V) statement can empower them to see the new possibilities.

More information  |  RSVP

Adventures in Creative Writing

Mondays and Wednesdays, October 5 through October 26

4-5:15 p.m.

Designed for middle and high school students, this course focuses on the basics of writing -- character development, dialogue, image crafting, structure, point of view, and artful language choice -- through careful reading, analysis, discussion, and practice.

More information  |  RSVP

Personal Writing in Unprecedented Times

Mondays and Wednesdays, October 5 through October 20

5:30-6:45 p.m.

Participants will learn to think about their own unique perspective and what that can lend to the world of creating writing. The course focuses on three genres of creative nonfiction: prose poem, personal essay, and memoir or micro-memoir.

More information  |  RSVP

Courses are made possible by proceeds from the 2019 Writers for Readers fundraising event.

A special, online 2020 Writers for Readers fundraiser will be held Thursday, October 29. The event features New York Times national correspondent John Eligon, National Book Award finalist Sarah Smarsh, and UMKC professor Whitney Terrell in a discussion of the 2020 election.

Your support enables a graduate student to teach writing classes at the Library and assist in planning for a new literary award and citywide book festival. Purchase tickets at writersforreaders2020.eventbrite.com.