The Waldo Branch will be open for hold pickups only Monday, December 9 through Thursday, January 2 due to branch upgrades.
Library Launches 2023 Season of Writing Workshops
Friday, February 24, 2023
The Kansas City Public Library launches a new season of its popular classes for beginning and intermediate-level writers interested in developing their writing skills over a variety of genres and topics.
These online classes are taught by graduate students in the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s MFA Program in Creative Writing and include courses like the basics of food and movie reviewing, which will make your opinions shine whether you’re posting them on Facebook, Yelp, or Letterboxd or want to pitch your work to a print publication.
Space is limited; details for sessions are at the links below.
Write Your Story for the Big – or Small – Screen
Mondays, 6 - 8 p.m.
Online
Learn to write a professional-level screenplay for adaptation in any format, from feature films to YouTube shorts and TikTok videos. The three-week course covers industry-standard script format, dramatic structure, and strategies for writing screenplays that connect with audiences.
Online
Learn to write a professional-level screenplay for adaptation in any format, from feature films to YouTube shorts and TikTok videos. The three-week course covers industry-standard script format, dramatic structure, and strategies for writing screenplays that connect with audiences.
- February 27: Learn industry-standard script format and how it applies to telling a story.
- March 6: Learn about dramatic structure for various formats, from short videos to feature films.
- March 13: Learn to apply skills from the course to strategize script writing that will connect with audiences.
Writing Food and Drink Reviews: From Yelp to Magazines
Wednesdays, 6 - 8 p.m.
Online
Whatever your writing aspirations or current skill level, this four-week course teaches you the basics of engaging, entertaining, and informative food writing – because some meals are just so good, or bad, that you’ve got to say something.
Maybe you want to warn others about a gristly steak through a review on a platform like Yelp. Or maybe you want to shout a soup’s praises in a blog post or on Facebook. Maybe still, you’d like to try your hand at food writing for publication in a magazine. This course discusses the logistics and ethics of food and drink writing, provides an overview of the genre’s conventions, and examines award-winning examples. Give and receive feedback on classroom works and write one polished review.
Online
Whatever your writing aspirations or current skill level, this four-week course teaches you the basics of engaging, entertaining, and informative food writing – because some meals are just so good, or bad, that you’ve got to say something.
Maybe you want to warn others about a gristly steak through a review on a platform like Yelp. Or maybe you want to shout a soup’s praises in a blog post or on Facebook. Maybe still, you’d like to try your hand at food writing for publication in a magazine. This course discusses the logistics and ethics of food and drink writing, provides an overview of the genre’s conventions, and examines award-winning examples. Give and receive feedback on classroom works and write one polished review.
- March 1: This session covers conventions of the genre, basic writing, effective and ineffective reviews, and how to write a first draft.
- March 8: Participants discuss the ethics and etiquette of writing fair reviews, examine examples, complete writing exercises, and go over drafts as a group.
- March 15: The class instructor discusses basic rhetoric, offers examples of how rhetoric is used in food writing and how you can use it. Students engage in writing exercises and review one another’s drafts.
- March 22: Learn about available publishing options like Yelp and other websites, blogs, periodicals, and social media platforms, as well as how to use them. The instructor discusses building a portfolio, re-emphasizes key points from earlier sessions, and reviews final student drafts.
This year’s lineup will also include basic courses in professional writing (encompassing cover letters, resumes, and LinkedIn profiles), and how to write a personal essay or family history. These sessions will be coming soon.