Workshops

Current workshops

Please check back soon for information on upcoming courses.

Past workshops

  • Authors Publish

    A four-week course wherein we study work from a wide range of narrative traditions, engage in discussions with our peers, participate in writing exercises, read each others’ work, and talk about different approaches to craft.

    • Receive personal feedback on your writing every week

    • Read work from innovative writers such as Kelly Link, China Miéville, Charles Yu, and more

    • Receive guidance on the publication process

  • Authors Publish

    A one-week short story workshop wherein we read and and provide feedback on each other’s work.

    • Daily writing exercises

    • Daily lectures on craft

    • One round of feedback from your peers

    • Two rounds of feedback from myself

  • 8-Week Novella Writing Course

    April 10 - May 5 2023 w/ Authors Publish

    • A course in which we will start and complete an 80-page manuscript within the span of 8 weeks. Each week, you will:

    • Read excerpts from a wide selection of novellas.

    • Be provided with daily  lessons and exercises designed to help you think about different approaches to craft, as well as experiment with new possibilities of form and structure.

    • Receive personal feedback.

    • Attend weekly Zoom meetings where we will discuss our progress with our classmates, learn more about the novella form, and participate in writing exercises. Our two guest visitors for this course will be Ali Raz and Christoph Paul.

    • Have the chance to participate in live “write togethers” with the entire class.

    • Learn more about indie presses and publications.

  • Writing the Impossible: One-Day Experimental Workshop

    In this 3 hour workshop, students will learn about differing approaches to experimental writing, as well as write their own impossible stories.

    Details

    Students will study past and present examples of experimental literature that disobey the “rules” of fiction-writing taught within the Western narrative tradition, and develop new meanings as to what constitutes a story. We will examine different elements of experimental fiction craft, such as plot, characterization, form, and structure. At the end, we will write our own "plotless" or “non-narrative” stories, as well as learn about publishing opportunities for our work.

Reviews

  • Daisuke Shen’s fiction intensive workshop was inspiring, informative and enjoyable.

    Under Daisuke’s moderation, the group developed excellent chemistry; each day was rich with new insights. One of the hallmarks of an excellent workshop is when everyone learns even when another person’s work is under discussion. That was the case every day in Daisuke’s workshop. In addition, Daisuke’s lecture and discussion materials presented a wonderfully nuanced vision of what a story can be. I truly appreciated this divergence from conventional—often cookie-cutter—approaches to teaching the story. Highly recommended.

    GREG MILLER, Editor of RJ Magazine, Nevada’s Outstanding Journalist 2011, former staff writer for Russia’s Moscow Times, and editor of Vegas Seven Magazine (Winner of 2014 General Excellence Award)

  • I really enjoyed the course, the discussions, and Daisuke's style of teaching.

    Daisuke is kind, crazy supportive, and genuinely interested in not only making us better writers but also supporting our process, dealing with our neuroses, and providing feedback on our weekly assignments. I plan on taking another course with Daisuke. When someone does not meet your expectations but makes you so happy to realize that your expectations were so limited and limiting to begin with...what more could you ask for in a course?

    LINDA GOULD, Editor of White Enso Journal, host of Kaidankai: Ghost and Supernatural Stories, and author of The Diamond Tree

  • Great opportunity for authors to grow

    I entered this course having little experience in short story writing. So not only did it broaden my understanding of the genre of sci-fi and speculative fiction, it also helped me develop as a short story writer. The works we read were varied. I especially appreciate our instructor, Daisuke Shen, introducing us to works by Latin American, African, and Asian authors, and providing in depth insights into how speculative fiction is woven into this literature and has evolved over time. We were fortunate to have students who had extensive writing experience, themselves. The online discussions contributed much to the course. Most important were the four short story writing assignments, and the encouraging, on point comments and editorial advice that Daisuke gave on each of the assignments. I can only speak for myself, but I felt growth as a writer with each assignment. While it was challenging to have to write a new story in relatively short time, it was also fun and exhilarating, and the instructor’s feedback inspired more progress.

    ROBERT K.

  • This fiction intensive was a welcome respite at a time when the world felt hectic.

    Having the dedicated time and space to focus on a workshop, with writing exercises and lectures, with likeminded individuals who were there to improve their writing was an excellent investment. Daisuke is a wise instructor, thoughtful, informed, a brilliant writer with a discerning eye as a workshop leader — I could go on and on about the positive things about Daisuke and this class. However, the best thing you could do in signing up for this course is to enjoy the journey you will take with fellow writers, your work, Daisuke, and yourself. Thank you.

    NICOLE B.

  • This is the best AP class I've ever taken.

    The best part of the class was it was interactive and came to know our cohort of people over 2.5 hours of every day of every week. Daisuke is an expert at their craft, and generous with the materials that they shares with us. The format of the class was equally divided to pay attention to all parts of fiction writing and a significant amount of time was given to workshopping our piece. They arrange author talks and hence widen our perspectives and our possibilities to an infinite scale. Thank you Daisuke and Authors Publish.

    R. IYER