Community Writing Workshop (2025 AFS Annual Meeting)

Description

The Creative Writing and Storytelling Section and the Independent Folklorists Section present The Troubling Intersection of Past and Present: A Place-based Creative Writing Workshop Come write at the Wren’s Nest! The Wren’s Nest is the museum home of Joel Chandler Harris, a 19th C folklorist and journalist best known for authoring the Uncle Remus tales. 

The Wren’s Nest is located in the historic West End neighborhood of Atlanta, a place known for its culture, diversity, and evolution. This three hour workshop offers an engaging experience of writing in place by drawing upon theories of experiential learning and poetic practices. Participants will broaden their imaginations through exercises in layered observation, historical complexity, personal reflection, and generative writing, all while immersing themselves in the Wren’s Nest house and West End community. 

A special feature of the experience is a brief tour, taste, and talk with the owners of Portrait Coffee, a coffee roaster and shop located across the street. The workshop is generative and designed for writers and creators of any genre, such as poetry, storytelling, fiction, journalism, and academic writing. It is accessible to various levels of experience, from novice writers to published professionals. Illustrators may also flex their drawing muscles. The session ends with a celebratory and voluntary sharing of works created during the workshop. The aim is for participants to explore place, gain community, and ultimately, experience their own degree of personal transformation. 

Details: Coffee, beverages, and lunch will be provided. The Wren’s Nest is an accessible space, and there is on-site parking available. Transportation is on your own. We encourage you to carpool, as possible; we will provide a list of registrants to facilitate communication. 

Registration is capped at 25, and is available on a first come, first served basis, to allow for a quality experience for all participants. Registration deadline is October 8, to allow us to plan for the space and catering. Registration: $30, which includes the workshop, coffee/beverages, and lunch. A limited number of scholarships is available on a first-come, first-served basis. We will be contacting those who register with more details about lunch. 

Participants will receive a handout tailored to this workshop. Please bring your preferred writing implements: notebook/journal, pens/pencils, laptop or tablet. Participants should wear comfortable shoes and weather appropriate clothing. During the exploration phase of the workshop, walking in the neighborhood outside of the Wren’s Nest is encouraged, but optional. Individuals may choose how they wish to explore the location. 

Questions? Please contact Creative Writing and Storytelling Convener, Laura Marcus Green at CWST.Section@afsnet.org.

Workshop leader: Eder J. Williams-McKnight is an educator and poet who elevates deep learning and transformational experiences. She is the Creative in Residence at the Klingenstein Center of Teachers College, Columbia University. Her work in education has included leading change in schools, competency based learning, experience-based learning, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and civic engagement. As a poet, she has been published in original art books and has collaborated with visual and dance artists to create multimedia works. Williams-McKnight’s intellectual pursuits center on the power of the poetic lens to illuminate our understanding of place, individuals, systems, and the self, thereby unlocking pathways to authentic connection, meaningful service, and profound impact.