As part of the Fiction Writing Course, we also host separate writing workshops - a space for emerging and developing writers to share their work, receive constructive feedback, and see their texts through the eyes of other readers.

The workshops are open not only to participants of the Fiction Writing Course. You can join them separately even if you are not attending the main course.

Throughout the course, we discuss structure, character, voice, scene, and other tools of writing, but it quickly becomes clear that theory alone is not enough. Writing develops through regular work on your own text, close reading of other people’s work, and conversations about what is actually working on the page and what still needs attention. This is exactly what the workshops are for.

They offer a chance to test a text with readers, hear different interpretations, notice things that may already be difficult for the author to see, and better understand how the work might develop further. For listeners, the workshop is also a form of practice: reading closely and discussing someone else’s text helps you recognize techniques, choices, and problems in your own writing.

Participants can join in one of two formats:

• Author - submits a fragment of their work in advance and receives feedback during the workshop.
• Listener - reads the participants’ texts in advance and contributes comments and observations during the discussion.

At each workshop, up to three participants will be able to present their texts. The submitted fragment should be up to 5,000 words or 1-3 chapters ending at a natural stopping point.

To present your work at the workshop, please upload your text to the relevant Google Drive folder at least 2 days before the session. 

Participants are also expected to read the other submitted texts in advance.

During the workshop, authors will receive feedback from the instructor and the group. Along with the text, you can also include a few questions or comments about the aspects you would especially like the discussion to focus on.

Who it is for: emerging and developing writers working on novels, short stories, plays, or screenplays; literature enthusiasts and students of literature, as well as those interested in film and theatre.

Zhandos Azerbay is a poet and writer. His first novel, published under a pseudonym, was shortlisted for the Launch Pad Prose Competition and longlisted for the Somerset Book Award for Literary and Contemporary Fiction. His poetry has appeared in The Fiddlehead and Rattle.

Workshop language: English
Language of submitted texts: English or Russian

Participation fee

Author - 8,000 KZT
Listener - 4,000 KZT

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