Poetry Workshop with Evie Shockley: (Not) Narrative Poetry

This workshop will ask us to question and discuss what we mean by "narrative poetry," what draws some poets into "story" and what leads other poets to lean instead into observation, ideas, and language as approaches to writing that don't require a particular "lyric-I" (whether poet or persona).  What possibilities open up when we turn away from recounting events, and turn towards poems that are primarily and deeply attentive to the (tangible or sensed) world around us, or are critically interrogating "the way things are," or are investigating the ways words, syntax, and other structures of thought shape our perceptions?  Or if narrative is too integral to our poetics to move away from, what happens when we set aside linearity, motivation, epiphany, and other narrative conventions, in favor of stories that require the reader to move around in space and time without compass or clock, to think about what cannot be told, or to help create the tale?  Our time will be spent reading and discussing poems of others, and writing and discussing our own fresh drafts.

Submission Guidelines

Use this submission form if you are not applying for a TCLF Full Scholarship. You may submit here and in the full scholarship form to be considered for both categories.

Submit up to 10 pages of poetry, with one poem per page, in a standard, legible font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.). Your work may be published or unpublished, as you will be able to submit a different manuscript for the workshop upon acceptance.

Please do not put your name in the text or file name of your document, as submissions will be read anonymously by our screeners.

Poetry Workshop with Evie Shockley: (Not) Narrative Poetry

This workshop will ask us to question and discuss what we mean by "narrative poetry," what draws some poets into "story" and what leads other poets to lean instead into observation, ideas, and language as approaches to writing that don't require a particular "lyric-I" (whether poet or persona).  What possibilities open up when we turn away from recounting events, and turn towards poems that are primarily and deeply attentive to the (tangible or sensed) world around us, or are critically interrogating "the way things are," or are investigating the ways words, syntax, and other structures of thought shape our perceptions?  Or if narrative is too integral to our poetics to move away from, what happens when we set aside linearity, motivation, epiphany, and other narrative conventions, in favor of stories that require the reader to move around in space and time without compass or clock, to think about what cannot be told, or to help create the tale?  Our time will be spent reading and discussing poems of others, and writing and discussing our own fresh drafts.

Submission Guidelines

You may only receive a TCLF Full Scholarship once. If you have previously received a TCLF Full Scholarship, you may only apply to the conference using the general application form.

Use this submission form if you are applying for a TCLF scholarship (covers tuition, room, and board). Full scholarships cover housing and board and are available to Transylvania County residents, merit-based applicants, and need-based applicants. All scholarships are provided by the Transylvania County Library Foundation. If you wish, you may submit here and in the regular form to be considered for both categories.

Submit up to 10 pages of poetry, with one poem per page, in a standard, legible font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.). Your work may be published or unpublished, as you will be able to submit a different manuscript for the workshop upon acceptance.

Please do not put your name in the text or file name of your document, as submissions will be read anonymously by our screeners.

Creative Nonfiction Workshop with Eula Biss:

Stranger in the Village

This generative workshop will explore the rich tradition of essayists who find themselves strangers in a strange land. We’ll investigate a wide range of stylistic and formal approaches through close studies of work by Aminatta Forna, James Baldwin, Teju Cole, and Lina Ferreira Cabeza-Venegas, among others. Examining the internal architecture of these essays will help us understand how writers ground abstract issues of inequity and injustice in the physicality of a particular place or a series of places. We’ll discuss ethical hazards, including how to responsibly write about a place where you are a cultural outsider, as well as questions of craft. Each of our sessions will include both close reading exercises and writing exercises, as well as guidance on how to expand those exercises and build a fully fledged essay.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Use this submission form if you are not applying for a TCLF scholarship. You may submit here and in the TCLF scholarship form to be considered for both categories.      Submit up to 20 double-spaced pages of an essay or memoir excerpt, or multiple shorter essays, in a standard, legible font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.). Your work may be published or unpublished, as you may submit a different manuscript for the workshop upon acceptance.       Please do not put your name in the text or file name of your document, as submissions will be read anonymously by our screeners.

Creative Nonfiction Workshop with Eula Biss: 

Stranger in the Village

This generative workshop will explore the rich tradition of essayists who find themselves strangers in a strange land. We’ll investigate a wide range of stylistic and formal approaches through close studies of work by Aminatta Forna, James Baldwin, Teju Cole, and Lina Ferreira Cabeza-Venegas, among others. Examining the internal architecture of these essays will help us understand how writers ground abstract issues of inequity and injustice in the physicality of a particular place or a series of places. We’ll discuss ethical hazards, including how to responsibly write about a place where you are a cultural outsider, as well as questions of craft. Each of our sessions will include both close reading exercises and writing exercises, as well as guidance on how to expand those exercises and build a fully fledged essay.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

You may only receive a TCLF Scholarship once. If you have previously received a TCLF scholarship, you may only apply to the conference using the general application form.

Use this submission form if you are applying for a TCLF scholarship (covers tuition, room and board). Full scholarships are available to Transylvania County residents, merit-based applicants, and need-based applicants. All scholarships are provided by the Transylvania County Library Foundation. If you wish, you may submit here and in the general form to be considered for both categories.

Submit up to 20 double-spaced pages of an essay or memoir excerpt, or multiple shorter essays, in a standard, legible font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.). Your work may be published or unpublished, as you may submit a different manuscript for the workshop upon acceptance.

Please do not put your name in the text or file name of your document, as submissions will be read anonymously by our screeners.

Fiction Workshop with Deesha Philyaw: 

Playing with Form and Place in Fiction

Serious writers are playful writers! The writing life demands resilience, but sometimes writers find themselves unsure of how to keep moving forward through a story, or through the concerns that loom large in the world beyond our keyboards. One solution: Play! Through readings and writing exercises, we’ll experiment with form and focus on place to uncover more about our characters and their stories. During the workshop exercises, I invite you to write with your existing characters and their stories in mind, generate new characters and stories, or both. Although we’ll share and discuss our experiments, this is a generative workshop with a focus on discovery rather than critique. We will share the products of our experiments (the writing) as well as the processes that guided our explorations. 

Submission Guidelines

Use this submission form if you are not applying for a TCLF Full Scholarship. You may submit here and in the full scholarship form to be considered for both categories.

Submit up to 20 double-spaced pages of a short story or novel excerpt, or multiple shorter stories, in a regular font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.). Your work may be published or unpublished, as you may submit a different manuscript for the workshop upon acceptance.

Please do not put your name in the text or file name of your document, as submissions will be read anonymously by our screeners.

Fiction Workshop with Deesha Philyaw: 

Playing with Form and Place in Fiction

Serious writers are playful writers! The writing life demands resilience, but sometimes writers find themselves unsure of how to keep moving forward through a story, or through the concerns that loom large in the world beyond our keyboards. One solution: Play! Through readings and writing exercises, we’ll experiment with form and focus on place to uncover more about our characters and their stories. During the workshop exercises, I invite you to write with your existing characters and their stories in mind, generate new characters and stories, or both. Although we’ll share and discuss our experiments, this is a generative workshop with a focus on discovery rather than critique. We will share the products of our experiments (the writing) as well as the processes that guided our explorations.

Submission Guidelines

You may only receive a TCLF Full Scholarship once. If you have previously received a TCLF Full Scholarship, you may only apply to the conference using the general application form.

Use this submission form if you are applying for a TCLF scholarship (covers tuition, room and board). Full scholarships are available to Transylvania County residents, merit-based applicants, and need-based applicants. All scholarships are provided by the Transylvania County Library Foundation. If you wish, you may submit here and in the general form to be considered for both categories.

Submit up to 20 double-spaced pages of a short story or novel excerpt, or multiple shorter stories, in a regular font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.). Your work may be published or unpublished, as you may submit a different manuscript for the workshop upon acceptance.

Please do not put your name in the text or file name of your document, as submissions will be read anonymously by our screeners.

Submission Requirements and Guidelines

Use this submission form if you are an undergraduate student currently enrolled at Brevard College and are applying for a Brevard College Scholarship to attend the 2027 LGRWC. 

Full scholarships that cover tuition, housing, and board are available to current Brevard College students and are provided by Brevard College.

If you are a Brevard College student and have previously received a scholarship to attend the LGRWC, you are ineligible to apply. 

Submit up to 20 double-spaced pages of fiction or creative nonfiction or 10 pages of poetry, with one poem per page, in a regular, legible font. Your work may be published or unpublished, as you may submit a different manuscript for the workshop upon acceptance.

Please do not put your name in the text or file name of your document, as submissions will be read anonymously by our screeners.

If you are a currently enrolled student at Brevard College, you may apply to serve as a Student Assistant for the 2027 Looking Glass Rock Writers' Conference using this portal.

This is an excellent opportunity for students from all majors to gain experience with administrative work, event planning, public relations, nonprofit work, design skills, literary community-building, public speaking, and interpersonal skills.

Applicants should have strong organizational and communication skills, preferably have a driver's license, and be willing to become BC car and van certified if 21 years old or older.

This is a paid position, with payment received after the completion of the 2023 LGRWC.

Student Assistant duties include:

• Assisting in the planning and organization of the LGRWC
• Creating content and running social media platforms for the LGRWC (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
• Meeting regularly with the Conference Director during the academic year
• Staying with participants in Stanback Hall for the duration of the 2026 LGRWC (May 14-17, 2026) and assisting with tasks during the conference, which may include driving faculty and participants, shuttles, set-up and take-down, etc.

Expected workload is 2-4 hours per week for the 2025-2026 academic year (November 2025 - May 2026) and for the entire duration of the conference (May 14-17 2026), arriving a day prior (May 13) to assist with set-up.

To apply, submit the following:

• Current resumé or CV (includes contact information for two references)
• Cover letter that discusses your interest and qualifications for the position

Up to four students may be selected for this position.

Want to learn more? Email your questions to Dr. Alyse Bensel at benselak@brevard.edu or lgrwc@brevard.edu.