Greetings from your friendly WisCon Workshop team! Did you know that in addition to the dozens of fantastic panels that are offered at WisCon each year, there are oh so many chances for you to indulge your creativity? This year, we are offering a variety of critique sessions, workshops, and open salons. Some of these have an upcoming deadline (April 25th!) and require signups, but others are very much a drop-in. To learn more the various workshops and critique sessions, click here, or read below to find out about our offerings this year. If you’re interested in signing up, email workshop@wiscon.net!

Critique Sessions

The deadline for critique sessions is April 25, 2018. Critique sessions take place on Friday morning, scheduled from 9am to noon. See here for instructions on what to send as part of your signup email! This year’s amazing critique session facilitators are:

For short stories:

• Vylar Kaftan
• Charlie Jane Anders
• Eugene Fischer

For novellas:

• Nino Cipri

 

For novels:

• JoSelle Vanderhooft

Special Sessions

But wait, there’s more! Our special sessions are pretty great this year. Some require signing up ahead of time; others will be open for drop-ins.

First, our salons!

These salons are open sessions and will be led by facilitators who can offer advice and hands-on assistance whether you’re a beginner or just looking for a space to get some work done. These will be in the schedule once it’s out, so don’t forget to look!

• Knitting and Fiber Salon
• Morning and Evening Writing Salons
• WisCon Workshops Mixer — meet and greet with your fellow creatives!

Reserved Workshops

These sessions require sign up prior to the workshop. Sign ups for these workshops are open until May 21 or until all slots are filled. Email workshop@wiscon.net to reserve your space!

• Sensory Writing — Saturday from 10am to noon— use your senses when writing with JoSelle Vanderhooft.
• Writing the Other — Saturday from 3 to 5pm — learn how to write characters different from your own identity respectfully with Nisi Shawl and K. Tempest Bradford
• How to Write Mental Health Issues — Sunday from 1 to 3pm — explore how to write character with mental health/mental illness as part of their identity with JoSelle Vanderhooft
• How to Carve Erasers for Block Printing — Saturday from 1 to 3pm — led by Candra Gill

Open Sessions

These workshops do NOT require signups so feel free to drop in! You can also email workshop@wiscon.net to reserve a guaranteed space and help us anticipate attendance.

• Leadership and Community Building for Small Groups — Saturday from 1 to 3pm — address specific leadership issues that pop up in subcultures and volunteer-run groups with Shauna Aura Knight
• Learn How To Fancy Braid — Saturday from 1 to 3pm — learn how to braid hair with John Wardale
• Lessons for the Not-Quite-Pro Writer — Saturday from 10am to noon— explore how to navigate social media, submissions, and writing workshops with Nibedita Sen
• Nobody Goes It Alone: A Riff on Character Relationships and Romancing the Beat — Saturday from 10am to noon — explore character relationships with Dayna K Smith
• Life Drawing — Saturday from 3 to 5pm — gather and draw from live models
• Biology Bursts Binaries — Saturday from 4 to 6pm — use biology to break down binary sex/gender concepts in character creation with Elena Tabachnick, Kit Stubbs, and Elisa Derickson Krueger
• 5 Core Components of Scene Structure — Saturday from 7 to 9pm — learn to use goal-oriented storytelling to cement the foundations of their scenes with R R Campbell
• Facilitation Skills for Authors, Artists, and More — Sunday from 4 to 6pm — learn techniques for leading meetings and workshops with Shauna Aura Knight
• Astrophotography — Sunday from 1 to 2:30pm — learn a cool new hobby with Rachel Konick
• Spiraling Down; Spiraling Out; Connecting to the Imagination — Sunday from 1 to 3pm — participate in writing exercises to spark connection to creativity and deepen craft with Lisa Bergin
• Emergency Room, ICU, and Burns: Medical Knowledge for Writers — 10am to noon — learn about injuries and what a character could survive with Erin Cashier
• Genetics for Writers — Sunday from 10am to noon — attend a genetics primer with Keffy Kehrli
• Conflict as Fuel for Momentum — Sunday 10am to noon — dive deep into the importance and use of conflict in stories with R R Campbell
• How to Get Inspired, Find Time to Write, and Be Happy While Doing It — Sunday from 3 to 5pm — confront issues of scheduling, exhaustion, and other pains of the busy writer with Alisa Alering and Rebecca Adams Wright

We can’t wait to see you at WisCon!