JUNE 9 MEDIA RELEASE__On Saturday, July 19 at the Marathon Center for Performing Arts in Findlay, a free creative writing workshop will focus on genre fiction: Science-Fiction/Speculative Fiction, Fantasy and Romance--among others.

This workshop is a free in-person event and open to all writers High School age and older.

SCHEDULE

Morning: Craft talks with Writing Prompts

11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Lunch on own in downtown Findlay, with time for writing.

Afternoon: Facilitated small-group workshops, followed by an open mic

For more information or to register, contact Dave Essinger, [email protected].

PRESENTERS

Jennifer Pullen holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Ohio University, as well as degrees from Eastern
Washington University and Whitworth University. Her books include A Bead of Amber on Her Tongue and Fantasy Fiction: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology, the first comprehensive history of fantasy and craft guide. She grew up running wild in the forests of Washington State. She has since been sufficiently domesticated to become an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Ohio Northern University. “Gandalf Never Attended Hogwarts: Creating Multiple Dimensional Characters in Invented Worlds”

Dave Essinger's second novel This World and the Next is available now from Main Street Rag Publishing Company. His first book, Running Out, was released in 2017. He received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is General Editor of the AWP Intro Journals Project, and teaches creative writing and edits the literary magazine Slippery Elm at the University of Findlay.  See more at https://dave-essinger.com/. “World-building: Making the strange familiar, and the familiar strange”  How do we create worlds that are fundamentally different from our own, and make our readers feel at home in them?  We’ll talk about the rules and expectations of major genres, and weaving in exposition while avoiding the dreaded “info dump,” with generative exercises.

Melanie Dusseau is a multi-genre writer, scholar, and creative writing professor from Toledo, Ohio. She holds an MFA from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and is the author of a poetry collection, The Body Tries Again, available from Word Poetry. An associate professor of English at the University of Findlay, she teaches literature as well as craft workshops in poetry, creative nonfiction, playwriting/screenwriting, and writing contemporary romance. Her short play, A House of Uncanny Repute, was selected for the 2025 Toledo Voices playwriting project at the Repertoire Theater. Currently, she’s seeking representation for her debut novel, a genre-bending supernatural romance. https://www.melaniedusseau.com/ “Trope-tastically Yours: Originality in the Romance Genre”
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: an ancient, grumpy fae soldier falls for a sunny, free-spirited book nerd in this magical retelling of Insert Fairy Tale. The genre of romance is driven by tropes—rivals to lovers; fated mates; forced proximity; fake dating; opposites attract—however, following the groove of an existing archetype does not mean that the story you want to write need be formulaic. This interactive craft talk will offer strategies for reading like a writer, satisfying audience expectations, understanding the beats that drive romance plots, and using setting and character arcs to create an original story idea that could only be penned by you.

Harley Ferris received his master’s and doctorate from the University of Louisville, where he also served as Assistant Director of Creative Writing and received the Sarah-Jean McDowell Award for Excellence in Fiction. He composes both academic and creative work, with poems and stories published in The Aquarian, the Florida English Journal, and Word Riot. Also a musician, his full-length album, Long Time Coming, was released in March of 2023. Harley currently resides, writes, teaches, and sings in Findlay, Ohio. “A Taste of Fear: Using the Five Senses to Build Worlds That Bite Back”