[Cwgrad-announcements] AAPW Update: Creative Writing Classes and new articles

[Ching-In Chen]

FYI,

Ching-In

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ky-Phong Paul Tran <thewind at gmail.com>





Dear AAPW staff and friends,
  Here is an email announcing Fall writing classes in Los Angeles as well as
new articles on the site.  Please please please help me circulate them to
anyone who might be interested or who could further send it.  This is a
total DIY project :)

Ky-Phong

*Asian American Poetry and Writing Update*

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

*Contact: info at aapw-la.org*

1.       CREATIVE WRITING CLASSES in Los Angeles

For the first time in a long time, community-based APA creative writing
classes are being offered in the Los Angeles area.  Classes are taught by an
award-winning faculty--including novelists Naomi Hirahara and Noel Alumit,
poet Neil Aitken, and screenwriter Koji Steven Sakai--and held at the state
of the art Japanese American Museum.  Classes begin October 6, 2008. For
more info or to enroll, please go to
http://www.aapw-la.org/workshop.php<http://goog_1219735550235>
<http://www.aapw-la.org/workshop.php>  . (Full class descriptions below)

2.       New Articles on the AAPW website

--A conversation between poets:  Ching-In Chen interviews Kawita Kandpal,
author of *Folding a River*

--Vanessa Hua profiles Kaya Press, one of the few publishers that focuses on
Asian American diasporic literature

--both articles can be found at our homepage: www.aapw-la.org

3.       Please Help AAPW by:

          --forwarding this email to your friends and familes

            --blasting it to your listserves, blogs, APA community contacts
in Los Angeles,

               California, and across the country

            --signing up for our mailing list and/or facebook group
page<http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=25617724672>


We are a small group of dedicated people trying to do some good and bring
people together in cyberspace and in Los Angeles, a city that can sometimes
suffer from its own size.  Anything you can do to help us is greatly
appreciated.

*FULL CLASS DESCRIPTIONS*

 An exciting collaboration in the heart of Los Angeles.  Award-winning
writers.   A world class museum.

This Fall 2008 *Asian American Poetry and Writing (AAPW)* and the *Japanese
American National (JANM) *are proud and excited to offer community-based
creative writing workshops for aspiring and emerging writers.  Our goal is
to create affordable and culturally sensitive classes that allows writers
the space to explore craft and theme in their work.

*When:*

October 4, 2008 - November 8, 2008
(Saturday mornings and afternoons)

*Where:*

The Japanese American National Museum
Little Tokyo, near downtown Los Angeles

*Cost:*

$150 for six sessions. $125 for JANM members
(Minimum 5 participants, maximum 12)


*Courses:*

*1. Stories Make us Real (1-3pm)*

*Introduction to Fiction with Noel Alumit*
In this introductory class, we will read stories and then write our own.
What are the elements of narrative? How do we utilize character, point of
view, dialogue, plot, setting and tone? Through close reading and
discussion, we will examine how others have created powerful fiction. We'll
also workshop our own writing, helping each other to dig deeper and unearth
the core of our stories and in the process--ourselves.

*Noel Alumit's** first novel "Letters to Montgomery Clift," has received
many awards including the Stonewall Book Award (American Library
Association), Violet Quill Award (Insight Out Books), the Global Filipino
Literary Award (Our Own Voice), and the Gold Seal (ForeWord Magazine). He
has also been nominated for the PEN Center USA West Literary award, the
Lambda Literary Award, and the Asian American Literary Award. His second
novel "Talking o the Moon" was published in 2007 and went on to become a Los
Angeles Times Bestseller.  He also teaches for UCLA Extension.  He blogs at
www.thelastnoel.blogspot.com
*

*2. The World is a Poem (11am – 1pm)*

*Introduction to Poetry with Neil Aitken*

 There are moments in our lives that transform us or change the way we view
the world around us.  Something we see or feel moves us beyond where we've
been.  Often it's love or loss, the stories of how we got here or where we
are going, or maybe just the way that something we've always taken as
ordinary reveals itself as extraordinary or beautiful.  What makes a poem a
poem?  How do we set down our thoughts and emotions in a more powerful way?
This course will cover essential poetcraft including:
imagery and figurative language, rhythm and sound, line and form, and lyric
and narrative styles.  Some discussion of poetry journals and publishing
will also be provided.

 *Neil Aitken** is the author of **The Lost Country of Sight** which won the
2007 Philip Levine Prize for Poetry and is due out from Anhinga Press in
November 2008.  He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from UC Riverside and is
currently pursuing a PhD in Literature & Creative Writing at USC.  More
information about Neil can be found on his website:  www.neil-aitken.com*

*3. Claiming Your Voice  (11am – 1pm)*

*A memoir/personal writing class with Naomi Hirahara *
Have you always wanted to write, but are not sure quite how to put your
thoughts and experiences on paper? How do you find your written "voice" and
how do you nurture and sustain it? Instruction will include writing
exercises that allow students to take creative risks in a safe and
encouraging environment. Participants will learn how to remove obstacles
that keep them from being truly free in their writing. Basic craft skills
will also be covered.

** Please note: Naomi's class will run from Oct 4 - Nov 15 with Oct 25 off *

*Award-winning writer and former Rafu Shimpo editor Naomi Hirahara is a Los
Angeles literary treasure. She is the author of the Edgar Award-winning Mas
Arai mystery series, which includes **Summer of the Big Bachi**, **Gasa-Gasa
Girl**, and **Snakeskin Shamisen**.  Her website is www.naomihirahara.com*



*4. Lights, Camera, Write  (1pm – 3 pm)*

*Introduction to Screenwriting with Koji Steven Sakai *
For the cinephile who has the next great American Film within them, this
six-week course will introduce you to the craft of screenwriting, where
students will focus on story structure, scene development and dialogue. From
plot-driven action to independent drama, students will write and workshop
short scenes, basic outlines and short treatments.

*Koji Steven Sakai** is a graduate from USC's Masters of Professional
Writing program. He co-wrote, *Haunted Highway*, which was directed by
Junichi Suzuki and distributed by Lions Gate DVD. He has held several
fellowships, starting with the most recent, which include: Film
Independent's Project: Involve (2007), Visual Communication's Armed With a
Camera (2006), and Screenwriting Expo 4 New Visions Fellowship award (2005).
When he isnt' fighting crime or making movies, he is the Manager of Public
Programs at the Japanese American National Museum.*
 --
~~~~~
Ching-In Chen
THE HEART'S TRAFFIC (Arktoi Books/Red Hen Press forthcoming 2009)
www.redhen.org/arktoi.asp
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