Cooper Street Workshops: Writing Women

The Bechdel Test famously calls for films to have at least one scene in which two women talk to each other about something other than a man in order to pass. It’s one of many ways that writers have thought about how to create fully realized female characters in fiction. In this workshop, we will explore how to develop female characters and stories that center women and women’s experiences. We’ll discuss how to write about women and desire in a way that doesn’t feel objectifying, craft female characters with complex interior lives and motivations, and develop the relationships between women in fiction writing. We will explore these concepts through discussion of readings and writing exercises. Attendees will leave with at least one completed scene they are excited about. No prior writing experience is needed to take the class. While our focus will be on fiction writing, there are applications to other writing forms.

This workshop will take place online. Register at the link below to receive login information.

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About the instructor: Lori Carriere is a fiction writer whose work has appeared in the literary journals Yemassee and Pif Magazine. She has an MFA in Fiction from Rutgers University–Camden, where she was awarded a Teaching Fellowship, and also studied at the Tin House Writers Workshop and Catapult Fiction in New York City. She has taught academic and creative writing at numerous universities and is currently an adjunct lecturer at Temple, Penn State Abington, and the Community College of Philadelphia.