The Decatur Book Festival has launched the Decatur Writers Studio. Photo from www.facebook.com/DecaturWritersStudio

The Decatur Book Festival has launched the Decatur Writers Studio (DWS) to help both professional and aspiring writers.

A press release said, “As the AJC DBF enters its 11th year in September, it seeks to expand upon the work it has performed in carving out a larger slice for Decatur on the Southern literary scene. AJC DBF Founding Executive Director Daren Wang, who also is the founder of the Decatur Writers Studio, said the new organization’s mission is to provide writers a place to work and grow. DWS will launch on April 1.”

“The Decatur Writers Studio is a natural extension of what we’ve been doing for the past decade with the Decatur Book Festival,” Wang is quoted as saying. “I’m excited to be able to forge new tools for local writers to learn from and support each other.”

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Classes will be held at Decatur CoWorks at 708 Church St. and will be limited to 12 participants. The first set of courses will be taught by authors Susan Rebecca White, Jessica Handler, and Laurel Snyder.

“DWS has plans to include classes in the future on poetry, narrative non-fiction and specific genres, such as romance and fantasy. It also plans to feature intensive, boot-camp-style courses on weekends,” the press release said.

“With the annual Decatur Book Festival bringing so many writers to town — and the presence of so many local writers — Decatur is a haven for me,” Natasha Trethewey, the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States and the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University, is quoted as saying. “I love living in a community where the power of writing to enlighten, entertain, and transform us is deeply valued.”

The DWS released this spring schedule with information about membership:

All classes will be limited to 12 participants, unless otherwise noted.

Instructor: Jessica Handler

Class: More than Me in Memoir

Day/Time: Saturday, 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Meets: April 9, 16, 23, 30; May 7, 14

*Cost: $300

 

Instructor: Laurel Snyder

Class: The Wild Rumpus: Writing the Perfect Picture Book

Day/Time: Tuesday, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Meets: April 12, 19, 26; May 3, 10, 17

*Cost: $300

 

Instructor: Susan Rebecca White

Class: Fiction 101: How Making Up Stories Reveals Deeper Truths

Day/Time: Wednesday, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Meets: April 13, 20, 27; May 4, 11, 18

*Cost: $300

*Note: In future terms, some classes will follow different formats. For example, some might comprise eight sessions and cost $400.

Memberships

In addition to offering classes, which are open to the public, DWS will provide a limited number of memberships to writers who seek space for their endeavors. Writers can purchase a DWS membership, which includes quiet workstations, access to printing, scanning, and copying, lightning-fast wireless internet, conference rooms with audio/video capacity, kitchenette and break area.

Benefits:

• Access to a private working space at Decatur CoWorks, 24 hours per day, seven days per week
• 20 percent discount on classes
• VIP status at the AJC Decatur Book Festival

Cost: $175 per month