2026 VIRTUAL WRITING WORKSHOP SERIES
LAST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH - 6:00pm–7:30pm MT
COST: $39 General / $29 FBC Members
Join expert guest presenters with a variety of specialties and backgrounds for a series of interactive writing workshops! We will explore topics such as the crossroads between reading and writing, how to create or select passages for public performance, and how to stretch your creative muscles to play with writing in different genres.
DATES: The FBC Creative Studio workshop series will meet on the last Monday of every month from 6:00–7:30pm MT: February 23, March 30, April 27, July 27, and August 31, and September 20*
PLEASE NOTE: The science fiction workshop with Osahon Ize-Iyamu, originally scheduled for Sunday, June 28th, will now take place on Sunday, September 20th from 1:30-3:00pm MT.
Topics and speakers for each workshop will be announced in advance.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
You can sign up for each workshop individually, or register for the full series of workshops using the buttons below!
UPROOT TO REPLANT
WITH KENTARO HERDER – MONDAY, JULY 27
Join special guest Kentaro Herder for a guided poetry workshop. Uproot to replant: But when the tornado swirls around or the pastor throws a scary verb, where do we bend our knees? The answer is “We follow where the water tells us to cup our hands,” but I just made that up as simple as language flows or when damned puddles start to stare at stars. Let us find the space between rupture and verb or a mountain as noun – where our feet feel and eyes fall in the absence. All levels and genres welcome.
THE WRITER AS A PREDICTOR:
USING STORYTELLING AS A WAY TO PREDICT POSSIBLE REALITIES
WITH OSASHON IZE-IYAMU – SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2026
NOTE DIFFERENT TIME: 1:30pm–3:00pm MT
Join special guest and accaimed science fiction writer Osahon Ize-Iyamu to explore how stories utilize trends in human behavior. How do those trends influence character creation and an imagined future? We will do a generative writing exercise involving world building for that imagined future. All levels and genres welcome.
USING AGENCY AND COMEDY
TO WRITE ABOUT TRAUMA
WITH MOLLY MCCLOY – MONDAY APRIL 27, 2026
Join special guest Molly McCloy to write about “Garden Variety Aggravation Incidents” as practice for eventually addressing more deeply traumatic stories. We'll look at the role of humor in making emotionally fraught stories easier to tell and practice techniques for maintaining the emotional resonance of a trauma story without being overwhelmed by its pain. All levels and genres welcome.
HOW IT WORKS
Sign Up: Use the buttons above to sign up for the workshop(s) you’re interested in. You can sign up for each workshop individually, or sign up for the full series!
FBC MEMBERS ONLY: Current Fifth Brain Collective Members will receive a discount code via email for $10 off the Creative Studio series. You can enter this code at checkout and it will apply to both individual one-time payments or subscriptions. Please contact us if you have any questions!
Check your email: After you sign up, you will receive a confirmation email including the zoom link. A separate reminder email including the zoom link will be sent out a couple of days prior to each workshop.
QUESTIONS?
PAST WORKSHOPS
WRITING FOR PERFORMANCE
MONDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2026
Join special guests Ames Granados & Leigh Spencer for tips and guidance on creating or selecting written work for various levels of public performance. From casual introductions to full stage productions, we’ve got you covered! All levels of writers, storytellers, and creative backgrounds welcome.
THE WRITER AS READER: SHARING OUR
WRITING-READING SYNCHRONICITIES
SANDRA SHATTUCK – MONDAY MARCH 30, 2026
Join special guest Sandra Shattuck to share how reading informs our writing. We’ll read two very short stories together, discuss how they employ craft strategies, and practice with our own writing.
THE PATTERN BENEATH THE PATTERN:
WRITING THE STORY UNDER THE STORY
TERÉ FOWLER-CHAPMAN – MONDAY APRIL 27, 2026
Join special guest Teré Fowler-Chapman to explore the themes that quietly shape our writing. Through generative writing exercises and poem exploration, we’ll bring the recurring truths between the lines to the surface and create a new work that builds on what keeps returning. All levels and genres welcome.