Established in February 2016 by ASU MFA alum and English professor Venita Blackburn (Black Jesus and Other Superheroes: Stories, Nebraska Press, 2017), the workshop was envisioned as a place of comfort, integration and courage due to both the scant presence of WOCs in literary communities specifically across the university classroom spectrum, and the sometimes discouraging experiences expressed by WOCs (both in their writing, published and unpublished, via social media outlets etc) and in the unfortunate drop-out rate of WOC numbers in major creative writing programs.
Blackburn’s solution after nearly a decade of enlightened experience as a student of creative writing and faculty member in the ASU English Department was the launch of Live, Write.
Live,Write, originally based in Downtown Phoenix, AZ, has expanded across state lines to include California where Blackburn is now a professor at CSU, Fresno. Prospective members are encouraged to join from anywhere. Online workshopping will begin fall of 2018.
In addition to providing a nurturing workshop space, Live, Write is committed to promoting the work produced, and thus, moves to launch biannual readings for interested workshop members to read their polished work before a live audience.
Welcome and happy writing!
Sincerely,
The Live, Write Team
Live, Write 