LEWISBURG, W.Va. (WVDN) – Carnegie Hall invites writers, storytellers, and creative explorers to join Writer’s Workshop: A Sense of Place, led by debut author Jacqueline Renée Ryan, on Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Open to ages 14 and older and limited to fifteen participants, this immersive workshop offers a welcoming space to deepen one’s writing practice through the power of landscape and memory.
Every story has a landscape – and every writer carries places that linger in memory. In this generative workshop, Ryan guides participants through the ways setting, emotion, and personal history shape compelling storytelling. Through guided prompts, close readings of evocative passages, and group discussion, students will learn techniques for weaving place into fiction or memoir, discovering how setting can function not merely as backdrop but as an active, animating force within a narrative.
Participants will leave with new pages drafted on site, practical tools for strengthening their writing practice, and a deeper awareness of how to translate sensory detail and emotional resonance into vivid prose. Writers of all levels are welcome. Students should bring pencils, pens, and a notebook; all other materials will be provided.
The class fee is $65 per person.
Jacqueline Renée Ryan holds an MFA from Hollins University and is a two‑time recipient of the Shirley Henn Award for Excellence in Creative Writing. She has received a Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop Scholarship at Chautauqua and was a finalist for the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Award. Her work has appeared in Beginnings Literary Journal and The Dead Mule School of Southern Fiction. Ryan is a member of the Charleston Library Society and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and she is currently at work on her next novel. She divides her time between Blacksburg, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina.
To register or for more information call (304) 645-7917, visit www.carnegiehallwv.org, or stop by 611 Church Street, Lewisburg, WV. Carnegie Hall encourages early registration for this inspiring Appalachian Heritage workshop, perfect for writers seeking fresh insight, renewed creativity, and a deeper connection to the landscapes that shape their stories.
Carnegie Hall WV is a nonprofit organization supported by individual contributions, grants, and fundraising efforts such as TOOT and The Carnegie Hall Gala.
