Dr. Kitty Oliver

The most in-demand forms of nonfiction these days are the Personal Essay and the OpEd (opinion/editorial). Both build upon autobiography and observation while also requiring new skills to make creative nonfiction writing more marketable. This is a workshop for those interested in enhancing their literary craft with new approaches and those seeking new opportunities for cultural voices and perspectives to be heard.  Participants will explore techniques for turning personal experiences and thematic ideas into potentially publishable pieces; exercises that sharpen the writing of Personal Essays and OpEds; and resources to help expand their reach to a wider audience.

Dr. Kitty Oliver is a veteran journalist, author, cross-cultural oral historian, and media producer who has an MFA in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in Comparative Studies focusing on race and ethnic communication. Her books, public television documentaries, and radio webcasts are used widely in classrooms and community forums where she does programs of jazz music and storytelling. She has been featured on CNN and in the Howard documentary film on the Beatles, “Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years” and she is currently a national Encore Public Voices Fellow with the OpEd Project. www.kittyoliveronline.com