Conversations and Connections Pittsburgh 2022

An oft-touted part of the revision process is coming to the work with "fresh eyes," but what if your revision process itself is feeling tired, habitual, or rote? What if you're not sure where to look in the first place? In this interactive workshop, applicable to any genre, participants will be introduced to a variety of revision techniques, ranging from strategies for considering structure and big-picture concerns to tips and tricks for fine-tuning sentences. We'll aim to push against our comfort zones and long-established revision habits in order to re-see that revision process from new angles. Most importantly, this workshop will provide time and space to actually complete some revision work within the hour and debrief the process together, and participants will have post-session access to any shared materials in both print and online formats. Participants are encouraged to bring a few pages of work: 2-3 pages of a story, essay, or chapter; 1-2 completed flash fictions, or 2-3 poems. Printed, double-spaced work is ideal, but the workshop will also be accessible to those working with their materials electronically. For those who do not bring work of their own, some sample texts will be provided for experimentation.