First Page Fiction Bootcamp with Chaitali Sen

Saturday, May 4, 10am-4pm CST (with 30-minute lunch); Hybrid (students can take this class online or in-person at Gemini Ink)
Instructor: Chaitali Sen
Nonmember: $140; Member: $120; Student/Educator/Mil $75

*EARN CPE’S

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE. 

A formidable first page of fiction grabs the reader, sets the tone for what’s to come, and captures the essence of the entire work. But how do we create an opening that keeps the reader turning the page?

In this one-day workshop, we will study and discuss various examples of compelling first pages to see what works; we will review craft elements such as character, setting, point-of-view, and narrative voice; and we will write and examine our own first pages in a safe, supportive environment. 

This course is open to fiction writers of all skill levels, 18+.

Students will leave this class with:

• An understanding of what makes for a strong first page
• Techniques for writing strong openings
• A strong first page of fiction

Chaitali Sen is the author of the novel The Pathless Sky (Europa Editions 2015) and the story collection A New Race of Men from Heaven (Sarabande Books 2023), chosen by Danielle Evans as the winner of the 2021 Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction. Her stories and essays have been published by American Short Fiction, Boulevard, Catapult, Colorado Review, Ecotone, Electric Literature, LitHub, Los Angeles Review of Books, New England Review, Shenandoah, and many other publications. Born in India and raised in New York and Pennsylvania, she currently lives in Austin, Texas.

Parking at Gemini Ink
Gemini Ink offers free parking along the back wall of our downtown offices. Please access this parking lot from Augusta St and first park in any of the 12 spots along the back wall. Only when these 12 spots are full do we ask that you park elsewhere in our lot. We now rent our offices from UTSA and are collaborating with them to create a secure and accessible parking lot for our community of writers and readers.