Bay Area Writes

Always wanted to become a travel writer, a nature poet or family storyteller? In collaboration with the Bay Area Book Festival we are delighted to present three writing workshops which will be led by one or more highly accomplished authors. The workshops will be 50 minutes with a short break between each. You are welcome to sign up for all three workshops or just one.

All levels of writers are welcome — from seasoned authors to first-time adventurers of the page.

Program:

Workshop 1: 3:30 - 4:15
Family Stories led by Margaret Lee and Rosa Kwon Easton

Workshop 2: 4:30-5:15
Writing the Wild: Generative Poetry on Nature, Place, and Adventure led by Lalit Kumar

Workshop 3: Travel Writing 101: 5:30-6:15 led by Lalit Kumar and Alec Scott

Workshop 1: Eliciting and Sharing Family Stories

In this workshop you will explore how to approach and speak to loved ones about the past, especially when painful memories are involved. Designed for those who are curious about their family stories and how to capture them, we will delve into creative approaches to opening up real (and imagined) conversations with family members, in particular, reticent elders—and even those who are no longer with us. Included are brainstorming sessions about methods to spark communication, including the use of prompts—letters, photos, food, etc.—to draw out anecdotes about the past, as well as tips to manage expectations during the process.

Workshop 2: Writing the Wild: Generative Poetry on Nature, Place, and Adventure

In this dynamic, generative-poetry workshop, participants will explore how the natural world, a spirit of adventure, and their personal experience can converge to create vivid, resonant poems. Drawing on landscapes from California’s mountains, coastlines and deserts, as well as the inward terrain of migration and belonging, the session invites writers of all levels to engage in fresh seeing, sensory writing, and creative release. Drawing on his own journey, Lalit guides writers through the art of seeing place as muse — how nature, adventure, and displacement can inform imagery, rhythm, and emotion.

By the end of the session, participants will leave with new drafts, deeper awareness of how place and adventure inform their inner landscapes, and practical techniques to continue writing poetry rooted in observation, awe, and courage.

Workshop 3: Travel Writing 101

If you love to travel and love to write, this travel writing course will get you one step closer to learning what it takes to become a travel writer. Let us unwrap the magic of travel writing for you by teaching how to:

• make your stories sparkle with transportive language,

• bring characters to life

• to craft irresistible query emails that will sell your stories

• to build an online presence

• and so much more!

Attendees will walk away with the inspiration to launch a travel writing career as well as the tools and strategy to make it a reality.

About the Workshop Leaders

Rosa Kwon Easton is a Korean American lawyer, library trustee, and author of the debut novel, White Mulberry, an Amazon First Reads Editor’s Pick and a #1 Best Seller in Historical Fiction. Her novel has been reviewed by Booklist and named a “Best Book” by Parade Magazine, BookBub, and Book Riot, among others. Easton is an Anaphora Writing Residency Fellow, and her work has been published in CRAFT Literary, Electric Literature, Writer’s Digest and elsewhere. A graduate of Smith College, Columbia University, and Boston College Law School, she resides with her husband and Maltipoo in sunny Southern California. White Mulberry is being translated into four languages, and her sequel, Red Seal, is due out in October 2026. She can be found at Rosakwoneaston.com.

Margaret Juhae Lee is the author of the award-winning Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History, which was named a best book of 2024 by the San Francisco Chronicle, and Washington Independent Review of Books. She received a Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship from Harvard University and Korean Studies Fellowship from the Korea Foundation in support of her book. A former editor at The Nation, she has published articles in The Nation, Elle, ARTnews, Newsday, Writer's Digest and the Rumpus, among other publications. A seasoned public speaker, she has presented lectures and workshops at universities, libraries, conferences, foundations, and community organizations about the process of delving into family history. For more information see margaretjuhaelee.com.

Lalit Kumar is the author of Yosemite of My Heart: Poems of Adventure in California and Years Spent: Exploring Poetry in Adventure, Life and Love. His writing blends his immigrant journey — from India to California’s wilderness and Silicon Valley — with his love of adventure sports, poetry and place. He has led poetry workshops at festivals including the Tahoe Literary Festival and contributes regularly to India Currents magazine.

Alec Scott is a writer, a contributor to the New York Times, Guardian and Smithsonian Magazine. He is the author of two books, the award-winning novel Until It Shimmers (Ace of Swords) and the history book, Oldest San Francisco (Reedy). He has taught travel writing at Stanford, and traveled all over on assignment, from Australia to Zambia, from Japan to Uruguay. www.alecscott.com

COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS: We strongly encourage attendees to wear masks at our events, although they will NOT be required. We will have masks available for attendees who want them. Do NOT attend the event if you, or any member of your family, have any respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, runny nose, and/or sore throat), or have had a significant exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

ACCESSIBILITY: We never want cost to be a barrier to admission for our community. Please email events [at] keplers [dot] org if you would like to attend this event but cannot afford a ticket. To request an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for this event, please email events [at] keplers [dot] org at least one week prior to the event.

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