From Beginner to Emerging: A Learning and Career-Building Model for Writers

You’re reading, you’re writing—what else can you do as a writer who wants to catalyze their learning and their career?

Join Karolina Letunova for a lively overview of the institutional support available to emerging writers (before your first book), and how a great short story or novel excerpt* can help you take advantage of the available resources. I will leverage my Organization Development background and my experience leading up to and after my MFA to offer you a strategic approach to structuring your learning and professional journey as a writer.

We’ll cover when, why, and how to target writing conferences, residencies, fellowships, MFA applications, and grants, and how to think about the inevitable rejection. I'll share local and national resources and templates. Bring your questions!

*A strong writing sample could also mean an essay or a memoir excerpt. Most of I’ll share is applicable to nonfiction.

Bio: Karolina Letunova grew up in Western Siberia. Her stories have appeared in The Cincinnati Review, AGNI, The Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. She has an MFA from the University of Michigan, where she was a 2021 Zell Postgraduate Fellow. She is the 2023 Bread Loaf-Rona Jaffe Scholar in Fiction, a 2023-2024 California Arts Council Artist Fellow, a recipient of a 2024 The de Groot Foundation Writer of Note grant and a 2025 Elizabeth George Foundation grant. She lives in Davis, CA with her family and is currently at work on a novel and another longform project. More at https://karolinaletunova.com

Barn Studio classes need a minimum of 5 registrations to run.

Host or Publisher YoloArts