Fundamentals of Narrative Craft, Led By R. F. Kuang

Schedule

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026 at 07:15 pm to Tue, 28 Apr, 2026 at 08:30 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Narrative | Somerville, MA

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Join author R. F. Kuang in a modular, seminar-based writing course covering fundamentals of narrative craft. Hosted @ Narrative in Davis Sq.
About this Event

Please review all details below before completing your purchase.

All proceeds from this course will be donated to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund and go towards operating costs for - Davis Square's independent bookshop focusing on building community & amplifying marginalized identites. Thank you so much for your support!

Your Instructor:

Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, Yellowface, and Katabasis. Her work has won the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, and British Book Awards. She was named to the 2023 Time100 Next list and the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2024. A Marshall Scholar, she has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford. She is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale, where she researches Sinophone literature and Asian American literature.

Fundamentals of Narrative Craft:

In this small, seminar-based course, we will cover some of the fundamentals of narrative craft: description, setting and atmosphere, characterization, emotions, voice and point of view, and plot and structure. Each hour-seminar will involve a mix of craft discussion, brief lectures, shared writing exercises, and feedback. You’ll learn the same materials that I’ve taught in my creative writing workshops at Yale. Writers of all genres and all skill levels are welcome! These fundamentals will serve you whether you are writing creative fiction or nonfiction, and whether you have written for years or are giving it a try for the first time. No prerequisites: just a passion for writing, and an instrument to write with.

Registration:

These seminars are modular: you can attend all eight sessions, or drop in as you wish. Each seminar is a self contained class and does not require previous attendance. .

Registration for all courses as a Class Pack, including textbooks, will be available on Thursday, December 18th. Registration for any open spots for individual sessions will be available 2 weeks prior to each session date.

Student pricing available for accessibility: all student registrations will be contacted for required proof of valid student ID prior to attending the event.

Participation is capped at 12 students per session to maintain engagement and instruction quality. Waitlist will be automated through Eventbrite for any sold out sessions.

Textbooks included with Class Pack:

  • Janet Burroway, Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft
  • Donald Maas, The Emotional Craft of Fiction

*Please email [email protected] to purchase textbooks separately

Course Schedule:

Check-in: 7:15PM, Workshop: 7:30PM-8:30PM

Jan 20 (Tuesday) Seeing is Believing

Jan 27 (Tuesday) Setting and Atmosphere


Feb 3 (Tuesday) Characterization, Part I

Feb 17 (Tuesday) Characterization, Part II


March 3 (Tuesday) Emotions, Part I

March 10 (Tuesday) Emotions, Part II


April 14 (Tuesday) Voice and Point of View

April 28 (Tuesday) Plot and Structure


Any refund requests must be submitted at least 1 week prior to each session date. Further details and reminders will be sent to all registered guests via email prior to each session. Please reach out to info@narrativebookshop with any questions.

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Where is it happening?

Narrative, 387 Highland Avenue, Somerville, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 268.54 to USD 353.90

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