CHIN-SUN LEE—PROSE FROM IMAGERY

Stories come to us from many sources, the most common being from memory, a conversation, or an image. The opening pages of Chin-Sun Lee’s debut novel Upcountry were initially inspired by a singular image: a drained and decayed swimming pool enclosed by a chain-link fence. In this workshop, we’ll focus on the ways that images can provoke associations that in turn, become compelling narrative. We’ll spend the first half of the workshop reading and discussing some examples of potent imagery and description. Then we’ll have a writing session based on an image—provided by Chin-Sun or participants can use any of their own—with sharing (for those inclined) and brief critiques to follow afterward.