The Blind Date [Rebecca Makkai]

Don’t let the title scare you: You will not be paired off. Starting with Grace Paley’s assertion that every story is actually two stories, this brainstorming workshop will explore the alchemy of combining seemingly disparate concepts into one narrative. We’ll each take our own unused, unloved ideas and, after we discuss the fine art of narrative matchmaking, set them up together for a lifetime of happiness – or at least a few paragraphs of fun. Our further discussion will focus on the ways we find meaning in the space between our main ideas. You’ll leave with the makings of several stories, novels, poems, or personal essays. In addition to something to write with, bring whatever notebook or computer file contains your miscellaneous ideas (the one that says cryptic things like “a story about ducks? / War of 1812 / the time Mike lost the chair / a man who stops dreaming”). Get ready to play Yente!