First Page Master Class: Craft Talk Lunch with Thomas Henry Pope
Description
Join us for a chef-created lunch buffet at the Southern Vermont Writers’ Conference, followed by a 2-hour craft talk and presentation led by the Vermont novelist and journalist Thomas Henry Pope. Thomas will hone in on a specific and universal challenge that all writers face: the all-important first page.
From Thomas: No matter what kind of writing we do, our first page should draw readers to turn to page two. But because each piece is as unique as its author, there is no one formula to make the opening sing.
To give shape to the unlimited freedom of the blank page, this class will consider all the tools of language and story. Outer aspects, such as audience and genre; style choices, like description versus ‘in media res;’ inner elements, like stakes, characters, and pacing. For non-fiction and memoirs, we hint at the message. For fiction and drama, we plant the seed of the story’s arc. The secret potions that stir a reader’s thirst are the command of our voice and a simple clue showing how we will reveal whatever lies hidden.
Your questions, trials, and passion will make our meeting shine. Bring the first page of a favorite author. Bring a stunning first line. And if there is time after our meeting, we can look at a few first pages in progress one-on-one.
About Thomas: Thomas Henry Pope is a novelist, journalist, teacher, and actor. His thrillers, dystopian tales, and literary fiction have won the Nautilus Award, the American Legacy Book Award, and the Page Turner Award. He gives the settings in his novels as much agency to influence events as he does to his characters. And to capture the speech, dress, and humanity of the people who appear in them he travels to the countries where the stories unfold. His previous incarnations were a singer-songwriter, builder, EMT, and football coach. A lifelong Buddhist, he teaches meditation and lives in Vermont where the peepers sing.
This craft talk with Thomas Henry Pope will take place on Wednesday, April 2 from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm in the Battenkill Room at The Equinox Hotel & Resort.
The $65 registration fee includes lunch. This craft talk may be purchased individually or you can purchase all three craft talks for a special rate of $175.
