
Online Events
DISQUIET is excited to present Disquieting Dialogues, an ongoing series of dynamic online craft talks and close readings. All events in the series will include a Q&A period and incorporate writing prompts and/or exercises.
Online events will take place on Zoom unless otherwise specified. If you have any questions, please contact disquietinternational@gmail.com.
Upcoming Events
A Close Reading of Isaac Babel’s “My First Goose” with George Saunders
Saturday, April 17 4-5:30 PM EDT
New York Times Bestselling author George Saunders’ new book, A Swim in the Pond in the Rain, takes readers on a sweeping craft journey through seven classic Russian short stories. In this talk Saunders, in conversation with Jeff Parker, walks participants through another iconic Russian short story, “My First Goose” by Isaac Babel. Participants will have the opportunity for Q&A after the talk, and the session will include writing prompts and/or exercises to propel participants’ work forward and immediately apply what’s been learned.
Register for $50 | DISQUIET Alumni $40
Why Not Just Cream and Sugar? The Power of Detail with Chang-rae Lee
Saturday, May 1 – 4-5:30 EDT
How is a character who drinks a cup of chamomile tea different from a character who drinks a mimosa from one who sips coffee with pet milk? Starting with Stuart Dybek’s classic short story “Pet Milk,” Chang-rae Lee will walk us through the power of the right detail and engage with some of those questions that haunt us all. How many details does a reader need? How do I know when I’ve provided too many? And when do I know when I’ve struck upon the right one? Chang-rae will also discuss his short piece “My Father’s Face,” published in The New Yorker in 2018, to explore further the relationship between detail and character. In the end, we’ll come to a greater understanding of how to make choices and, even better, what to add or leave in the editing process. This will be an interactive, conversational session, so please come with your questions and writing materials ready!
Register for $90 | DISQUIET Alumni $65
Past Events
The Craft of Revision with Maaza Mengiste
Saturday, Feb 20 4-6PM EST
Goodbye story, hello revision
$150 | Closed
The Power of Perhaps: Speculative “Nonfiction” and Memoir with T Kira Madden
Saturday, March 20 4-6 PM EST
Terms like surrealism and magical realism are most often used to describe works of fiction, but what about the inherent magic and time travel of our true, lived experiences? In this generative session, we will discuss alternate realities, hypothetical what if’s and ways of perhapsing into the surreality of our everyday lives. We will focus on isolation and compression, and on finding the narrative heat and emotional potency in our memories, our selves, and all the selves we’ve been. We’ll talk magical objects, the electricity of sensory experiences, and forge new pathways and connections between seemingly disparate thoughts. The scaffolding behind short published work (sent in advance) will serve as blueprints for our discussion and in class writing exercises.