Presented by PEN Center through a grant from the City of West Hollywood through WeHo Arts (www.weho.org/arts). Tickets are $0-$65.

Terry McMillan: “I am a strong believer in voice in fiction. The way a character thinks, expresses their feelings, and how they say something tells you as much about them as what they don't say.” In this craft session, Terry will lead the class in generative exercises that will help the writer become comfortable allowing their characters to lead them to their story. Participants have to be willing to break the traditional rules of writing. This Craft Session is for writers interested in character-driven stories. You will leave the one-day session with clear path to your character’s wants, desires, and true voice.

Terry McMillan was born and raised in Port Huron, Michigan and discovered her love of literature while shelving books at the local library. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Terry published her debut novel Mama in 1987. During her tenure as a professor at University of Arizona in Tucson, Terry wrote her third novel, Waiting to Exhale, which became a major motion picture and went on to win seven Grammy Awards, and an MTV Movie Award. Now a #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Terry went on to publish How Stella Got Her Groove Back (also a major motion picture) and several others, in addition to winning the NAACP Image Award and the Essence Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award. Her new novel, titled I Almost Forgot About You will publish in June 2016.

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CONTACT: Amanda Fletcher, amanda@penusa.org