May & June Events

Upcoming opportunities to learn from Leatha:

Winter Into Spring: A Series of Writing Retreats at the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning

Thursday, May 14, 2026
4 - 7 pm

Bring your blank pages or your current writing project to the Carnegie Center for a series of intensive and generative writing retreats. Leatha Kendrick will provide writing exercises and prompts designed to help you find the heart of the writing you want to do.

Come to deepen your working draft or to find the spark or something new. Join us for quiet writing time and opportunities to share your work and receive supportive feedback as you reconnect with your writer self. For all levels.

Books in Progress Conference at the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning

Friday, June 5 - Saturday, June 6, 2026
10am - 5:30 pm

Session: Chasing Down the Facts— Strategies for Writing Vivid Essays and Textured Memoir

Richly researched essays and memoirs make for compelling reading. Every person, place, and thing in your creative nonfiction carries its hidden history.

We might think we know the facts, but delving into the stories behind those “facts” unlocks mysteries, revealing connections that make for multi-dimensional characters and settings. In this session, we will examine passages from memoirs and essays, with attention to how the writers used research to make their pieces come alive.

We will share tips and strategies for immersing yourself in the kind of research that can lead to breakthrough writing.