News

Contact: Rebekah Fraser at 203-606-2929 or Emmett McMullan at LocalLitAtLOTTA@gmail.com

Going remote during the pandemic, Local Lit @ LOTTA will host its last event and its first-ever online reading and critique on Tuesday, June 2nd. 

For the first time, New Haven’s literary fans will hear new works in the comfort of their home or car. In return, the authors will enjoy the benefit of fresh perspectives on the writing process from audience members.

The theme of Local Lit @ LOTTA Virtual is—fittingly—love and connection in extraordinary circumstances. “We selected the stories in January before we had even heard about the pandemic,” said event founder and co-organizer Rebekah Fraser. “Who knew we’d all be struggling with trying to connect in extraordinary circumstances at the time of the reading?” 

The program’s final event, which will be accessible to the general public via YouTube Live, will feature mind-bending works from local authors Robert Beech and Mackenzie Hurlbert. 

Beech is a practicing psychiatrist and a faculty member at the Yale School of Medicine, and sometimes author of odd bits of fiction. In his third performance for Local Lit @ LOTTA, he will read Love, Eternal. 

Hurlbert is a Connecticut-based writer whose previous publications appeared in “Hofstra’s Windmill” and the anthology We Walk Invisible. She received an honorable mention in “Writer’s Digest” Popular Fiction Awards for her story Milk Teeth, which she will read for the audience of Local Lit @ LOTTA Virtual. 

After each reading, Fraser will lead a lively discussion about the piece with the audience while the authors listen. Questions will be submitted through live text chat on YouTube and from on-camera guests of the event. 

The final Local Lit @ LOTTA will occur online on Tuesday, June 2nd. The livestream will be available starting at 6:30 PM, for informal visiting. The event commences at 7:00 PM on YouTube Live at bit.ly/locallitatlottayt. 

Since its inception in 2018, Local Lit @ LOTTA has hosted readings on the first Tuesday of every other month in the gallery at The Range at LOTTA Studio in New Haven’s historic Westville neighborhood. 

“I’m sorry to see the series come to an end,” said Fraser, who founded the event in February 2018. “We’ve hosted some wonderful authors, heard and discussed some fascinating stories, and built a little community around local literature. That’s been incredibly meaningful to me, and I think to a number of people. We’ve had a great run.”

The event will be free and open to the public at bit.ly/locallitatlottayt. For more information about the series and previous events, visit https://locallitatlotta.com.

*Note: workshops are available for all levels of experience: beginner to advanced.

There’s a story inside you waiting to get out. But you don’t know how to tell it, where to start, or perhaps how to finish it. Unlock your creativity & let your story emerge in the LLL Writing Workshop.

What You’ll Do in LLL Writing Workshops

Whether you write fiction, creative nonfiction, or memoir, you need to know how to create characters, settings, and plots that resonate with readers. You’ll hone those skills at LLL, plus you’ll discover how to give substantive, helpful critique in both written and verbal format. During the workshop series, you will write and revise a short story or (if you prefer) chapter of a book. Each week, we’ll focus on a different element of storytelling through prose. The series culminates with the opportunity for each writer to read their new work aloud in class and discuss it with the other participants. By the end of the seven weeks, you’ll have a piece that’s closer to finished, whether you started with a new idea or a work-in-progress. There will be homework each week.

 

Apply to LLL if you:

• Want to develop and enhance your prose writing skills or get unstuck on a work-in-progress,
• Want to learn how to give and receive feedback effectively,
• Can submit a short writing sample of fiction, creative nonfiction, or memoir,
• Can commit to attending one 3-hour workshop every Tuesday night for seven weeks (see schedule below), and
• Will commit to completing the homework each week (estimated time: 2-3 hours/week).

 

Do Not Apply to LLL if you:

• Want to improve your poetry writing (we focus on prose!),
• Cannot commit to attending the classes or doing the homework, or
• Don’t want to hear constructive criticism of your work.

 

About: 

Local Lit @ LOTTA was formed in 2018 by author & educator Rebekah L. Fraser as a bi-monthly live reading and talk-back event to give Greater New Haven area authors the chance to get feedback on works-in-progress and published works from an audience of the general public. With encouragement from colleagues and peers, Fraser decided to expand Local Lit @ LOTTA into a program that includes the bi-monthly events plus writing workshops for aspiring writers of fiction, nonfiction, and memoir.

All Connecticut writers of all skill levels are welcome to apply.

Class Size:

Minimum 6 people, Maximum 11 people

Cost:

$400 per 7-week session. We’re pleased to offer one full scholarship per session.

Application Deadline extended to March 22, 2020

Send the following submission materials to locallitatlotta@gmail.com by March 22, 2020.

• One writing sample up to 3,000 words (do not submit poetry)
• A 25-50-word bio if you have it
• A 100-250-word explanation of what you hope to achieve in the workshop. Please indicate whether you are applying for the beginning, intermediate, or advanced course.
• A professional or student resume or CV. (Include publications if you have them, but don’t worry if you don’t.)
• In the body of your email, please rate your preferred session: 1st, 2nd, 3rd choice, or unavailable:
  • April 28 – June 9 | June 30 – August 11 | September 1 – October 13

Beginning April 28, 2020, Local Lit @ LOTTA will offer three writing workshops, each one seven weeks in duration.

What You’ll Do in LLL Writing Workshops

Whether you write fiction, creative nonfiction, or memoir, you need to know how to create characters, settings, and plots that resonate with readers. You’ll hone those skills at LLL, plus you’ll discover how to give substantive, helpful critique in both written and verbal format. During the workshop series, you will write and revise a short story or chapter of a book. Each week, we’ll focus on a different element of storytelling through prose. The series culminates with the opportunity for each writer to read their new work aloud in class and discuss it with the other participants. By the end of the seven weeks, you’ll have a piece that’s closer to finished, whether you started with a new idea or a work-in-progress. There will be homework each week.

 

Apply to LLL if you:

• Want to develop and enhance your prose writing skills or get unstuck on a work-in-progress,
• Want to learn how to give and receive feedback effectively,
• Can submit two to three finished first drafts of short fiction, creative nonfiction, or memoir,
• Can commit to attending one 3-hour workshop every Tuesday night for seven weeks (see schedule below), and
• Will commit to completing the homework each week (estimated time: 2-3 hours/week).

 

Do Not apply to LLL if you:

• Want to improve your poetry writing (we focus on prose!),
• Are not serious about writing for publication (traditional or indie), though you need not have been published yet,
• Cannot commit to attending the classes or doing the homework, or
• Don’t want to hear constructive criticism of your work.

 

About:

Local Lit @ LOTTA was formed in 2018 by author & educator Rebekah L. Fraser as a bi-monthly live reading and talk-back event to give Greater New Haven area authors the chance to get feedback on works-in-progress and published works from an audience of the general public. With encouragement from colleagues and peers, Fraser decided to expand Local Lit @ LOTTA into a program that includes the bi-monthly events plus writing workshops for aspiring writers of fiction, nonfiction and memoir.

All Connecticut writers of all skill levels are welcome to apply.  (While this workshop is designed for writers who have produced some work; with enough interest, LLL will offer a beginner workshop.)

Class Size:  Minimum 6 people, Maximum 11 people

Cost:  

$400 per 7-week session. We’re pleased to offer one full scholarship per session.

Apply by March 15, 2020

Send the following submission materials to locallitatlotta@gmail.com by March 15, 2020.

• Two to three short stories or book chapters (600-3,000 words each)
• A 25-50-word bio plus a 100-250-word explanation of what you hope to achieve in the workshop. Please indicate if you consider yourself a beginning writer.
• A professional resume or CV. (Include publications if you have them, but don’t worry if you don’t.)
• In the body of your email, please rate your preferred session: 1^st to 3^rd choice or unavailable:
  • April 28 – June 9 | June 30 – August 11 | September 1 – October 13