Notes from The Writer's Corner
Next week: a conversation with author Sarah Braunstein. Save the date: Christina Baker Kline. Plus: a look inside this week’s open discussion.
Next week …
Join us on Monday (April 27 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST) for a Craft Conversation with acclaimed novelist and essayist Sarah Braunstein. Our discussion will explore how to shape narrative, refine your voice, and recognize when your work is ready for the world.
Sarah Braunstein’s novel, Bad Animals, was published by W. W. Norton and was described by Claire Luchette in the New York Times Book Review as “...a red-hot poker that skewers the limits of the white imagination…[A] sharp-witted, ravishing novel.” Sarah is also the author of The Sweet Relief of Missing Children (W. W. Norton), winner of the 2012 Maine Literary Award for Fiction. The novel was a finalist for the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize from the Center for Fiction and was an Oprah Magazine Top Ten Pick of the Month. Bitchmagazine said it’s a novel “akin to the film Magnolia (if Saul Bellow had written the novelization).”
Her short stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Playboy, The Harvard Review, The Cincinnati Review, AGNI, Ploughshares, The Sun, Nylon Magazine, The Nervous Breakdown, and in other publications. Sarah has been the recipient of a “5 Under 35” award from the National Book Foundation and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award. She is associate professor of English and creative writing at Colby College.
Guest Update …
Just received an advance copy of Alan Opts Out by our recent Writer’s Corner guest author Courtney Maum. It’s part of a ‘traveling arc’ tour, and I’m so excited it’s making a stop at my house this week! I loved having Courtney on a few weeks ago to discuss the book. We even got a behind-the-scenes look at how she revised the opening pages. If you missed that session, you can watch it HERE. I’m looking forward to diving into this book before its June release!
Save the date …
May 4 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST
Christina Baker Kline for A Craft Conversation
Christina Baker Kline is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, including Orphan Train, The Exiles, Please Don’t Lie (co-authored with Anne Burt), and the forthcoming The Foursome (May 2026), Christina Baker Kline is published in more than 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities, and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as The New York Times and The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The San Francisco Chronicle.
Only SIX weeks until …
Our Spring Writing Retreat in Maine is only SIX WEEKS away!
The “hub” at main inn (Bear Mountain Inn) is sold out, but we still have a handful of rooms at a beautiful sister property just a few miles down the road at The Waterford Inne.
If you’ve been on the fence, here’s more on our “Sister Inn” experience:
The 1826 Homestead: Nestled on 17 acres of Maine woods and gardens, this is a true 19th-century farmhouse.
The Best of Both Worlds: You get the full retreat experience—daily classes, 1:1 coaching, and workshops with Andre Dubus III and Joanna Rakoff—but you have a peaceful spot just a few miles down the road to spend the night.
Note: You must have a car to travel back and forth between inns.
These are our very last available rooms! You can find all the details HERE.
Food for Thought …
In the Writer’s Session
Ever wonder what actually gets said in our monthly open discussions?
We don’t record them on purpose. The conversation only works because people can be candid (about what’s not working, what feels uncertain, what they’re questioning). But I can offer a glimpse of what surfaced this week:
A lot of conversation around AI and publishing (hands down this comes up more than any other topic in my classes and writing chats lately). Fears about how it might impact the industry. What it may mean for writers and why we need to have faith that humans voices will win.
The querying trenches came up, as they always do. Not just strategy, but stamina. How long you can stay in it without the process depleting your belief in the work itself. From essays to books, we talked about member experiences and how to keep going!
Beta readers—how to find the right ones, and maybe more importantly, understanding that not all feedback is equal.
Where a few community members were in their process and some of the challenges they’ve been facing as writers.
And much more!
If this sounds like the kind of conversation you’ve been looking for, join us next time. ❤️
Really looking forward to your conversation with Sarah Braunstein. I was lucky enough to hear Sarah speak once before and she had so much great craft advice to share.