Writing students at Barat House workshop

Writers' Hub Workshops

Manhattanville Writers’ Hub Fall Workshops

The Writers’ Hub at Manhattanville University is a literary home for the local Westchester County and Hudson Valley community.

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Writers' Hub Fall 2026 Workshops

Each semester, the Manhattanville University MFA Program develops a series of creative writing workshops that are open to local community members and program alumni as well as to current MFA students. These events are designed to dig deeply into a specific element of the craft of writing and to help participants hone their skills. All events take place at Barat House, home of the Dowd-O'Gorman Creative Writing Center, tucked away on Manhattanville’s vibrant campus. Please see this semester’s offerings below. We look forward to hosting you at Barat House. Come work on your writing craft with us!

Poster featuring Kathy Curto seated crosslegged and wearing a headband

Nina Sharma

IMPROV Your Writing

Improviser and educator, Viola Spolin, once said, "Theater Games are a process applicable to any field, discipline, or subject matter which creates a place where full participation, communication, and transformation can take place." In this class, we will use performance as a means to shake up our relationship with the page. We will collaboratively create a safe space of play. In this space, we'll do improv warm-ups, games, and scenes. We will then both discuss these activities from a craft perspective and write off of them, as in, treat the scene-work as inspiration for the page. This class welcomes all kinds of writers, comic or not. Rather than forcing a joke, in improv we "follow the fun," which more often means simply responding honestly. By the end of this workshop, you will have a bit more spontaneity in your writing life and truth and comedy for the road.

Saturday, October 17, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Barat House

Registration Fee: $50. FREE for current Manhattanville MFA students