The TIFA/Humber Creative Writing Masterclass Series is a partnership between the Humber School for Writers and the Toronto International Festival of Authors. Launching in the Fall or 2020 as part of the Festival’s digital slate, the series will provide an exclusive array of virtual writing masterclasses for the Festival’s audience. Classes will be led by renowned Humber School for Writers faculty.

Each Masterclass will be 90-minutes long and address a specific aspect of writing craft and life. Classes will be held via one of Humber College’s virtual platforms, with a group of up to 40 students. The Masterclasses are open to all levels of writers, and will take place daily during TIFA.

Nabokov wrote that Chekhov enters his story “Lady with Lapdog” ‘without knocking.’ By this he meant that the story begins in the middle, with no preamble or setting up of scene. He jumps in, and we jump in with him. In this ninety-minute session, Masterclass facilitator David Bergen will have you look at what works in the best short stories: title, dialogue, point of view, clear writing, character. We will look at the rules and discuss how brilliant stories break those same rules. The class will follow this format: A story. A lecture. A story. The first is Chekhov’s story: Lady with the dog; The second is Nabokov’s lecture on Chekhov’s story. The third is a story called Bedtime Story by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum. Discussion. Thinking. Questions. All will be part of the class.

$45/workshop
Reduced rates are available to TIFA Patrons and Festival Friends and recent graduates of the Humber School for Writers.