#Tips for Writing About the Immigrant Experience
International Book Award winner Sohrab Homi Fracis leads a special workshop for writers during Jax Book Fest "Writer's Day" on Friday, September 20, exploring identity and sense of place in immigrant fiction. He was Twin Cities Visiting Writer in Residence at Augsburg College and Artist in Residence at Yaddo. He received the Florida Individual Artist Fellowship and the South Asian Literary Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award.
Sohrab Homi Fracis’s book, True Fiction, won the 2023 International Book Award for story collections. Ticket to Minto won the Iowa Short Fiction Award, juried by the legendary Iowa Writers Workshop and described by the New York Times as "among the most prestigious literary prizes America offers." It was the first book by an Asian American to do so. Stanford University Libraries shortlisted his novel, Go Home, for the William Saroyan International Prize.
GET WRITING TIPS FROM SOHRAB HOMI FRACIS
Writer's Lab: Sense of Place & Identity in Immigrant Fiction workshop with author Sohrab Homi Fracis on Friday, September 20, from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. in the Hicks Auditorium in the Conference Center at the Main Library.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
In this hour-long, lecture-style workshop, participants will explore the immigrants’ sense of place and belonging, as well as their sense of self or identity in a work of fiction. Fracis will start with a "show and tell" approach, via passages from his award-winning books, and then explain how these short scenes evoke both the homeland left behind by his protagonists and the new land they are making their own. He'll also discuss tips and techniques for expanding the story to accommodate both settings - resulting in a transnational or even global sense of place and an often hyphenated identity.
#Book Recommendations
#Jax Book Fest 2024: Writer's Day
Join us starting Friday, September 20 from 12 - 5 p.m. at the Main Library for a two-day celebration of great books, fantastic authors, and all things reading! In between workshops, you'll also have the opportunity to network with fellow writers and writer's groups. We'll also be joined by three #1 New York Times bestselling authors, dozens of Jacksonville-based authors, and a few Florida Writer's Groups for Reader's Day on Saturday, September 21, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Read more at jaxlibrary.org/bookfest.
More Writer's Lab Workshops
- Writer's Lab: Poetry Unleashed (Building Bonds Through Verse)
- Workshop with Taryn "Love Reigns" Wharwood from 12 - 1:30 p.m.
- Explore self-expression and collaboration through poetry
- Writer's Lab: Visual Storytelling
- Workshop with featured author Vashti Harrison from 2:30 - 4 p.m.
- Hands-on workshop, seating limited
- Writer's Lab: Writing Stories, Lifting Voices, Sharing Lives
- Oral History 101 workshop with Dr. Kitty Oliver from 4 - 5 p.m.
- This program is made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation.
Self-Publishing Workshops
Our partners at Biblioboard will be offering FREE one-hour, hands-on workshops on how to format and publish your manuscript using Pressbooks. With this FREE online tool, you can submit your e-book to the Florida Indie Author Collection or get your manuscript ready for on-demand printing. Pressbooks is a great option if you want complete control over your own content or the ability to collaborate with other authors and editors.
Choose the time that works best for you: 12 - 1 p.m., 2-3 p.m., 4-5 p.m. You can use the Library's computers to follow along or feel free to bring your own laptop.
Networking & Resources for Writers
Looking to make friends with and learn from other authors? Need help getting your manuscript ready to print? From accountability partners and feedback on each other's works-in-progress to writing tips and advice for avoiding pitfalls and navigating the publishing (and self-publishing) worlds... Whatever genre you're working in, there's a writer's group that's right for you!
Drop by the Conference Level anytime between 12 - 5 p.m. on Friday, September 20, for networking and resources. We'll be joined by representatives from Authors Roundtable of Northeast Florida, First Coast Romance Writers, Women Writing for (a) Change Jacksonville, Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter, and others.
