Our unique sensibilities should be at the heart of our writing practice. Writers can become distracted and daunted by bestsellers’ lists, other writers’ styles, and what’s trending in the news and social media. To stay inspired, we must remain connected to our intrinsic motivation for writing stories, essays, or poetry. Through ninety minutes of presentation and exercises, you will reflect on what ignites your passion, clarify who you’re writing for, and understand how your reading and routines can enhance skills, commitment, and productivity. The outcome: a concrete vision for your personalized fiction-writing practice.

Angela Belcher Epps is the author of a novella, Salt in the Sugar Bowl (Main Street Rag, 2013). Her stories and essays have been published by Workers Write, the North Carolina Literary Review; Main Street Rag; moonShine Review; When Women Awaken; Obsidian: Literature in the African Diaspora; Essence Magazine; The Ladies Home Journal; among others. She is a contributor to three anthologies: All the Songs We Sing: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective (Blair, 2020); Heartspace: Real Life Stories on Death and Dying (heart2heart, 2019), and Gumbo for the Soul: The Recipe for Literacy in the Black Community (iUniverse, Inc., 2007). She also published two grant writing manuals as resources for nonprofit organizations. Angela earned a BA in English/Creative Writing from Hofstra University and an MA in Creative Writing from New York University.