From Fact to Fiction: Writing Compelling Historical Narratives
From Fact to Fiction: Writing Compelling Historical Narratives
Monday, November 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th
5:30PM-7:30PM Phoenix MST
Location: Zoom
What to expect at a glance:
Learn strategies for efficient, targeted historical research, while also giving yourself creative freedom to tell the best possible story
Discover techniques to integrate historical detail naturally into your scenes
Practice building authentic dialogue and period-accurate settings
Course Description:
In an energizing and practical four-session workshop, Jen Knox will guide you through the art of crafting historical fiction that is both rich in accuracy and alive with compelling storytelling. You’ll learn how to organize research and weave it seamlessly into your narrative, creating immersive worlds without overwhelming the reader with facts. We will explore proven methods, narrative techniques, and examples from acclaimed historical novels that strike the perfect balance between authenticity and imagination.
Whether you are beginning a new project, revising a draft, or deepening your current work, this workshop will equip you with tools to create vivid settings, believable characters, and plots that resonate with modern readers while honoring the past. With dedicated time for practice, discussion, and feedback, you will leave each session with both inspiration and actionable steps to move your project forward.
About the instructor:
Jen Knox is an educator and storyteller who teaches writing, leadership, and meditation. Her first novel, We Arrive Uninvited, won the Steel Toe Books Award, and her second novel, Chaos Magic, was released from Kallisto Gaia Press 2025. She is also the author of The Glass City, which won the Press Americana Prize for Prose. Jen's short fiction can be found in Chicago Tribune, Prose Online, McSweeney's Internet Quarterly, The Saturday Evening Post, and more. She won CutBank’s Montana Prize in Nonfiction for "Disembodied" and the San Miguel Contest for her essay, "Teeth." Jen is the proud recipient of grants from the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Ohio Arts Council to complete a collection of narrative essays, At Work, which will be released by Cornerstone Press UWSP. www.jenknox.net
About our ticket fees:
Your ticket purchase is an investment not only in your voice, but in our literary community. The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing is dedicated to helping create a sustainable local and national literary arts community. The general rate for our PWS classes is only $25 per hour of instruction. The pay scale is designed in favor of instructors, ensuring that the majority of all ticket sales goes to them. Any additional profit allows us to offer discounts, scholarship seats, and occasionally free educational programs. To inquire about whether or not you are eligible for a discount code, please send an email to: pipercenter.info@asu.edu
