Islanders Write Immersives are online writing workshops taught by Vineyard authors that will be offered over the winter. Each of these workshops will give you an opportunity to do a deeper dive into some of the topics that have been discussed at our live events.

The money raised from your participation in these workshops will go directly toward supporting our Islanders Write events at Featherstone Center for the Arts in March and August, which will remain free to attend.

MV Times members get a 20% discount! Use discount code ISLANDER20 when checking out. If you’re not yet a member, click here to join us.

MVRHS and Charter School hIgh school students – workshops are free to attend.* Email kate@gmail.com to register. 

MARCH

The Joy of Learning to Write Sex Scenes in Fiction & Memoir with Elizabeth Benedict

• This workshop is limited to people 18 years old and over.

Sunday, March 1
4:00 – 5:30 pm EST
Cost: Non-members $80 / MVTimes members $72

Do you freeze up when your characters drift into the bedroom? Are you puzzled about how much to say and how to say it? What to call the body parts that bring us so much pleasure and so much anguish? If you’re writing a memoir and there’s a sexual encounter that’s important to your story, do you gape at the screen and throw up your hands? And what if your husband/mother/child sees what you’ve written? These are some of the issues that Elizabeth Benedict takes on in this one-time workshop, based on her classic how-to-book—the first of its kind—The Joy of Writing Sex: A Guide for Fiction Writers, in print since 1996 and revised in 2002. In the book and in dozens workshops Benedict has given, the focus is on not writing erotica or porn but sex scenes encountered in today’s fiction and memoir, whether characters are Gen-Z’s or grandmas, straight, LGBTQ, or doing god-knows-what on phones or computers. Among Benedict’s many lessons, with guidance on how to do this: A Good Sex Scene Does Not Have to Be About Good Sex. 

This is a one-day “quickie” Islanders Write Immersive.

About Elizabeth Benedict: Liz is the author of six novels, including National Book Award Finalist “Slow Dancing,” and national bestseller “Almost,” and the recent memoir, “Rewriting Illness: A View of My Own”. Her book, “The Joy Of Writing Sex: A Guide For Fiction Writers,” has been in print since 1996, and is widely used in MFA classes. She has conducted many dozens of workshops on the subject. She’s the editor of three anthologies, including “Mentors, Muses & Monsters: 30 Writers On The People Who Changed Their Lives.” Please visit: ElizabethBenedict.com 

APRIL

Fictionalizing Your Life with Kate Feiffer

Wednesdays April 8, 15, 22, 29.
6:00 to 8:00 pm EST
Cost: Non-members $250 / MVTimes members $200

We’ve all been told to write what we know, and as Nora Ephron famously said, “Everything is copy.” But writing what you know can be filled with anxiety, hurt feelings, and other minefields. It doesn’t have to be that way. This Islanders Write Immersive will dive into the growing popularity of “autofiction” (autobiographical fiction). We will discuss strategies and use writing exercises to help you liberate yourself when you’re stuck, because writing about the people and the events in your life can be hard and scary. This workshop will motivate you to reach beyond the facts of the matter and invigorate your characters, embolden your settings, and tell the stories that are inspired by the people, places, and events you’ve been trying to write about.

This four-week Islanders Write Immersive is for writers of any level. It is ideal for novelists wondering about where fiction begins, as well as for memoirists worried about revealing too much. It will include writing prompts. 

About Kate Feiffer: Kate is the author of the 2025 comedic novel Morning Pages, in which she fictionalized her mother and other aspects of her life. She is also the author of 11 books for children, including Henry the Dog with No Tail and My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life. Kate is the Director of Islanders Write and the editor of the Islanders Write newsletter. Kate’s writing and illustrations have appeared in newspapers, magazines, and websites on and off of Martha’s Vineyard.  www.katefeiffer.com

Please contact Kate Feiffer at Kate@mvtimes.com if you have questions.