Local Authors Writing Workshop: Historical Fiction

Welcome to the Mystic & Noank Library’s Local Authors Writing Workshop Series for the summer of 2024. This is the fourth year we’ve run the series as part of our adult summer reading program, connecting readers and aspiring writers with authors who live in or near our community. These workshops are all in person. You must register for each workshop separately.

Upcoming workshops:
Poetry with Sean Frederick Forbes. Mon, July 29, 7 – 8:30.

Historical Fiction: Breathing Life into the Past with Lisa Hall Brownell
Hidden between the lines of recorded history are untold stories of people who lived during those times. Starting to write historical fiction doesn’t take a time machine. It does, however, require curiosity, a passion for research, and a willingness to take risks. Workshop leader Lisa Hall Brownell will use examples from her own novel, Gallows Road, to discuss point-of-view, building a character, and balancing facts versus fiction. She also will discuss how novels such as “The Underground Railroad” or “Horse” are changing the rules of the genre. Then, for fun, the workshop will conclude with a short writing exercise, relying on prompts from old photographs and illustrations.

Bio
LISA HALL BROWNELL, a fiction writer and editor, believes that stories have the power to connect one person to another, and past to present. Her historical novel, Gallows Road, (Elm Grove Press, 2022) has earned widespread acclaim. Brownell is finishing her second novel, Vee’s Bracelet, set in the Great Depression and is writing a collection of short stories. After graduating from Brown University, she earned an M.A. in English with a concentration in creative writing from San Francisco State University. A former media relations director for Mystic Seaport Museum and director of publications for Connecticut College, Brownell edited and wrote for an award-winning magazine. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society of North America. As a member of the Mystic Writers, she helps to manage their website and blog, https://mysticwriters.org.