2026 KWELI INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL
MASTER CLASSES, CRAFT TALKS, AND WORKSHOPS
November 16, 2026 - December 20, 2026
The master classes, craft talks, and workshops are exclusively for BIPOC writers.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
November 16, 2026 | “You Walk Into a Room: Building Tension and Surprise with the Second Person POV” | Gina Chung
November 17, 2026 | “The Editorial Process: A Case Study” | Cleyvis Natera and Chelcee Johns
November 18, 2026 | The Art of the Novel: The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois | Honorée Fanonne Jeffers | VIRTUAL
November 21, 2026 | Storytelling with Visual Art | Alexia Nader | VIRTUAL
November 21, 2026 | On Letting the World In | Isabella Hammad
November 22 - December 20, 2026 | The Art of the Short Story Workshop | Laura Pegram | VIRTUAL
December 6, 2026 | The Art of the Essay | Martha S. Jones | VIRTUAL (To be confirmed)
December 12, 2026 | “Miracle in Lagos Traffic”: Creating a Compelling Protagonist | Chika Unigwe | VIRTUAL
You Walk Into a Room: Building Tension and Surprise with the Second Person POV”
Craft Talk
Led by Gina Chung
Monday, November 16, 2026, 6:30pm - 7:30pm EST
This craft talk will examine “The Arrow,” a short story by Gina Chung. It was included in the 2025 Best Short Stories O. Henry Prize anthology edited by Edward P. Jones. “The reasons I chose to write this story in the second person is because I think writing in that mode allows me to unlock something that maybe the character already knows about themselves, but is not willing to divulge or is not willing to acknowledge in some way,” said Chung.
“The Editorial Process: A Case Study”
Led by Cleyvis Natera and Chelcee Johns
Tuesday, November 17, 2026; 6:30pm - 8:00pm EST
In an early interview, Toni Morrison defined what makes a good editor. “Knowing what not to touch; asking all the questions you probably would have asked yourself had there been the time. Good editors are really the third eye.” Editor Chelcee Johns was “the third eye” for author Cleyvis Natera. This conversation will be a look behind the scenes at Neruda in the Park and Grand Paloma Resort.
This course will take place online via Zoom. Participants will receive instructions for access prior to the start of class.
The Art of the Novel: The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois | VIRTUAL
Craft Talk
Led by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
Wednesday, November 18, 2026; 6:30pm - 7:30pm EST
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers once described herself as an academic who “comes from a line of visioning women.” During this craft talk, Jeffers will speak about the structure of her award winning novel, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois, her visioning dreams, as well as her connection to the archive, and when she realized that Ailey’s story was connected to the ancestral story.
This course will take place online via Zoom. Participants will receive instructions for access prior to the start of class.
Storytelling with Visual Art | VIRTUAL
Craft Talk
Led by Alexia Nader
November 21, 2026; 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
In this craft talk, Alexia Nader will talk about the various ways she incorporated visual art into the process of writing The Meaning of Daughter. She will discuss strategies for using visual art as inspiration, for world-building, and as a way to access characters' emotions.
This course will take place online via Zoom. Participants will receive instructions for access prior to the start of class.
On Letting the World In
Craft Talk
Led by Isabella Hammad
November 21, 2026; 5:00pm - 7:00pm EST
In this talk I will discuss research for the purposes of literary writing, with a focus on using archives—whether that means literal archives or an understanding of the "Archive" as "any corpus of selective forgettings and recollections" (Ann Stoler). Where can fiction and other forms of conjecture take us that traditional history-writing, bound by allegiance to a prescribed definition of evidence, cannot go? Where might we still not be able to go—where does narration fail and silence persist?
This course will take place online via Zoom. Participants will receive instructions for access prior to the start of class.
The Art of the Short Story | VIRTUAL
Multi-Session Workshop Led by Laura Pegram
Tuesday, November 22 - December 13, 2026; 6:30pm - 8:30pm EST
This multi-session workshop is “part literature appreciation class, part boot camp with a gentle, loving touch.” We’ll examine several examples of the short story form by writers from Edwidge Danticat to Louise Erdrich, and discuss how the authors use imagery, the art of compression AND MORE. The workshop will include seminars focused on craft and in-class writing exercises. Peer review sessions will take place during the last two weeks of workshop.
This course will take place online via Zoom. Participants will receive instructions for access prior to the start of class.
“Miracle in Lagos Traffic”: Creating a Compelling Protagonist | VIRTUAL
Craft Talk
Led by Chika Unigwe
Saturday, December 12, 2026; 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
This craft talk will examine “Miracle in Lagos Traffic,” a short story by Chika Unigwe. It was included in the 2025 Best Short Stories O. Henry Prize anthology edited by Edward P. Jones.
This course will take place online via Zoom. Participants will receive instructions for access prior to the start of class.
