General Events
Jennifer Baker and Dennis Norris II | Master Class
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Lorrie Moore said that "The short story is a love affair, a novel is a marriage." How does this analogy apply to the editorial process? How do you develop a working relationship—in which the editor trusts the writer's vision, and the writer trusts the editor's guidance to make intention a reality. In this Master Class, multifaceted editors Jennifer Baker and Dennis Norris II will discuss their process of working together for the short-story anthology Everyday People: The Color of Life. Using examples from the anthology, we will explore the editorial conversations about scene-building, character motivation, and backstory; the work undertaken; and the relationships that developed as this collection moved from manuscript to publication.
Course Schedule
Saturday, May 9
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
1 session
This class is free and will be held online on Zoom. This class is full and closed to new registration.
Jennifer Baker
is the editor of the short story anthology Everyday People: The Color of Life (Atria Books); and the creator and host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast. She was named a 2019 Publishers Weekly Superstar for her contributions to inclusion and representation in publishing. Her essay "What We Aren't (or the Ongoing Divide)" was listed as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2018. More information on her work and writing can be found at jenniferbaker.com.
Dennis Norris II
is a contributor to the anthology Everyday People: The Color of Life and the author of the chapbook Awst Collection—Dennis Norris II, which was named a Best Book of 2018 by Powell's. The former fiction editor of Apogee journal, they currently serve as senior fiction editor at The Rumpus and co-host of the critically acclaimed podcast Food 4 Thot.