Writers Workshop
January 15 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Escape 2 Create Presents:
A Literary Masterclass with Viet Dinh & Annie Ward Richards
Wednesday, January 15th
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm at The REP Theatre
Complimentary Event
“How True Must Prose Be?”
Embark on a transformative journey with PEN/Faulkner Award finalist Viet Dinh and Fulbright Scholar Annie Ward Richards. Dinh’s short story “Substitutes” was winner of the O. Henry Prize. His critically praised novel After Disasters is Amazon Editor’s Pick, Best Literature and Fiction. Novelist Annie Ward Richards, author of bestselling psychological thrillers including the blockbuster novel Beautiful Bad, shares hard-won strategies to get your manuscript published.
This inspiring masterclass will delve into the question of “How True Must Prose Be?” and explore the delicate dance between truth and artistic expression. Beyond exploring the nuances of craft, they will share their experiences and hard-won insights on cultivating relationships with publishers and practical strategies to harness the power of social media, online platforms, and other media to reach a broader audience and share your unique perspective.
This exceptional workshop is free and open to all writers, regardless of genre or experience level. Don’t miss this unique chance to learn from renowned authors, elevate your writing, and unlock your creative potential.
COMPLIMENTARY EVENT
Escape to Create’s Artist-in-Residence
Annie Ward Richards, Author
Annie Ward Richards is an internationally published novelist, travel writer and screenwriter. Her debut novel, The Making of June, was written which teaching at the University of Sofia, Bavaria as a Fulbright Scholar. Beautiful Bad and The Lying Club are critically praised as “unputdownable” thrillers with sophisticated plots of revenge and romance, murder and shocking secrets. A 2004 E2C fellow, Richards returns to Seaside from San Miguel Allende to advance her fourth novel, The Conservatory.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ANNIE WARD RICHARDS
In the tradition of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train comes the psychological thriller everyone is talking about, a twisted novel about a devoted wife, a loving husband, and a chilling crime that will stun even the cleverest readers.
There are two sides to every story… And every person.
Maddie and Ian’s love story began with a chance encounter at a party overseas, while she was a travel writer visiting her best friend, Jo. Now almost two decades later, married with a beautiful son, Charlie, they are living the perfect suburban life in Middle America. But when a camping accident leaves Maddie badly scarred, she begins attending writing therapy, where she gradually reveals her fears about Ian; her concerns for the safety of their young son; and the couple’s tangled and tumultuous past with Jo.
From the Balkans to England, Iraq to Manhattan, and finally to an ordinary family home in Kansas, sixteen years of love and fear, adventure and suspicion culminate in The Day of the Killing, when a frantic 911 call summons the police to the scene of a shocking crime.
Escape to Create’s Artist-in-Residence
Viet Dinh, Author
Born in Vietnam and raised in Aurora, Colorado, Viet Dinh’s first novel After Disasters was one of five finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Nominated for the Pushcart Prize and recipient of a National Endowment of the Arts Literary Fellowship, Dinh’s short stories appear in leading literary journals including Ploughshares, The Alaska Quarterly Review and The Best American Short Stories. His short story “Substitutes” was awarded the O. Henry Prize, one of our country’s most prestigious honors for literary short fiction. A tenured professor at the University of Delaware, Dinh plans to develop his second novel about a post WWI German immigrant family forced to confront difficult change.
Beautifully and hauntingly written, After Disasters is told through the eyes of four people in the wake of a life-shattering earthquake in India. An intricate story of love and loss weaves together the emotional and intimate narratives of Ted, a pharmaceutical salesman turned member of the Disaster Assistance Response Team; his colleague Piotr, who still carries with him the scars of the Bosnia conflict; Andy, a young firefighter eager to prove his worth; and Dev, a doctor on the ground racing against time and dwindling resources. Through time and place, hope and tragedy, love and lust, these four men put their lives at risk in a country where danger lurks everywhere.
O. Henry Prize–winning author Viet Dinh takes us on a moving and evocative journey through an India set with smoky funeral pyres, winding rivers that hold prayers and the deceased, and the rubble of Gujarat, a crumbling place wavering between life and death. As the four men fight to impose order on an increasingly chaotic city, where looting and threats of violence become more severe, they realize the first lives they save might be their own.
Special Thanks To The Emerald Coast Storytellers
Emerald Coast Storytellers is a local writers group based in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida that seeks to provide uniquely curated events revolving around the written and spoken word. Their mission is to help locals and visitors alike discover, foster, and reignite their creative passions – both on and off the page. Emerald Coast Storytellers hosts monthly meetups at venues throughout 30A and beyond, which you can follow along on either their social media (@emeraldcoaststorytellers) or their website emeraldcoaststorytellers.com.
Partners in Celebrating Artistic Excellence
The REP is pleased to continue its vital partnership with Escape to Create in 2025! Escape to Create (E2C) is a volunteer managed non-profit organization that represents the unique character of a community deeply invested in the arts. Seaside’s nationally recognized multidisciplinary arts residency Escape To Create brings innovative musicians, writers, filmmakers and artists center stage at The REP Theatre each year. Residencies are made possible through the generosity of Seaside homeowners, merchants, and donors. For additional information on Seaside’s unique cultural legacy and Escape to Create’s 2025 guest artists visit www.escape2create.org
Seaside is currently offering free parking during the winter season!
Thanks to the generosity of the Seaside Merchants, Seaside is offering complimentary parking in the commercial district this winter. Catch a show, enjoy the complimentary parking, and experience iconic shops and restaurants while in Seaside.