Tag Archives: rhode island

Hotel Providence: Travel Photography & Creative Writing Courses

Have you always wanted to become a travel writer? If the answer to that question is yes, one component of the journey you may want to focus on is travel photography. Being able to take your own pictures to accompany an article not only makes you a more valuable writer in the eyes of an editor, but it can net you extra income as well.

Today we have with us Tricia Carter, the workshop facilitator for the Hotel Providence’s newest course offering–Travel Photography. She’s going to elaborate a bit on the workshop and another upcoming event at the hotel.

Can you tell Freelance-Zone readers a bit about your travel photography course and what type of person it is designed for? 

This is a photography course designed for complete beginners through intermediates who would like to refresh their previous photographic knowledge. The workshop will provide a good technical foundation along with the fundamentals of composition to dramatically improve your images. You will learn to see what makes some images memorable, while others simply are not. With this new mystery of your camera Robyn will teach you how to apply your new photographic techniques creatively to capture those perfect travel photographs.

Who is the person that will be teaching the session and what is their background in travel photography? 

Robyn Rowles, owner of Robynrowlesphotography.com and Artist in You art studio, has traveled all over the world as a professional studio and freelance photographer.  Robyn owned and exhibited in various distinguished galleries internationally. Recently she turned her attention to North America and is in the process of developing a photography book chronically the rural Southern United States travels capturing the strength, beauty and simplicity of its many diverse cultures.

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What are some of the things that people will learn during the course?

Alongside your like-minded peers, in a nurturing and supportive environment, you will discover your personal aesthetic and apply your new eye and skills to capture a moment, a sense of place, and a true cultural portrait. You will learn how angles, lighting, and other techniques can unearth the beauty in uncommon places.

Can you tell readers what the cost is for this course and what is included for that price?

$389.00 Single Occupancy

The cost for the $389.00 for single occupancy and $544.00 for double occupancy. These rates include:

  • Overnight accommodations in our Superior Rooms
  • 2 days of expert instruction by Robyn Rowles
  • Lunch and Dinner on Saturday
  • Breakfast on Sunday
  • Overnight Valet Parking
    * optional keepsake book of your photographs for an additional $75.00

Our local rate is $180.00. This excludes overnight room and breakfast.

You also have a Creative Writing course coming up—can you tell readers a bit about that as well?

Our first creative writing course, As The Plot Thickens….Developing Your Novel, was so well-received we thought that it was only natural to try it again! Our next workshop will be centered on writing children’s literature. We are grateful to have Brown University instructor and author, Joanna Howard involved again, so the caliber of the workshop will be excellent.

“And The Plot Thickens” Weekend Novel Writing Workshop

Today we are excited to bring Freelance-Zone readers an up-close look at “And The Plot Thickens”, a novel writing workshop in Rhode Island taking place later this month…

LobbyA11. How did the idea for the “And The Plot Thickens” workshop come about, and when is it?

‘And The Plot Thickens… How to develop a novel’ is held on August 28 & 29 2010.

The idea came about because we are passionate about the Arts. From the regular RISDA exhibitions we hold in our lobby, our series of arts inspired events and the local arts society we support, it shows in everything we do…We wanted to help people discover their own passion and writing their first novel is a dream that many of us have. We also realized that with people taking shorter weekends because of the economy, they wanted to do something more worthwhile with their time away – this workshop allows them to pursue their dream, share experiences and make new friends while spending the weekend in a wonderful hotel in a beautiful city.

2.  Who will be leading this workshop and what are that person’s qualifications?

Joanna Howard is a published author and holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Denver, and MFA in fiction writing from Bowling Green State University. She currently teaches fiction at Brown University. Joanna is the author of ‘On the Winding Stair’ (Boa Editions, 2009) a collection of short stories which Publisher’s Weekly described as “14 tales of startling description and beauty.”  She is also the author of ‘In the Colorless Round’ (Noemi, 2007), a short collection of prose with artwork by Rikki Ducornet . Her publications also include numerous book reviews in Review of Contemporary Fiction and American Book Review, and she has worked as a co-translator on Marcel Cohen’s Walls (Black Square 2009) and on Frederic Boyer’s Cows (forthcoming from Noemi Press). Her stories appear in anthologies and journals including Conjunctions, The Chicago Review, Quarterly West, and American Letters and Commentary. Howard is a fiction editor for Tarpaulin Sky magazine, She has also edited for Denver Quarterly and other journals.

3. What will be covered in these two days?

Each day will be structured by a series of morning and afternoon sessions, which will include a range of writing exercises, workshops, and seminar style discussions.

Budding writers will learn practical skills for how to shape their ideas into a novel, discover how to create memorable characters and compelling narratives. They will examine their favorite novels and dissect what makes them great pieces of fiction. Reading-out exercises will give them the opportunity for feedback on material they have already written and advice on how to develop and shape their drafts. Joanna will share her experience and advice on how to talk about and present ideas to an audience and how to get that first novel published. Continue reading “And The Plot Thickens” Weekend Novel Writing Workshop