Writers Working: Reimagining Research Across Genre

Hear ideas for approaching research creatively that are applicable no matter what genre you are working in.

You can attend this program online or in person. To take part online, find the Zoom link at deschuteslibrary.org.

Research is not just a tool for building arguments or confirming details, but one for associative brainstorming and jumpstarting ideas, for un-jamming writer’s block, and for building scene, setting, character, and metaphor. After surveying a few examples of “creative research” in action, participants will learn about various websites, digital archives, apps, and other digital tools that are free resources for your research toolbox and get ideas for how to apply them. We will also do a multi-part writing exercise based around an old photograph, which will explore how research can spur new revelations in memory.

Erica Berry is a writer and teacher based in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Her essays can be found in print and online in The Guardian, The Yale Review, Outside Magazine, Catapult, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Guernica, and others. Her work has been supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Tin House, the Ucross Foundation, and the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources, among others. Her debut nonfiction book, Cry Wolf, is forthcoming from Flatiron/Macmillan in the U.S. and Canongate in the U.K. in early 2023. www.ericaberry.com

Central Oregon Writers Guild’s mission is to provide Central Oregon area writers a forum for mutual support and education through meetings, annual events and workshops. Our goal is to advance growth and success for individual writers of all genres and skill levels. Founded in 2002, the Guild is a non-profit organization, run entirely by volunteers.