The Art in Nature Series is made possible by the Ronald D. Russo Fund and the Barrington Public Library. All programs are free and open to the public.
Brevity is power! Join award-winning local poet Karen Donovan for a workshop in writing micro prose, a free event offered through our Art in Nature series. Dononvan’s newest book, Letters to Boulders, was inspired by rocks collected at local beaches.
The event will take place on Monday, March 23, at 6:30 pm in the Collis Gallery at the Barrington Public Library. Please bring paper or a notebook and your favorite writing instrument.
Micros are very short written pieces that can take the form of stories, memoirs, essays, prose poetry, journal entries, fairy tales, vignettes, and other types of creative expression. Most micros are usually around 300 words long but are often even briefer. They feature strong sentences, irresistible beginnings and striking endings, an arresting tone, and lots of sensory detail.
Micros can be about anything and are great conveyors of a writer’s idiosyncratic voice – sometimes the quirkier, the better. Just like an elevator pitch, micros quickly catch and keep a reader’s attention and make an impact.
In this workshop, you’ll write in response to a variety of prompts that will get your thoughts flowing. We’ll use topic suggestions, story starters, images, and objects that will unlock your imagination and encourage ideas. At the end of the workshop, you’ll be invited to read your draft out loud to the group if you wish to share it. This is an AI-free zone, so you’ll have the pleasure of your own inventions, and enjoy what everyone else creates, too.
Letters to Boulders will be available for sale at the workshop.
About Karen Donovan
Karen Donovan is a prizewinning poet and the author of Letters to Boulders, a book of prose and photographs published by Wet Cement Press in 2025. Her other books of poetry and prose are Monad+Monadnock, Planet Parable, Aard-vark to Axolotl, Your Enzymes Are Calling the Ancients, and Fugitive Red. She lives in Riverside.