Classes & Workshops
“Every course I have taken at NOWW has been on point! The teachers all share a passion for creativity! Inspiring indeed.”Isabella Christodoulou on NOWW Teachers
creating characters who read as real
(All Levels, In-Person)
Instructor: Allison Alsup
Genre: Narrative
Number of Sessions: 1
Meets: 10 AM – 1:00 PM CT
Dates: Saturday, May 30, 2026
Where: Burnt Canoe Studios (4820 Banks St, New Orleans, LA 70119)
Cost: $75/ $68 early bird until May 15, 2026.
– Two first come discounted spots for BIPOC students at $37.50 / $34 until May 15, 2026.
Stories hinge on credible, compelling characters. It doesn’t matter the genre—most contemporary narratives demand character-driven storylines. And for those writing personal essays, there’s no escaping the “I” on the page. Whether based in the writer’s real life experience or completely invented, intimacy and psychological depth are what modern readers crave. The rub is not all details are created equal. Knowing every tidbit of your character’s life doesn’t necessarily advance the story and may end up obscuring it.
This workshop’s goal is to hone in those character essentials that make the people on our pages feel real and true. We’ll explore the kinds of targeted questions writers can—and should–ask long before reaching the end of a draft. Through discussion, short excerpts and hands on exercises, we’ll explore key aspects of character development, including: the core relationship between character and conflict, what makes for a “telling” detail,” and the fundamental role of backstory and secondary characters.
Writers can expect to leave with character-building strategies applicable to any future narrative as well as a deeply rendered character profile for their current project. (They can also expect to learn a heck of a lot by hearing the ideas of other participants.)
All levels, from absolute newbie to experienced writers, and all prose genres welcome. Participants with either works in progress or well-considered ideas for narratives will most benefit from our session.
allison alsup
Allison Alsup is an award-winning writer, teacher and editor. Her debut novel, Foreign Seed, was published by Turner Publishing in June 2024 and was named a finalist in debut fiction by the 2025 American Jewish Book Awards. She holds an M.F.A. in Fiction from Emerson College.
Her short fiction has won multiple contests and appears, among other places, in the 2014 O’Henry Prize Stories and the U.K.‘s 2018 Manchester Fiction Prize shortlist, her non-fiction in Best Food Writing 2015.
As co-founder of the New Orleans Writers Workshop, Allison has taught a multitude of classes, helping hundreds of writers to hone their craft and achieve their creative writing goals–whether that be revising a story, seeking their first publication or applying to M.F.A. programs.
Allison also mentors writers one on one, both in New Orleans and across the United States, on projects ranging from short personal essays to full-length novels. She oversees the developmental editorial services for the New Orleans Writers Workshop.
what’s past is prologue:
writing Historical Fiction
(In conversation,
Free and Open to the Public)
Authors: Allison Alsup and Elisa Speranza
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Sessions: 1
Dates: Monday, May 18, 2026, 6-8 PM CT
Where: Garden District Books (2727 Prytania Street, New Orleans)
Cost: Free
Presented in partnership with Third Lantern Lit.
Thoughts of penning an historical narrative can overwhelm. Where to begin? How to research? How to keep our pages from droning on like an interminable lecture?
Join New Orleans Writers Workshop co-founder and developmental editor Allison Alsup (author of Foreign Seed), and book publicity consultant Elisa M. Speranza (author of Triage and The Italian Prisoner) in conversation as they tackle these frequently asked questions in discussing their own journeys in writing historical novels. They’ll also address the most common challenges and pitfalls historical fiction writers face—as well as strategies for overcoming them.
This session is designed for new and experienced writers alike; participants need not have a manuscript in progress but will most benefit from having a considered idea for a story in mind. Non-writers who are curious fans of historical fiction are
also welcome.
Copies of Allison’s and Elisa’s novels will be available for purchase and signing.
Learn more about Elisa here and Allison here.