I am half Swedish. My mother’s ancestors immigrated to America from Sweden in the early 20th century, and they brought with them traditions that my mother honored throughout my childhood. On celebratory occasions, my mother would set up a traditional Swedish smorgasbord that included a wide variety cold and hot dishes. My love of pickled herring can be traced back to my mother’s elaborate smorgasbords.
The word smorgasbord popped into my head when Paula Martinac, Charlotte Lit’s Community Coordinator, sent me a writeup about Charlotte Lit’s programming for this fall. Like a traditional Swedish smorgasbord, Charlotte Lit’s fall lineup includes a variety of tempting offerings. Also like a smorgasbord, it has a celebratory quality to it, for this year’s programming marks Charlotte Lit’s tenth anniversary of providing the Charlotte community with writing courses and literary events. “But you don’t have to take my word for it,” as LeVar Burton said on Reading Rainbow. Here is what Paula sent to me:
Charlotte Lit is starting its tenth year of programming this fall—and in our brand-new studio space in Uptown! We have a great selection of classes and events designed to appeal to writers and readers with different interests in the literary arts.
Making its debut in our class lineup is the mini-lab, a condensed version of our signature writers’ intensives, Authors Lab and Poetry Chapbook Lab. Mini-labs incorporate expert instruction with discussion, prompts to get folks writing, a workshop component, and most important, community building. Students can choose a six-week class in personal essay writing with Rebecca McClanahan, or a five-week class in short-form prose with Luke Whisnant. We recently ran spotlights on both Rebecca and Luke on our blog. There will be mini-labs in playwriting and poetry in Winter–Spring 2026.
We’re also premiering a four-week literature class taught by UNC Charlotte Professor Emerita Jennifer Munroe. Watch out, because Jen will be highlighting the somewhat weirder elements of Shakespeare’s plays, including poisons and potions.
Our short classes highlight special topics in all genres, with favorite teachers like Tara Campbell, Angelo Geter, Patrice Gopo, David Hicks, and C.T. Salazar. 2025 GoodLit Poetry Fellow Olivia Dorsey Peacock, a self-described “tea maven,” will lead a tea meditation designed to awaken the senses and spark creativity. In fiction fundamentals, Paula Martinac will demystify point of view while Heather Newton from Flatiron Writers Room in Asheville will explore how to strengthen dialogue. For those ready to submit work for publication, Paul Reali’s class will take the angst out of the often-confusing process.
In addition to in-person classes that showcase our new space, we’ve got online sessions for those who live farther away. Most of our classes appeal to all levels of writers, from beginners on up, but we offer master classes for more advanced students. This semester, Robin Hemley will be in town to lead a master class on using objects in creative nonfiction, and Jan Beatty will teach about writing risk in poetry.
Exclusively for Charlotte Lit members, Rebecca McClanahan will offer a free multi-genre session musically titled “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered: Three Pathways to Our Deepest Work.” (Pro tip: You can join Charlotte Lit any time before September to get this benefit.)
The Fall 2025 class schedule is available now at charlottelit.org/classes. In November, we’ll announce the Winter–Spring classes, featuring new offerings by popular faculty like Bryn Chancellor, Kathie Collins, Judy Goldman, and Charlotte Poet Laureate Junious “Jay” Ward.
And, of course, we’ll have plenty of events! Our official studio launch is Friday, October 3, which will be a jam-packed day of special programming—watch our newsletter for the lineup. In addition, we’ll host a faculty talk on memoir writing, with Judy Goldman and Robin Hemley; a book launch for Lola Haskins’ new poetry collection; an evening edition of our popular Pen to Paper writing community, with Megan Rich; a reading by Poetry Chapbook mentor Nickole Brown; and a panel discussion called “Lessons from the Slush Pile: Advice on Journal Submissions from Editors and Readers.” There’s a lot going on, and folks will find full descriptions on our website: charlottelit.org/
I would like to offer Charlotte Lit a toast for providing Storied Charlotte with this veritable smorgasbord of classes and events, so in the tradition of my Swedish ancestors, let’s raise our virtual glasses and say skål!
