From No-name to New York Times Best Seller: How I Got in, And Why I'm Not Leaving Led By Mateo Askaripour
Saturday, October 29th & Sunday, October 30th, 2022 | 12:00 PM ET - 3:00 PM ET
Tuition | $100.00
Capacity: 20 Storytellers
“How do I begin writing?” “What are the steps to getting an agent?” “Is this even an industry that I, as a BIPOC artist, want to be in?” Oh, the questions we ask ourselves and others, often without receiving clear, authentic, and actionable answers. But all of that is over. In this two-day course, we will dissect the good, bad, and ugly of New York Times bestselling author Mateo Askaripour’s journey––from a no MFA-having guy working at a startup to one of the buzziest young writers in these literary streets––to arm you with the information you need in order to succeed.
Within two days, you will walk away with tips on how to get into the mindset to write, concrete ways to pitch essays, a thorough understanding of where to query agents and how to find them, anecdotes on overcoming failure in an industry that wasn’t designed for us, to write the story you need to tell, and so much more, like what it means to be a writer in the public eye, how to get out of a story’s way, and how some books get into Hollywood.
Yes, a lot. So much that a course like this could go on for weeks, but we’re going to lay the foundation in two three-hour sessions and you’ll take all that you learn and run with it in order to breathe life into your own wonderful creations and careers. We will focus on craft as much as a writer’s consciousness, interweaving stories of how Mateo wrote his debut novel, Black Buck, and has navigated the waters of his life as a published author since.
Structure-wise, we will begin each session with 15 minutes of introductions and freewriting to help ground you in your purpose as a writer, to be shared by those who feel comfortable. Then, a 1.5-hour session with Mateo speaking on the aforementioned topics, while providing examples to support. We’ll break for 15 minutes, and return for an hour of free-flowing Q&A. Get ready.
About the Faculty: New York Times bestselling author Mateo Askaripour (he/him) aims to empower Black and brown people to seize opportunities for advancement, no matter the obstacle. His first novel, Black Buck, takes on racism in corporate America with humor and wit. Askaripour was chosen as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “10 rising stars to make waves,” and Black Buck was a Read With Jenna Today Show book club pick. He lives in Brooklyn. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter at @AskMateo.
Partial and full scholarships are available. Email scholarship inquiries to Info@RootsWoundsWords.org. Explicitly state the scholarship (partial or full) you’re interested in.
Closed captioning is provided. Like all RWW offerings, this space is for Black, Indigenous, Latinx/e, Asian, and other Storytellers of Color only. BIPOC Storytellers are centered here, exclusively.