Name: Meg Eden Kuyatt
Pronouns: she/her
Neurodivergence: Autistic. Anxiety disorder.
Professional Role: Author. Instructor.
Bio: Meg Eden Kuyatt teaches creative writing at colleges and writing centers. She is the author of the 2021 Towson Prize for Literature winning poetry collection “Drowning in the Floating World” (Press 53, 2020) and children’s novels, most recently Good Different, a JLG Gold Standard selection (Scholastic, 2023). Find her online at https://linktr.ee/medenauthor.
Recent Publications:
Website: http://www.megedenbooks.com/
Twitter: @ConfusedNarwhal
Instagram: @meden_author
Facebook: MegEdenWritesPoems
Location: Maryland, USA
Available for Virtual Sessions: YES
Available for In-Person Sessions: YES
Available to Travel: YES. I am willing to consider traveling to any destination, but only at the expense of the organizer.
Speaking Topics Include: Video games; Voice; Publishing your work; Neurodivergence; Nriting as a neurodivergent person; Playing in poetry; Finding the story only YOU can tell; Her author journey (AKA stubborn persistence); Learning how to write from video games; Unlocking your unique voice. A full list of my available workshops and talks is here.
Suitable Audiences Include: My classroom programs are best suited for grades 2-12. I am also well experienced teaching creative writing workshops for college students and adult learners. I particularly love working with creative writing students of all ages, and speaking at writing and video game conferences.
Speaker Experience: Meg’s presentations are always interactive, and adaptable for any group age or size. She has experience leading creative writing workshops for ages 6+, but her programs are best for grades 2-12. Meg started writing and publishing her work when she was in high school, so she has a particular passion speaking with young writers! Her goal in her programs is to get kids excited about reading and writing, and to feel empowered that they have their own unique story to tell.
Meg received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland College Park. She teaches creative writing courses and has taught at a range of places, including Anne Arundel Community College, Southern New Hampshire University online, University of Maryland College Park, MTSU Write, Eckleburg Workshops, and The Writer's Center in Bethesda since 2013. She's spoken at conferences and events including the Gaithersburg Book Festival, Baltimore Book Festival, MAGfest, Bay to Ocean Writer’s Conference, Writing Heights Writers Conference, Washington Writers’ Conference, AWP and Awesome Con.
Meg received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland College Park. She teaches creative writing courses and has taught at a range of places, including Anne Arundel Community College, Southern New Hampshire University online, University of Maryland College Park, MTSU Write, Eckleburg Workshops, and The Writer's Center in Bethesda since 2013. She's spoken at conferences and events including the Gaithersburg Book Festival, Baltimore Book Festival, MAGfest, Bay to Ocean Writer’s Conference, Writing Heights Writers Conference, Washington Writers’ Conference, AWP and Awesome Con.
Popular Programs Offered Include: Environmental Storytelling: How Video Games Taught Me How to Write - Through the power of images, we can convey a whole narrative in a short space. Games like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Gone Home use environmental storytelling to give us pieces of characters’ lives. In this workshop, we’ll discuss examples of games that tell stories through objects, and go into our own writing exercises inspired by video games.
Unlocking Your Voice in Writing - Some writers feel a pressure that to be “a good writer” they need to use elevated, poetic or flowery language. However, the language of our experiences can be the most powerful tool in our writing. In this workshop, we’ll read examples of writing that uses “the language of the experience,” as well as take part in a “translation” exercise to explore finding our unique voice.
Hooking Your Reader: Writing A Killer First Line - Most editors of both magazines and presses will say that they read the first, last and middle page of a story before deciding if they want to read more. Potential readers are even less forgiving. When I pick up a new book, if the first line doesn’t hook me, I probably won’t continue reading. So how do we snag our readers and make them want to read more? In this workshop, we’ll look at examples of powerful first lines and discuss strategies for selecting a powerful first line. Feel free to bring the first line of your story or novel for a mini first-line “workshop.”
Unlocking Your Voice in Writing - Some writers feel a pressure that to be “a good writer” they need to use elevated, poetic or flowery language. However, the language of our experiences can be the most powerful tool in our writing. In this workshop, we’ll read examples of writing that uses “the language of the experience,” as well as take part in a “translation” exercise to explore finding our unique voice.
Hooking Your Reader: Writing A Killer First Line - Most editors of both magazines and presses will say that they read the first, last and middle page of a story before deciding if they want to read more. Potential readers are even less forgiving. When I pick up a new book, if the first line doesn’t hook me, I probably won’t continue reading. So how do we snag our readers and make them want to read more? In this workshop, we’ll look at examples of powerful first lines and discuss strategies for selecting a powerful first line. Feel free to bring the first line of your story or novel for a mini first-line “workshop.”
Speaker Fee: Approximate costs: Virtual visits start at $125; In-person at $500. (Fees can be substituted for minimum book orders--message Meg for more info)
Book this Speaker: To learn more about Meg and her visit options here: https://www.megedenbooks.com/welcome-home. Feel free to message her through her site to discuss a plan and price that work for you: https://www.megedenbooks.com/contact
Testimonials:
“I have done workshops with Tom Lux, Marilyn Hacker and Marge Piercy. This is one of the best!”
— Poetic Forms Course Student, Marjorie
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"This course gave me so much to work on and work with and play with - and a nice little collection of poems that I’m going to keep fiddling with. Everyone’s feedback was super helpful. Overall, the course was definitely more than worth the time and money.”
— Foundations of Poetry Student, Mike
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— Poetic Forms Course Student, Marjorie
***
"This course gave me so much to work on and work with and play with - and a nice little collection of poems that I’m going to keep fiddling with. Everyone’s feedback was super helpful. Overall, the course was definitely more than worth the time and money.”
— Foundations of Poetry Student, Mike
***
