Events
Scroll to the bottom to see our full calendar of past and current events.
Daytime Get Lit: A Writing Series
If your weekday evenings are full, join us during the day at our staple Get Lit to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Performing Your Prose: Live Reading Workshop
Live readings are an essential part of a writer’s career.
Unfortunately, reading live in front of an audience can be daunting for many writers. That is why we have started this workshop series—happening quarterly. Learning these skills in a workshop setting before jumping into an open mic or live reading can help you work past paralyzing nerves.
Daphne Armbruster, our Director of Community Outreach and trained theatre actress, will be leading this workshop.
In the first hour of this workshop, you will learn:
The basic mechanics of what you can expect from a reading, from the moment you are introduced until you walk off the stage and back to your seat.
Grounding techniques to lessen the physical symptoms of nerves and stage fright.
Techniques to project confidence as you read, whether or not you feel it. (Fake it ‘till you make it is a very real thing!)
Practical acting techniques to bring your prose and dialogue to life.
We will also dive briefly into how to pick the best cut of your piece to read live.
In the second hour, attendees will be encouraged to workshop their pieces with Daphne. Attendees are not required to get on the stage, but this activity is valuable to getting over stage fright.
Whether you’re a fledgling or seasoned author, learning and honing these skills will set you up for greater success in your field.
If you attend this event, please feel free to bring a 500-word cut of a piece you would like to work on. If you do not feel comfortable reading your own work, we will have sides from short stories available for you to read.
This workshop is free and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Get Lit: Generative Writing Series
Join our monthly Get Lit group to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Using Mythic Structures in Character, Plot, and Worldbuilding
Workshop leader: Bryan Camp
Floods. Vampires. Shapeshifters. Cataclysms. These are just a few of the narratives that cycle throughout human storytelling, from culture to culture and from the ancient world through to today.
In this lecture and workshop, we'll discuss a variety of mythic structures and how they can inform and inspire character, plot, and setting. Attendees will participate in a few generative writing exercises, which can be used to begin a new piece of writing on a blank page or inspire a fresh perspective on in-progress work.
This event is free and open to the community. No RSVP required.
Reading New Orleans Book Club Meeting
A quarterly book club in partnership with The Garden District Bookshop at The Rink
Join Third Lantern Lit board and community members as we explore the stories and authors that define New Orleans.
Each quarter, we’ll focus on a novel or story that takes place (at least in part) in the Crescent City. We’ll explore different genres and time periods, reading the visions and histories of the many and varied individuals who call New Orleans home.
Participants are welcome to enjoy their own copy of that quarter’s selection or purchase a copy of the chosen book in advance from The Garden District Bookshop at The Rink.
Then, join us for book-themed cocktails and conversation at The Rink where Bar Epilogue will be open and serving yummy cocktails, mocktails, and light bites.
Daytime Get Lit: A Writing Series
If your weekday evenings are full, join us during the day at our staple Get Lit to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
The Fiction Sessions: Southern Gothic
Join us for an evening of southern gothic stories.
Local readers will share their original stories of hidden histories, unsettling family dynamics, suspicious characters with unknown motives, and the unforeseen events that bring our past back to haunt us.
This reading celebrates new and unpublished work by writers in our community.
This event is free and open to the community. No RSVP necessary.
Get Lit: Generative Writing Series
Join our monthly Get Lit group to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
What’s Past is Prologue: Writing Historical Fiction
In partnership with New Orleans Writers Workshop
Panel guests: Elisa Speranza & Allison Alsup
Thoughts of penning an historical narrative can overwhelm. Where to begin? How to research? When to stop researching and start writing?
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) as they share the good, the bad, and the ugly of their journeys writing historical novels. They’ll dive into the most common challenges historical fiction writers face—as well as strategies for overcoming them.
This session is designed for new and experienced writers alike as well as curious fans of historical fiction.
Copies of Allison’s and Elisa’s novels will be available for purchase and signing.
This event is free and open to the community. No RSVP required.
Zoom the Moment: Writing a Tight Personal Essay
In this generative workshop, award-winning journalist and essayist Carolina Murriel shares her signature approach to structuring a memoiristic personal essay, centered on one extended scene from your life. Bring a central memory, come ready to zoom into the details, and leave with a solid outline or draft.
This event is free and open to the community. No RSVP required.
Revising the Southern Gothic
A Page to Stage Event, led by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Revision is the secret sauce of great writing. The best stories must go through a process of whittling down so that the essential, unforgettable parts remain.
In this generative workshop, we will discuss examples of famous revisions that improved literature. Attendees will participate in in-class writing exercises. Attendees are invited, but not required, to bring along an excerpt of something they've written.
This event is free and open to the community. No RSVP required.
Get Lit: Generative Writing Series
Join our monthly Get Lit group to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Daytime Get Lit: A Writing Series
If your weekday evenings are full, join us during the day at our staple Get Lit to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Twelve Mile Writing Marathon
In partnership with Twelve Mile Limit, we are hosting a FIVE HOUR writing marathon open to all local writers.
Be there at noon to spend some time with your fellow writers and grab a coffee at the bar. At 12:30, we’ll start our silent writing. We’ll have one more 30 minute break halfway through to stretch our legs and some time at the end to share our experience. For those who make it all the way through, stay and celebrate with a drink at the bar!
This is a generative writing event meant to give us busy writers a few hours of focus free of our daily obligations. We hope you’ll join us and give yourself the writing time you deserve!
This event is free and open to all local writers. No RSVP necessary.
Summoning the Supernatural Story of You as a Writer
Veronica Varlow learned about supernatural magick growing up at the feet of her Grandma Helen’s three-legged tarot table. Her Grandma passed down the stories of her Czech-Romani ancestors and Veronica shared those secrets in her best-selling book, Bohemian Magick: Witchcraft and Secret Spells to Electrify Your Life. Veronica got her first major book deal with HarperCollins by doing spells and working with a supportive, positive coven.
When a spell is successful, it’s important to make an offering back to the community, and Veronica wants to make an offering to the Third Lantern Lit community to share her secret writing rituals and spells to help boost other writers to achieve their dreams with the support of supernatural tips!
In this workshop, Veronica will teach you to use artful spells and practical rituals to:
Banish writer’s block.
Electrify your writing with some inspiration from the Beloved Dead.
Summon your full wild powers as a creative writer and magnetize the best opportunities to you.
On Haunted Ground: Writing the Southern Gothic
The Southern Gothic is a genre that draws its inspiration from the shadowed parts of the American South, where folklore, superstition, buried histories, and complex social hierarchies shape the ground beneath our feet. Its motifs center the weight of violence and the grotesque, and in its stories the past is never past; it lingers, shaping the present in unsettling ways.
This generative workshop explores the rich tradition of Southern Gothic storytelling, where place, landscape, memory, and the supernatural intertwine. Through guided prompts and short exercises, participants will begin developing their own stories, with an emphasis on atmosphere and haunting. By the end of the session, writers will leave with the start of a new piece and practical tools to keep building beyond the workshop.
This event is free and open to the community. No RSVP required.
The Fiction Sessions: Romance
Join us for a night of romance. Local readers will share their romcoms, doomed, fantasy, gothic romance, and more.
This reading celebrates new and unpublished work by writers in our community.
This event is free and open to the community. No RSVP necessary.
Daytime Get Lit: A Writing Series
If your weekday evenings are full, join us during the day at our staple Get Lit to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Performing Your Prose: Live Reading Workshop
Live readings are an essential part of a writer’s career. Unfortunately, reading live in front of an audience can be daunting for many writers. That is why we have started this workshop series—happening quarterly. Learning these skills in a workshop setting before jumping into an open mic or live reading can help you work past paralyzing nerves.
Daphne Armbruster, our Director of Community Outreach and trained theatre actress, will be leading this workshop.
In the first hour of this workshop, you will learn:
The basic mechanics of what you can expect from a reading, from the moment you are introduced until you walk off the stage and back to your seat.
Grounding techniques to lessen the physical symptoms of nerves and stage fright.
Techniques to project confidence as you read, whether or not you feel it. (Fake it ‘till you make it is a very real thing!)
Practical acting techniques to bring your prose and dialogue to life.
We will also dive briefly into how to pick the best cut of your piece to read live.
In the second hour, attendees will be encouraged to workshop their pieces with Daphne. Attendees are not required to get on the stage, but this activity is valuable to getting over stage fright.
Whether you’re a fledgling or seasoned author, learning and honing these skills will set you up for greater success in your field.
If you attend this event, please feel free to bring a 500-word cut of a piece you would like to work on. If you do not feel comfortable reading your own work, we will have sides from short stories available for you to read.
This workshop is free and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Get Lit: Generative Writing Series
Join our monthly Get Lit group to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Writing the Romantic Sex Scene
Join bestselling romance novelist Alys Murray for a deep dive on the art of crafting compelling sex scenes.
Sex scenes have found their place throughout literature, from classic romance novels to literary fiction to horror. Whether you're a mystery writer trying to amp up the tension between your two detectives, a romance writer trying to level up your skills, or anyone in between, this practical and fun session will give you the tools you need to keep your readers swooning through the spice.
About Alys Murray
Alys Murray is a novelist and screenwriter based in New Orleans. She received a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Master’s in film studies from King’s College London. Alys is the author of the sweetly romantic Full Bloom Farm series, and she’s the screenwriter behind many of your favorite films on Hallmark and Lifetime. A Netflix x Inevitable Foundation Visionary Fellow, Alys is a proud advocate for disabled voices and stories in entertainment.
Daytime Get Lit: A Writing Series
If your weekday evenings are full, join us during the day at our staple Get Lit to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Conversation and Q&A with Executive Editor of Disney/Lucasfilm Publishing and Gamarra Media Founder
Join us for a conversation and Q&A session with Jennifer Heddle (Executive Editor, Lucasfilms) and Dr. Eddie Gamarra, founder of Gamarra Media (Executive Producer of the Maze Runner trilogy, former VP Literary Affairs for Paramount Global).
Sometimes movies & TV series are based off of books, and sometimes books are based off of movies & TV series. During this event, our guests will share their experiences working across publishing as editor and as literary manager & book packager. The dialogue will cover the broad strokes of how books are sold to publishers, how books get optioned and adapted for the screen, the business of tie-in publishing, with additional reflections on brand management and fandoms. Ms. Heddle and Dr. Gamarra can answer your questions about the business of storytelling.
This is NOT a pitch event.
Due to limited space, this is an RSVP event. Location will be sent to you once your RSVP is confirmed.
RSVP NOW!
About Dr. Eddie Gamarra
Former college professor Dr. Eddie Gamarra runs Gamarra Media, selling stories and building franchises across publishing and entertainment. Prior, he was VP Literary Affairs for Paramount's Nickelodeon & Awesomeness brands where he scouted & acquired books & other IP. He was previously a Literary Manager/Producer at The Gotham Group representing screenwriters, directors, animators, authors, illustrators, & publishers. Clients included NYT best-selling storytellers as well as Oscar, Emmy, Annie, Caldecott, Newbery, & Geisel winners/nominees. As Executive Producer, he worked on THE MAZE RUNNER trilogy which grossed almost $1 billion dollars. He also EP'd Jerry Spinelli's iconic STARGIRL for Disney+ and Jordan Peele's WENDELL & WILD for Netflix. Education: BA, Vassar; MA, NYU/Tisch; MA/PhD, Emory.
Find Your Feedback Group
We know how difficult it can be to find people who vibe with your writing and can give the feedback you need to make your work the best it can be.
To help you find feedback partners and critique circles, we're hosting an event just for that. So if you've been looking for beta readers, we've got you!
Every writer will get a chance to tell us what you write and what feedback you’re looking for. Should you choose, you can also read a page of your writing. From there, we'll hang out and get to know each other more.
You'll be able to have deeper conversations with people you think will be a good match, share information, and coordinate your first feedback exchange.
This event is free and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Get Lit: Generative Writing Series
Join our monthly Get Lit group to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Your Chemical Romance: Revision Workshop
A Page to Stage Revision Workshop with Author Genevieve Rheams
Chemistry between characters and conflict are essential in every good story, but they make up the soul of romance. The reader has to want them to be together, but something, some situation, or some damning character flaw, keeps it from happening.
This revision workshop will help you find the areas in your story that need chemistry and conflict to make a believable romance that your readers cannot put down.
Genevieve will:
Share how she pushed through her own roadblocks while writing her novel, We Will Plant Birds of Paradise
Lead generative writing exercises that will unstuck your lovestruck characters.
This event is free. No RSVP necessary.
About Genevieve
Genevieve Rheams writes LGTBQ+ romance, comedy, literature, and personal essays. She received her MFA in Fiction from the University of New Orleans, teaches fiction writing workshops, and is an Academic Advisor at Loyola University. You can find her telling stories onstage at her local chapter of The Moth or Greetings, From Queer Mountain. She delights in having conversations with her three adult children and going for absurdly long walks. She lives with her wife in her hometown of New Orleans with their two cats and a dog. As you read this, she is most likely out of coffee and litter.
For more information and stories you can find her at https://www.genevieverheams.com/
Daytime Get Lit: A Writing Series
If your weekday evenings are full, join us during the day at our staple Get Lit to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Get Lit: Generative Writing Series
Join our monthly Get Lit group to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Twelve Mile Writing Marathon
In partnership with Twelve Mile Limit, we are hosting a FIVE HOUR writing marathon open to all local writers.
Be there at noon to spend some time with your fellow writers and grab a coffee at the bar. At 12:30, we’ll start our silent writing. We’ll have one more 30 minute break halfway through to stretch our legs and some time at the end to share our experience. For those who make it all the way through, stay and celebrate with a drink at the bar!
This is a generative writing event meant to give us busy writers a few hours of focus free of our daily obligations. We hope you’ll join us and give yourself the writing time you deserve!
This event is free and open to all local writers. No RSVP necessary.
Page to Stage Writing Workshop: Romance
Led by Farrah Rochon.
Page to Stage is a guided program to help you turn a story from an idea to a complete work ready to be performed at a live reading. Each quarter we release the theme of which all of our events for those three months will be centered.
This period’s theme is Romance! We’re exploring all things love - from romcoms to doomed romance to fantasy to gothic to domestic.
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, Maurice by E.M. Forster, Normal People by Sally Rooney, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters, and Seven Days in June by Tia Williams can kick off your romance journey.
At this event, Farrah will:
Give a brief overview of her 20-year journey as a romance author
Discuss the key elements of a romance novel, such as the "meet cute", the role of internal and external conflicts in a romance, character ARC, the HEA (Happily Ever After)
Discuss tropes in romance
Lead a generative writing session using prompts that span various tropes and various elements of romance novels
This event is free and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
About Farrah Rochon
Farrah Rochon is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of 40-plus adult romance and young adult novels, novellas, and short stories, including the popular Boyfriend Project series from Forever Romance and Almost There of Disney Book’s Twisted Tales series. When she is not writing in her favorite coffee shop, Farrah spends most of her time reading, traveling the world, visiting Walt Disney World, and catching her favorite Broadway shows.
Daytime Get Lit: A Writing Series
If your weekday evenings are full, join us during the day at our staple Get Lit to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Get Lit: Generative Writing Series
Join our monthly Get Lit group to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
The Fiction Sessions: Spooky Stories
Join us for a night of spook and mystery. Local readers will share their paranormal, mystery, thriller, and horror stories with you.
This reading celebrates new and unpublished work by writers in our community.
This event is free and open to the community. No RSVP necessary.
Performing Your Prose: Live Reading Workshop
Live readings are an essential part of a writer’s career. Unfortunately, reading live in front of an audience can be daunting for many writers. That is why we have started this workshop series—happening quarterly. Learning these skills in a workshop setting before jumping into an open mic or live reading can help you work past paralyzing nerves.
Daphne Armbruster, our Director of Community Outreach and trained theatre actress, will be leading this workshop.
In the first hour of this workshop, you will learn:
The basic mechanics of what you can expect from a reading, from the moment you are introduced until you walk off the stage and back to your seat.
Grounding techniques to lessen the physical symptoms of nerves and stage fright.
Techniques to project confidence as you read, whether or not you feel it. (Fake it ‘till you make it is a very real thing!)
Practical acting techniques to bring your prose and dialogue to life.
We will also dive briefly into how to pick the best cut of your piece to read live.
In the second hour, attendees will be encouraged to workshop their pieces with Daphne. Attendees are not required to get on the stage, but this activity is valuable to getting over stage fright.
Whether you’re a fledgling or seasoned author, learning and honing these skills will set you up for greater success in your field.
If you attend this event, please feel free to bring a 500-word cut of a piece you would like to work on. If you do not feel comfortable reading your own work, we will have sides from short stories available for you to read.
This workshop is free and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Get Lit: Generative Writing Series
Join our monthly Get Lit group to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Daytime Get Lit: A Writing Series
If your weekday evenings are full, join us during the day at our staple Get Lit to hang out with your writing community and do some sprinting!
If you’ve never done writing sprints before, there’s only one rule: get as many words on the page as you can before 20 minutes are up. We’ll run three writing sprints—one full hour.
So come to our Get Lit with your work in progress and leave with words on the page!
This event is FREE and open to all writers. No RSVP necessary.
Getting Your Book on Shelves: A Panel with Local Bookstores and Libraries
Distribution is an aspect of publishing is something publishers typically handle. Which bookstores and libraries your book lands in, whether your book is featured on a table or lined on a bookshelf, and how many books are kept in stock are just some of the many factors that determine your book’s distribution and sales.
Bookstores and libraries cannot stock every book that is published in a year, so these negotiations are important for your book getting in front of readers. Whether you’re planning to traditionally or self publish, learning the intricacies of book distribution will arm you with the knowledge you need to make your book launch as successful as possible.
This panel is made up of local bookstores and the New Orleans Public Library to discuss the ins and outs of getting your book onto the shelves.
This event is free. No RSVP necessary.
The panel:
Rel Farrar: Adult Collection Development Librarian, New Orleans Public Library
Rel Farrar is the Adult Collection Development Librarian for New Orleans Public Library. She wrote and produced Out Of The Boil: A Climate Change Musical at The New Marigny Theater in October 2024. She enjoys drinking tea, travelling (both armchair and otherwise), talking to strangers, doing cartwheels (note: left handed lead only), and collecting baubles of dubious value for her "reliquary".
LeeAnna Callon: Blue Cypress Books
LeeAnna Callon is a Mississippi native but has called New Orleans home for over a decade. She has spent her life loving books and the past 15 years actually getting paid for it. Since 2012, she has managed Blue Cypress Books, a woman-owned, women-run, independent bookstore in New Orleans. In 2024 and 2025, Blue Cypress Books was voted Best Locally-Owned Bookstore by readers of The Gambit.
Mik Grantham: Lowpoint Books