A Page to Stage Event
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 led by Desiree S. Evans 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.
About Desiree S. Evans
Desiree S. Evans writes speculative fiction for children, teens, and adults. A native of South Louisiana, her work is rooted in the haunted landscapes of the U.S. South and the rich storytelling traditions of her Afro-Creole heritage. She is especially drawn to exploring the intersections of history, folklore, and horror through the lens of Black Southern girlhood. She is co-editor of the Locus Award-winning and bestselling YA horror fiction anthology, THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE (Flatiron Books, 2024). Her creative writing has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net, and has appeared in literary journals such as Callaloo, Gulf Coast, The Offing, and other venues. She was most recently a 2024–2025 Steinbeck Writing Fellow at the Center for Steinbeck Studies at San José State University. She previously served as the 2021–2022 Gulf South Writer in the Woods at Tulane University, and the 2022–2023 Southern Studies Fellow in Arts and Letters Writer-in-Residence with the Hub City Writers Project. Desiree is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and the Michener Center for Writers at The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned her MFA in fiction. You can find her online at desiree-evans.com, and on social media at @literarydesiree.
