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From Draft to Book: Shaping a Manuscript

In-Person Program

Do you have a novel, memoir, poetry collection, essay collection, or other book-length project but aren’t sure how it becomes a book? Join award-winning writer José Enrique Medina for an all-genre workshop on shaping a manuscript. For adults.

This workshop introduces practical strategies for organizing, sequencing, and revising individual pieces into a cohesive manuscript. While examples may draw from poetry, the techniques apply equally to novels, memoirs, essay collections, short story collections, and hybrid writing. Bring a work in progress. By the end of the session, you'll leave with a clearer vision for your manuscript and concrete next steps toward a finished book. Sponsored by the Friends of the West Hollywood Library.

José Enrique Medina is a poet, playwright, and novelist. His poetry chapbook Haunt Me won the 2025 Rattle Chapbook Prize. His verse novel Only the Dead Let Me Talk This Much won the 2026 Lambda Literary J. Michael Samuel Prize, and he was selected for the 2026 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellowship. His work has appeared in USA Today Hispanic Living Magazine, Los Angeles Review, Best Microfiction 2019, and elsewhere. A Cornell University graduate and VONA fellow, he is the founder of the Chickens & Poetry Residency for Writers. Connect with him on Instagram @MedinaWrites.

Attendance is limited, and advance registration is required. This will be used to save your spot in the program. We cannot guarantee availability for any unregistered attendees.

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