Inviting the Oddities: a Revision Workshop

In revision, writers often cut what feels out of place. But sometimes, those stubborn bits—the “strange angels” that inspire and the “mosquitos” that irritate—are the very details that make our work unforgettable. In this 90-minute generative lecture, Matthew Clark Davison invites participants to identify, examine, and—when they’ve “earned their keep”—preserve these nonconforming elements in their writing.

Drawing from , this session blends practical craft talk with live, short writing bursts. Participants will leave with new material and strategies for recognizing the oddities that give their work texture, surprise, and emotional depth.

Participants will receive $5 off their purchase of The Lab.

Matthew Clark Davison is the co-author, with Alice LaPlante, of The Lab: Experiments in Writing Across Genre (W.W. Norton) and the author of Doubting Thomas (Amble Press). His work has appeared in The Advocate, Guernica, and The Atlantic. He has taught creative writing for over two decades, with a focus on fostering creativity across genres, experience levels, and artistic backgrounds. He’s Emeritus Faculty in Creative Writing at San Francisco State University.

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