International Writers' Collective

In this master class, IWC teacher Elisabeth Dini talks craft, process, and the realities of publishing—centred on her debut novel Bearer of Bad News , published by Simon & Schuster. The novel follows Lucy Rey, a down-on-her-luck hairdresser who accepts an unusual job delivering a confidential message in exchange for a much-needed payout. The assignment takes her to the Italian Dolomites, where...

In this master class, New York Times-bestselling author  Daniel Kraus  shares craft insights and unusually candid career advice in conversation with IWC instructor Joy Florentine. The author of more than 30 novels, Kraus has built an enviable cross-media career spanning books, film, and television. His collaborations with Guillermo del Toro produced  The Shape of Wate r—the novelization of the Osc...

In this master class, Hong Kong-born poet Tammy Lai-Ming Ho shares craft and publishing insights in conversation with Michelle Lin – IWC teacher and assistant poetry editor at  Narrative Magazine. The class focuses on  If I Do Not Reply ,  Tammy’s third poetry collection and her first published in the UK. Written between 2019 and 2022, these poems bear witness to life in and out of Hong Kong durin...

In this master class, recorded in Amsterdam on 24 May 2025, award-winning author Allison Amend shares lessons from writing and publishing her novel  Enchanted Islands . Inspired by a true story,  Enchanted Islands  follows the unlikely life of Frances Frankowski–from her Midwestern childhood as the daughter of Polish immigrants, to a covert World War II mission in the Galápagos, to her final years...

Australian novelist Alison Edwards gave a master class for us on 8 February 2025 in Amsterdam. The class focussed on her debut novel Two Daughters (Atlantic Books Australia, 2024), the story of two young women from very different backgrounds and opposite sides of the world whose lives intersect in a way neither could have predicted. Alison began her fiction writing journey with the Collective and...

British author Michael Donkor speaks about his latest novel, Grow Where They Fall, and the advantages of close third-person narrators, managing dual timelines, staying motivated, and more

Award-winning Amsterdam based author Julie Phillips gave a special master class for us on 16 October 2022, moderated by IWC teacher Karen Kao. The class focussed on her newest book in which she examines the relationship between motherhood and creativity through the lens of multiple female artists like Alice Walker, Doris Lessing and Audre Lorde. In The Baby on the Fire Escape: Creativity, Motherho...

Best-selling American novelist Jenny Offill gave a special master class for us on 17 July 2022, moderated by IWC teacher Karen Kao . The class focussed on her third novel Weather, her writing processes and influences. Jenny is perhaps best known for her novel, Dept. of Speculation (named one of the 10 Best Books of 2014 by the New York Times Book Review ) and Weather (shortlisted for the 2020 Wome...

Prize-winning poet and spoken word artist Faylita Hicks gave a special master class for us on 27 February 2022 moderated by Laura Wetherington . The class focused on Faylita’s poetry collection HoodWitch. In speaking about their aspirations for the collection, Faylita described it as “a statement about black spirituality, about transformation, about queerness and being non-binary and what it means...

Author Jing-Jing Lee gave a special online master class for us on 11 July 2021, moderated by Karen Kao . You can listen to a recording of the first hour of the class. The class focused on Jing’s historical novel, How We Disappeared, which portrays the lives of 'comfort women' in Singapore during World War II. We talk about the craft choices Jing made in her novel, sources of inspiration, the...

Poet and teacher Laura Wetherington gave a special online master class for us on 21 February 2021.  The class focussed on craft in Laura’s latest poetry collection Parallel Resting Places , which won the 2020 New Measure Prize. Her debut collection, A Map Predetermined and Chance (Fence Books), was selected by C.S. Giscombe for the National Poetry Series. Her poems have been featured by Poem-...

Venezuelan-American poet and short story author Megin Jiménez gave a special master class for us on 1 March 2020 in Amsterdam.  The class focussed on craft in Megin’s prose poetry collection Mongrel Tongue , which won the 1913 Press Prize for First Books. She received her MFA from the prestigious New School in New York. Her poems, stories and essays have appeared in the Best American Poetry B...

Irish writer and editor Rebecca O’Connor gave a special master class for us on 13 October 2019 in Amsterdam. The class focused on craft in O’Connor’s novel He Is Mine and I Have No Other  and also dipped into her poetry collection We’ll Sing Blackbird as well as  her work as editor of the acclaimed literary magazine The Moth . Some of the specific topics covered were: the importance of s...

 Irish writer Caoilinn Hughes, author of the novel Orchid & the Wasp and the award-winning poetry collection Gathering Evidence , gave a special master class for us on Sunday, 28 July 2019 at Boekhandel van Rossum in Amsterdam.  The class focused primarily on Hughes’s novel and dipped briefly into her poetry, as well as addressing issues of craft, process and publishing. Specific top...

In this master class with Kristen Roupenian, author of the viral short story “ Cat Person ”, we discussed:  choosing a narrator, playing with the reader’s expectations, using horror and fantastical elements, learning when to stop revising, becoming a productive procrastinator, dealing with the negative voice in your head, and much more. Roupenian holds a PhD in English Literature from Harvard...

 In this master class with award-winning author Jennifer Clement, we discussed the challenges of writing about social issues, the role of research, why fiction writers should study poetry, how to fit writing into your day and much more. As the author of four novels, four collections of poetry and a memoir, Clement had many great tips to share, including how to balance writing with a demanding...

In this master class, award-winning poet Joost Baars and Sarah Carriger discussed the art of the line-break, poetry in translation, getting unstuck and more. Some inspiring words for poets and fiction writers alike.  https://internationalwriterscollective.com/podcast

 In this master class with award-winning Indian novelist Manu Joseph, we talked about his novel Miss Laila, Armed & Dangerous and getting political in your writing, the art of satire, the challenges of writing from the point of view of characters very different than yourself, the value of humour, finding your voice as a writer and more.   https://internationalwriterscollective.c...

This master class with Karen Kao covered how to write violence effectively, include multiple points of view, incorporate research into historical fiction without being overwhelmed by it, find a publisher and much more. Please be aware that Karen's novel contains a rape scene which is read aloud in the class.  

 In this edition, we speak with award-winning American author A.M. Homes. Homes is known for her darkly comic short stories and novels, including perennial favorties such as This Book Will Save Your Life and  May We Be Forgiven, which won  the Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize), beating out short-listed contenders by Zadie Smith, Barbara Kingsolver and Hilary Mant...