The Young Adult (YA) Novel: Creative Writing Workshop and Master ClassMaster ClassIn-Person
Friday, Jan 23, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m
Location To Be Announced
What makes a novel young adult (YA), and how the heck do we write one? In this class, we will start by studying sample novel texts (adult literary, YA, middle-grade) that feature young protagonists. We will analyze their craft elements: voice, tone, structure, characterization, point of view, language, emotional stakes, and more. We will also discuss the genre’s historical context, the publishing market, and audience. The second half of the class will be a creative writing workshop. Inspired by the model texts, we will do writing exercises to get in touch with our teenage selves and work towards our own original YA novel ideas (or, if you so wish, adult novels featuring young protagonists).
LITERATURE, CREATIVE WRITING, ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Patricia Park
Patricia Park is the author of Re Jane, a Korean American retelling of Brontë’s Jane Eyre, and the YA novels Imposter Syndrome & Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim and What’s Eating Jackie Oh?
She has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Guardian, and others. She is a tenured professor of creative writing at American University.