Exiled Author Chenjerai Hove's Fiction Workshop on Writing From Experience

Learn to write from this guy.

​Telling a story is not as easy as, well, telling a story. You need training, grasshopper. You need to take a class, learn narrative techniques, surround yourselves with other neurotic introverts. Luckily for you, the Florida Center for the Literary Arts is hosting its annual summer Fiction workshop, An Introduction to Fiction: Writing from Experience.

This time around the symphony will be conducted by the internationally revered Chenjerai Hove. Hove is a poet, author, essayist, and human rights activist from Zimbabwe with over 40 years of professional writing experience. He understands the secrets of composition and he knows how to share them.

"Writing brings out the hidden corners of the human soul," explains Hove. "The most important thing is to gain confidence in self-expression, to be able to celebrate life and art. Literature is a celebration of life and it is up to writers and other artists to celebrate life."

Listen and you will learn to tell your story.

​This is a special workshop. Professor Hove is a testament to the human will and its capacity to endure and even celebrate our experiences in the face of hardship. Ten years ago, Mr. Hove fled his country in exile, due to countless death threats and the provocative nature of his work.

For a decade he has lead a migrant's life around Europe, lecturing in universities while sharing the themes of his work. Known all around the world as a great voice, he is currently the writer-in-residence for Miami: City of Refuge, a Knight Foundation project.

So far, the Magic City has proven to be inspirational. "Miami is a polycultural society," Mr. Hove explains. "It has a dynamism which one does not find in other places. I believe everyone from all corners of the world is found in Miami. A writer needs such a dynamic in order to resonate with so many other voices from all over the world. I believe a writer cannot afford to be narrow. The more the society is broad and different, the more it is culturally dynamic and inspiring for a writer."

This special fiction workshop based on personal experience will last six weeks. It runs tomorrow through July 19, 2011, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will take place downtown at Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus. Visit flcenterlitarts.com or call 305-237-3940.

Follow Cultist on Facebook and Twitter @CultistMiami.