West Fest: Sifting for Gold—Lessons from Cormac McCarthy

$75.00 Members
$85.00 Non-members

As Cormac McCarthy once said, “the ugly truth is that books are made out of books.” The most profound writing lessons can be found in closely reading another writer and reverse-engineering their process.

This craft seminar, open to all levels and genres, will focus on the works of Cormac McCarthy, and include discussions of free-indirect discourse, humor and dialogue, intertextuality, and layering in revision. You can anticipate a packet of readings, an assortment of exercises, as well as lectures on craft. Don’t forget to bring some means of access to your current manuscript.

This course is a part of West Fest, a celebration of writing in and about the American West, the weekend of November 7–8. To learn more and explore passes, which include discounted registrations to this class, click here.

Instructor: Benjamin Whitmer Learn More

Schedule

Nov 07, 2026 9:00am - 11:00am