Sunday March 15 * 11am * Free / donations * REGISTER
In fiction, we talk about very vivid characters as feeling “embodied” – through some mysterious creative alchemy, these words on a page take on a form that feels corporeal. As writers, how do we create characters that feel so real we can almost touch them, hear them, smell them? And what can we learn from our own experiences being a body in the world that we can then translate into an imaginary character’s bodily experiences? In this workshop, we will read and discuss some examples of character-development to understand how writers create embodied characters. We’ll also do some somatic exercises to help us think about what physical reality actually “feels” like in our own bodies and how we can evoke that sensation through words. And we’ll do some writing exercises to work on conveying that felt reality on the page. It will help to have a character in mind for this workshop—either one you’ve already written about, or one you’re hoping to write about. But there will also be space for creating a character during the workshop, if you don’t have one already in mind.
This workshop is free to attend. If you're able to, we ask that you donate to a mutual aid org instead. This month, we’re highlighting the DC Trans Abolitionist Collective. Please donate to them directly.
About the instructor
Benny B. Peterson (they/them) is a writer and editor based near Washington, DC. A contributing editor at Washingtonian magazine, they have also worked at Foreign Policy, The New Republic, and Street Sense, DC’s street newspaper. They have written about culture, politics, gender, and LGBTQ+ issues for the New York Times, Washington Post, Elle, Slate, and the Atlantic, among other places, and received an MFA in fiction from Bennington. Their first novel, The Maidenheads, is coming out from Dutton Books in May 2026.
About the organizers
Lilac Peril is a DC-based small press publishing subversive trans writing. You can reach them at info@lilacperil.com or online as @lilacperil
Who is this workshop for
Trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit writers of all experience levels. we welcome you whether it's your 1st or 100th workshop.
How much does it cost?
This workshop is free to attend. If you're able to, we ask that you donate to a mutual aid org instead. This month, we’re highlighting the DC Trans Abolitionist Collective.
Why should I go?
To build community, to fight despair, and to get inspired for that writing project you’ve been meaning to work on.