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  • Upcoming Readings and Events

    READINGS FOR THE WORDS OF DR. L!

    The paperback version of The Words of Dr. L will be released in May, 2026. Events are listed here:

    May 16, 2026: I will be on a panel for the Gold Coast Literary Festival in Oyster Bay, Long Island, “The Art of the Short Story,” with Jennifer Sears. 1:30 -2:30 pm

    October 28, 2026. I’ll be reading with Joan Silber at the Indie Press Prose series at the Concord Festival for Authors in Concord, MA. More info tk.

    CLASSES

    NEW! NYCWriting Intensive, an in person multigenre writing workshop in NYC, taught by me and Robert Anthony Siegel!

    Robert and I are now teaching in-person weekend workshops in Midtown Manhattan, where we discussed student manuscripts (either fiction or nonfiction) up to 25 pages, generated new work, had a craft talk and a publishing panel.  Our next one will the weekend of JUNE 26-28 and AUGUST 7-9 2026.  UPDATE: Our August workshop is almost full; we still have some space in the June workshop. Email me at karenebender1@gmail.com for more info

    I’ll be teaching online classes via Writing Workshops this spring!

    Upcoming:

     

    Building Interiority for Characters: Writing Memory, April 7, 7-9 p.m. EST via Zoom:

    Building Interiority in Characters: Writing Memory with Karen E. Bender, a Zoom Seminar on Tuesday, April 7th, 2026

     

    Deep Dive into Dialogue: A Master Class in the Art of What People Say: April 11, 12-5 pm EST via Zoom:

    Deep Dive Into Dialogue: A Master Class on the Art of What People Say with Karen E. Bender (Zoom) on Saturday, April 11th, 2026

    Building Interiority in Characters Using Fantasies and Theories, April 22, 7-9 pm EST via Zoom:

    Building Interiority in Characters Using Fantasies and Theories with Karen E. Bender, a Zoom Seminar on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026

    Creating Difficult Characters: May 2, 12-5 pm EST, via Zoom:

    Creating Difficult Characters with Karen E. Bender 1-Day Fiction Master Class (Zoom) on Saturday, May 2nd, 2026

    Exploring First Person POV, Saturday June 20, 12-5 pm EST via Zoom:

    Exploring First Person Point of View with Karen E. Bender 1-Day Fiction Master Class (Zoom) on Saturday, June 20th, 2026

    Building Interiority in Characters: Judgement, Envy and Love, Wednesday, July 1, 7-9 pm EST over Zoom:

    Building Interiority in Characters with Perceptions: Judgment, Envy and Love with Karen E. Bender, a Zoom Seminar on Wednesday, July 1st, 2026

    Exploring Strategies for Story Beginnings, Saturday, September 19, 12-5 pm EST over Zoom:

    Exploring Strategies for Story Beginnings with Karen E. Bender 1-Day Fiction Master Class (Zoom) on Saturday, September 19th, 2026

    Email me at karenebender1@gmail.com for more information these workshops, or if you want information on my writing coaching or private manuscript consults.

  • Latest News

    09 Mar 2026 Teaching NYCIntensive classes this summer with Robert Anthony Siegel!

    We are scheduling two weekend revision workshops in our NYCIntensive weekend workshop program this June and August. On June 26-28 and August 7-9, we will meet in midtown Manhattan to discuss fiction or nonfiction manuscripts of up to 25 pages. … Continue reading →

    25 Feb 2026 The Words of Dr. L is Longlisted for The Story Prize!

    The Words of Dr. L is on the Longlist for The Story Prize! You can see all the longlisted titles here.

    18 Dec 2025 Chicago Review of Books includes The Words of Dr. L on Best Story Collections of 2025 list

    The Chicago Review of Books names “The Words of Dr. L” on their list of Best Story Collections of 2025.” You can see the full list here.

    Paperback for The New Order is published!

    12 Nov 2019
    ← Cover for paperback of The New Order My story, “Where to Hide in a Synagogue,” noted in Pushcart Prize series →
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