Hi!

I took the Labor Day weekend to...labor. I'll be having a getaway next month, so I took advantage of stretches of time to consider how Labyrinth is evolving and how it can serve and encourage all of us. I love connect-the-threads times like this, even though do-things-one-at-a-time times are also necessary. But over the weekend I big-pictured and I like what I see.

Here's what's happening for you and your writing!

What's Coming Up?

Ongoing Weekly

Labyrinth Write-In

Thursdays, 2:30-4:30 PT/5:30-7:30 ET

This free weekly write-in is for anyone who wants to work on their project in companionable silence. We do a little check-in at the beginning, an optional one halfway through, and one at the end. People get stuff done.

Drop in anytime—we’d love to have you.

September

We had such a great response to Tanya Joy Morgan’s Anti-Marketing workshop earlier this year that I wanted to let you know about her upcoming free masterclass—even though it’s through Panoptic Foundations rather than Labyrinth.

As it happens, both our workshops fall on Monday, September 14, and I’ve designed this month’s Labyrinth craft workshop as a natural companion to Tanya’s. Consider setting aside the day—or the space between the two—as a mini-retreat for your book: first exploring who your readers are and how to reach them (even if your book is still in progress), then bringing one of those readers close and writing directly to them.

Tanya Joy Morgan's From Nothing to Ready Masterclass

(Panoptic Foundations)

Monday, September 14, 11-12:30 PT/2:00-3:30 ET, Free

Here’s the thing nobody tells fiction authors

Almost every piece of marketing advice you’ve ever read, such as:

• Post consistently on social media
• Build your brand presence
• Grow your following…

… is incomplete. It’s not exactly ‘wrong’ which is what makes it so misleading. See, that advice assumes you already have something in place to catch the attention you’re generating. And when you don’t, you’re pouring water into a bucket full of holes.

You’re not just trying to sell books. You’re trying to build a community of loyal readers who enjoy your stories and show up for the next one without hesitation. You also want a network of likeminded authors and industry professionals to support your journey.

And to build that community, you first need a marketing infrastructure tailored for fiction authors.

The Reader by the Fire: Finding the Listener at the Heart of Your Story

Monday, September 14, 4-5:30 PT/7-8:30 ET, $97 (free for Labyrinth members)

“Know your reader” is common advice—but what happens when you actually bring that reader into the room?

In this hands-on craft workshop, we’ll move beyond demographics and marketing profiles to imagine the particular person who would fall in love with the kind of story only you can tell. Through a series of playful, intuitive exercises, you’ll get to know that reader—not as an audience you need to impress, but as someone who is already leaning forward, eager to hear what you have to say.

Then you’ll write something for them.

Bring a work in progress or simply come ready to create. You might leave with the beginning of a new scene, a piece of flash fiction, the opening of a short story, or a poem—and perhaps a different sense of who is waiting on the other side of the page.

Guest Workshop: Unfenced Writing--A Journal Keeping Studio for Adventurous Writers with Author Margaret Kellermann

Sunday, September 20, 1:30-3:00 PT/4:30-6:00 ET $97 (Labyrinth members can use points)

This online studio is a chance to experience journaling not as a side practice, but as a source practice — the place where voice loosens, images surface, and the work begins to move again.

Our 90-minute session blends short craft insights, playful and non-judgmental writing invitations, and quiet space to discover what wants to come through. You’ll leave with fresh pages — and language you can carry back into your poems, stories, essays, or current work-in-progress.

Because journaling isn’t separate from our writing life.

It’s often where our truest writing begins.

Membership Program

Labyrinth: A Writers' Haven

At its heart, Labyrinth is a shared space: something like a writers’ common room. A place you can return to regularly to think, ask questions, listen in, or bring your work forward. Some months, you may come for a focused workshop. Other times, for conversation, perspective, or simply the presence of other writers engaged in their craft.

Charter* Membership includes:

• One monthly Labyrinth craft workshop (included with membership)
• A growing library of craft workshops
• Points each month that can be applied toward special workshops, courses, or coaching
• Member discussion spaces for ongoing exchange
• A monthly Salon Hour—a shared conversation space for questions, craft, and process

Premium membership also includes:

• One live group coaching session each month

*Charter membership ($37/mo.) is available only to our first twenty members.

Fall/Winter Poetry Readings

I'll be a featured reader at the following in-person venues. Come along and sign up for the open mic!

It's About Time Reading

Thursday, November 12, 6-7:45 PM, Ballard Library, Seattle, WA

Everett Poetry Nite

Monday, December 28, 5-8 PM, The Sisters Restaurant, Everett, WA

Duvall Poetry

Tuesday, February 2, 7-9 PM, Duvall Train Depot

(This one is dear to my heart, because I started this reading in the early 2000s and hosted it for eight years.)

Next Summer

The 10th Annual Epicwrite Full-Bodied Writing Retreat*

Friday-Sunday, June 25-27, 2027, Sacred Waters Retreat Center, Union, WA

Storytelling is born in the body. Our ancestors knew this when they donned costumes and danced around the fire. Actors know it. And writers? We know it the first time our characters move us: whether to tears, to rage, or to laughing out loud. We experience it in our body.

At Epicwrite, writers explore the mind-body connection through movement, mindfulness, ritual, and the actor’s art. And we study the alchemy of wordcraft—those elements of plotting, characterization, description, and scene that will most powerfully move a reader. This year's emphasis will be characterization.

Are you ready to immerse yourself in story? Join us!

Use the code FBW27EARLY to receive $125 off by December 31.

*Epicwrite is a separate organization from Labyrinth

I would adore seeing you at any or all of these!

Love,
Katherine

PS Would your writer friend love this? Pass it on! You can forward it, or share it on your socials from my newsletter feed. Thank you a million times!

Labyrinth Links: Write In @@ Workshops and Classes​

EpicWrite Retreat Link: Full-Bodied Writing Retreat June 25-27, 2027​