reported by Brian Scott, FictionFanatic.com

Metropolitan Writing Works, founded by Escondido writers Midge Raymond and John Yunker, has launched a first-of-its-kind program for writers in North County, offering workshops and seminars in fiction, memoir, publishing, and more.

?We wanted to add literary arts to the growing artists? community in Escondido,? said Midge Raymond, an award-winning fiction writer and former university professor, who teaches Metro Writing classes in fiction, memoir, and publishing. ?With our upcoming classes, we aim to provide not only high-quality instruction but a community for writers.?

Among the workshops on the spring schedule are Breaking Into Fiction, a four-week introductory fiction-writing course; Telling Your Story, a four-week course about writing memoir and personal essays; Getting Published, a half-day seminar for writers and poets on navigating the publishing industry; and Grammar & Style, a half-day workshop to help all writers polish and improve their writing style.

Both Raymond and Yunker are published authors who have also worked in the New York publishing industry. Raymond has worked as an editor and copywriter for Penguin Putnam, Bantam Doubleday Dell, St. Martin?s Press, and Houghton Mifflin. She has also published her work in a variety of newspapers and magazines, and her fiction has appeared in some of the country?s most respected literary journals.

John Yunker, author of Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies, has also worked in the publishing industry, on the marketing side. ?The industry is constantly changing,? he said, ?and it?s more important than ever for writers to have a sense of community and to know that they?re not alone in what can seem like a daunting process.?

Yet Metro Writing classes are not just for writers who hope to get published. ?Everyone has a story to tell,? said Yunker. ?Our workshops are designed for writers of all levels, with myriad goals and aspirations.?

Metropolitan Writing Works will hold its spring workshops in Escondido, Cardiff, and Carlsbad. The Escondido workshop, Telling Your Story, begins Saturday, April 15, and will be held in the Cheryl Tall Art Studios on Grand Avenue downtown.

?We?ve made an effort to partner with venues that are in some way focused on the arts,? said Yunker. ?The Art Studio is already a place where artists gather to learn and create, so we feel very much at home there.?

Yunker and Raymond plan to add business writing courses to the schedule, with a special emphasis on small businesses and writing for the Web. They also hope to host student readings and other events locally as the program gathers momentum. ?Writing is by nature a solitary process,? said Raymond, ?but no matter what the content of their work, writers inevitably come to a place where they need to make a connection ? whether it?s to receive feedback, to have their work edited, or simply to have an audience. And that?s what we hope to provide.?

For more information, writers can contact Metropolitan Writing Works at 760-208-1913 or writing@metrowriting.com, or visit http://www.metrowriting.com