Event Description
Want to close out our inaugural Manuscript Month on an inspiring note? Come hear award-winning author Maurice Carlos Ruffin in conversation with bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan! Maurice and Hank will offer perspective and advice on how to stay artistically engaged and productive in times of socio-political uncertainty or personal strife. Drawing from their respective journeys and experiences, they will share strategies and tools that writers can use to stay focused and motivated. You will leave this conversation inspired to take on your own projects with renewed energy and a clearer sense of artistic purpose.
NOTE: When you register for this event, you will be automatically entered in a raffle to potentially win 1 of 5 copies of Maurice’s latest novel The American Daughters, which will be available for pickup by the winners at our Seaport space the week following the event. Additional copies of Maurice's book are available for purchase online on our bookstore partner's website, portersquarebooks.com.
About the Presenters
Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of National Bestseller, The American Daughters, as well as The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You, a One Book One New Orleans selection, which was longlisted for the Story Prize. His debut, We Cast a Shadow, was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the PEN America Open Book Prize. All three books were New York Times Editor’s Choice selections. Ruffin is the winner of the Iowa Review Award in fiction and the Louisiana Writer Award. Ruffin is an associate professor of Creative Writing at Louisiana State University.
Hank Phillippi Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of 16 psychological thrillers, winning the most prestigious awards in crime fiction--including five Agathas, the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award, and more--as well as 37 EMMY awards for her television investigative reporting. Her newest novel is the page-turning standalone ONE WRONG WORD. She is the host of CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze, and co-host of First Chapter Fun and The Back Room. Watch for her newest novel ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS coming September 2025.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.