The Art of the Opening: What is an Opening to Do? (May 10, 2025, Single Session, 90 min., Albert Liau, Instructor)
 

The opening of a story is crucial but for what? Establishing the voice? Introducing the protagonist? Creating atmosphere? The initial paragraphs of a story and first pages of a novel can do all those things and more, but what should they do? Let’s consider some possible answers by looking at various beginnings through the lenses of world building, point of telling, narrative momentum, and more to see how these beginnings each kick off a particular reading experience. We’ll then bring the perspectives we’ve gained into the (re)writing of openings for our own projects.

Instructor Bio: 

Always striving to bring empathetic and analytical perspectives to working with writers, Albert Liau is an editor, educator and author as well as a podcast and audiobook aficionado. With training in the sciences (from MIT and UC Berkeley) and the fine arts (from VCFA), he serves as a developmental editor of fiction and nonfiction manuscripts, a writing coach, and a Prose Editor at The Adroit Journal. His articles on literary craft have appeared in The Masters Review, Superstition Review and CRAFT. 
 

Details:

https://www.ironoakeditions.com/writing-workshop-descriptions-and-schedule
 

Climbing the Scenic Mountain: A Micro Approach to Story Structure (Instructor:  B.B. Garin, May 24 2025, approx. 90 minutes)

Workshop Description:  

Most of us are familiar with Freytag's happy little plot triangle. We know we need things like inciting incidents and climaxes in our stories. But how many of us think about this structure when crafting individual scenes? In this class we'll discuss the benefits of approaching each scene as its own mini story and how applying the narrative arc on a micro level can lead to stronger, more compelling scenes. Bring that scene that just doesn't seem to work or the one you've been avoiding writing. We'll spend some time on an exercise to help us approach these troublesome scenes with new focus. 



Instructor:  B.B. Garin

B. B. Garin lives in Buffalo, NY, in the shadows of abandoned grain elevators and the shuttered
Bethlehem Steel plant. These rusting bones of industry have shaped her artistic perspective,
instilling a love for all things faded, passed over, and quietly enduring.

B. B. graduated from Emerson College with a degree in Writing, Literature, and Publishing. Her
echapbook, New Songs for Old Radios, is available from Wordrunner Press. She received the
Sara Patton Fiction Stipend from The Writer’s Hotel for her then novel-in-progress, Warehouse-5. Her short fiction has appeared in Hawaii Pacific Review, Luna Station Quarterly, Palooka, Orca, Crack the Spine, and more. She is currently a guest editor and blog contributor for The Masters Review and CRAFT Literary, while also serving as a judge for NYC Midnight.

Details:

https://www.ironoakeditions.com/writing-workshop-descriptions-and-schedule

We are interested in memoir and personal essay collections that blend style with substance and reach beyond the personal to tell us something new about the world.

We want nonfiction that makes the reader think and feel, work that humbles us with its joy, humor, embarrassment, anger, hope, grief, or all of the above, and gravitate toward writing that has something important to teach us--something that readers really need to know, but might not have understood this was a need until the last word of the work.



We are interested in work that explores the depths of the human experience and show appreciation for and commitment to the art of nonfiction. We admire books that have important stories to tell and fresh, bold methods of telling them. Character-driven, lyric, immersive work is likely to catch our eye. Please see individual editor biographical statements for more detailed information on our person aesthetic predilections.

We do not have a strict word count. However, as we are a small, fully independent press staffed entirely by volunteers, any books over 100,000 words are less likely to be feasible for us at this time. All submissions have a fee of $10, which help us to maintain the press. As outlined here, we have a number of feedback options, including Expedited Response, Personal Feedback, and Editorial Critique. We answer all submissions, and will do our best to reply within eight weeks. 
​
We accept simultaneous submissions; please mention this in the initial query letter. Please also let us know straightway if your project has been either accepted for publication or if you have received a request for the full manuscript elsewhere. All submissions are first read by our readers, as well as Director of Prose, and are evaluated without regard to background, biography, or other considerations. Excerpts are read first, with the supporting information used to aid decisions afterward. Our  editorial staff then considers those submissions encountered favorably by our readers, and from there a collective decision is made to either request the full manuscript or to pass on the project. All manuscripts requested in full will be read promptly by the editorial team, and responded to as soon as possible.
​​

When submitting, please include:

-An excerpt containing the first 7,000 words of your manuscript, ending at a natural break in the narrative (going very slightly over the word limit, if strictly necessary, is permissible).
-A traditional query letter, comprising a general narrative introduction to your book, 2-4 comparable titles, a brief third-person bio of approximately 100 words, and a note as to why you are sending your work to IOE.
-A synopsis of 1-2 pages, outlining the characters, situation, narrative arc, progression, themes, conflicts, resolutions, and overall conclusion (complete with spoilers). Note that there may be some overlap​ between the synopsis (a more detailed document) and the introductory portion of the query letter.​​

General Formatting Guidelines
​

• All submissions should be in Times New Roman, 12pt font, double spaced, one-inch margins.
  
• Please include page numbers.
  
• We can only consider work written in English, but welcome British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand English in addition to American English.
  
• Please proofread and only send us polished, completed work.

We are looking for full-length collections of poems that perform Olympic feats with language that leave a reader in wonder while still referring back to the basic things that make us human. We want powerful imagery and enjoy the juxtaposition of images in interesting and unexpected ways.

We want poems that make the reader think and feel, work that humbles us with its joy, humor, embarrassment, anger, hope, grief, or all of the above, and gravitate toward writing that has something important to teach us--something that readers really need to know, but might not have understood this was a need until the last word of the work.
​​

• Submit full-length manuscripts of minimum of 60 pages paginated consecutively with a table of contents.
  
• Include a cover page with a clear title of the work.
  
• Please single space poems.  
• Include a cover letter that describes your work that also includes a short 3rd person biography of no more than 150 words. 
  
• If your work is a simultaneous submission, please let us know immediately if it is published elsewhere. 
• Writers may not submit more than once per calendar year.​
  

​​General Formatting Guidelines
​

• All submissions should be in Times New Roman, 12pt font, double spaced, one-inch margins.
  
• Please include page numbers.
  
• We can only consider work written in English, but welcome British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand English in addition to American English.
  
• Please proofread and only send us polished, completed work. Submit as a Microsoft Word or a .pdf file.

When submitting, please include:
 

• An excerpt containing the first 7,000 words of your manuscript, ending at a natural break in the narrative (going very slightly over the word limit, if strictly necessary, is permissible).
• A traditional query letter, comprising a general narrative introduction to your book, 2-4 comparable titles, a brief third-person bio of approximately 100 words, and a note as to why you are sending your work to Iron Oak Editions.
• A synopsis of 1-2 pages, outlining the characters, situation, narrative arc, progression, themes, conflicts, resolutions, and overall conclusion (complete with spoilers). Note that there may be some overlap​ between the synopsis (a more detailed document) and the introductory portion of the query letter.​​
• We accept simultaneous submissions; please mention this in the initial query letter. Please also let us know straightway if your project has been either accepted for publication or if you have received a request for the full manuscript elsewhere.

 
General Formatting Guidelines
 

• ​We only consider literary fiction (no genre submissions) either novel or short story collections.
• All submissions should be in Times New Roman, 12pt font, double spaced, one-inch margins.
• Please include page numbers.
• We can only consider work written in English, but welcome British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand English in addition to American English.
• Please proofread and only send us polished, completed work.

The Iron Oak Editions editorial staff offers critiques of both small and longer manuscripts (both poetry and prose).  Cost varies based on manuscript length. See details below. You can message us to be invoiced via PayPay or Critique payment can be made at our "shop" link at our website.  Home (ironoakeditions.com) Submissions for critique without payment at our website shop will be withdrawn.

If you'd like an invoice and pay via Paypal, contact Ken Harmon at admin@ironoakeditions.com. For quotes, payment info, and details for critiques of single stories, essays, or poems, contact Ken Harmon at the above email address.

Manuscripts uploaded to our Submittable account without the correct corresponding payment submitted to our website will not be read.

Writers should include a cover letter that includes a brief synopsis of the manuscript, the writer's third-person bio, and any specifics they'd like for feedback (optional).

Prose Manuscript Editorial Critique

Novels, Short Story Collections, & Creative Non-Fiction

Editorial Critique is a more substantial option for those who wish to receive detailed feedback on the strengths and weakness of a manuscript, with an emphasis on areas of focus in future revision. Each Critique submission will be read and replied to by one of our Editors, who will write an editorial letter based on their read and evaluation of your work. The letter will consider a range of fictive elements, including but not limited to narrative perspective, character, dialogue, language, structure, setting, themes, and composition. The editor will focus on areas of the manuscript that represented the biggest obstacles to engagement, and the aspects which ultimately kept us from offering publication.

      In this way, the letter is designed to be a document offering specific and actionable guidance for future revision towards publication of the project elsewhere. The letter may include other work to consult as influences and considerations of theory, criticism, and/or craft. The letter will be a sophisticated read of your work by one of our editors, based on their individual background, knowledge, and approach. As part of your submission, you have the option to direct your covering letter to a specific editor. Please note we cannot guarantee that this will be the staff member to provide feedback on your work, but we will do our best. If you have a second choice, feel free to list that information in your letter. See specifics below.
 

Info & Pricing for Prose Editorial Critiques of Individual Short Stories or Essays (Developmental Edits):



 • $10 per page and includes editorial letter of 1-3 pages and editor comments on draft (approx. 2 week turnaround); contact Ken Harmon at admin@ironoakeditions.com for details and payment info.  Payment available via Paypal.



Info & Pricing for Prose Editorial Critiques (Book Developmental Edits):

 • "Vibe Check" for the first 10 pages of a book or first chapter (or the first story of a short story collection); $10 per page; contact Ken Harmon at admin@ironoakeditions for details and payment info. Payment available via Paypal and Stripe.

 • First 50 pages of your manuscript, with an editorial letter of between 5-7 pages: $600; (approx. 4 week turnaround)
 • First 100 pages of your manuscript, with an editorial letter of between 8-10 pages: $1000 (approx. 6 week turnaround)
 • Full read of a manuscript under 100,000 words, with an editorial letter of between 10-12 pages: $1500 (approx. 8 weeek turnaround)
 • Full read of a manuscript over 100,000 words, with an editorial letter of between 10-12 pages: $2000 (approximate 10 week turnaround)

 

Editorial Critiques for Individual Poems:   Writers may also request editorial critiques of individual poems that may not be part of book project for $18 per page. This will include an editorial overview for each piece as well as individual comments for individual lines. Contact Ken Harmon at admin@ironoakeditions.com for pricing and details.  Payment available via Paypal.

Poetry Book Manuscript Editorial Critique
 

-Up to 10 pages of poetry:  $180 (approx. 2 week turnaround); comments on individual poems and one page editorial letter
 -Up to 20 pages of poetry:  $360 (approx. 3 week turnaround); comments on individual poems and 2 page editorial letter
 -Up to 40 pages of poetry:  $820 (approx. 5 week turnaround); comments on individual poems and 4 page editorial letter
 -Up to 60 pages of poetry:  $1180 (appox. 6 week turnaround); comments on individual poems and 6 page editorial letter
 -Full manuscript (up to 80 pages of poetry): $1540 (approx. 8 week turnaround); comments on individual poems and 8 page editorial letter