Bringing Essential Stories to the Page
Founded with the goal of giving voice to immigrant writers, the Restless Books Immigrant Writing Lab empowers aspiring writers to fulfill their dreams. Our program is unique in that it offers training and development specifically designed around immigration. We provide students with the creative, technical, and professional skills they need to confidently share their stories.
NEW Courses
(Coming soon!)
Course INformation
Each module includes a print copy of a Restless book. All first-time students will receive a year-long subscription to The Common magazine.
All students will be invited to partake in a conversation with the staff of The Common to learn about the magazine and best practices to follow when submitting to literary journals.
About the Instructors
ILAN STAVANS
Ilan Stavans is the publisher of Restless Books and the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities and Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College. His books include On Borrowed Words, Spanglish, Dictionary Days, The Disappearance, and A Critic’s Journey. He has edited The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature, the three-volume set Isaac Bashevis Singer: Collected Stories, The Poetry of Pablo Neruda, among dozens of other volumes. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, Chile’s Presidential Medal, the International Latino Book Award, and the Jewish Book Award. Stavans’s work, translated into twenty languages, has been adapted to the stage and screen. A cofounder of the Great Books Summer Program at Amherst, Stanford, Chicago, Oxford, and Dublin, he is the host of the NPR podcast "In Contrast."
Amy Zhang
Amy Zhang is a writer, educator, and producer. You can find her non-fiction and fiction in the New York Times, the Atlantic, Atlas Obscura, and Jellyfish Review, where her flash fiction was nominated for Best Small Fictions of 2020. She was formerly a Segment Producer at Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj and also worked in community engagement and arts education for a documentary theater company, Ping Chong + Company.
MANUEL ORTIZ
Manuel Ortiz is a Latinx playwright and director, based in New York. He holds a Bachelor in the Arts with a major in Acting from University of Chile. After graduating, he studied at the Laboratorio Permanente in Italy, and the Grotowski Institute in Poland, on a state grant from the Chilean Ministry of Culture.
He has worked as a director and playwright at the Chilean National Theater, as well as many other theater companies in Chile and the U.S. He has directed 16 plays, ten of them written by Ortiz himself, including Pichanga, which was published in Spain in 2019. He has presented his work in festivals in the U.S., Spain, Italy, Germany, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and México.
Manuel moved to New York City in 2019, since then he has directed three shows, two of them written by himself. His most recent project is the production of his play American Dream by Teatro Latea in New York (September 2022), which he’s also directing.
Isaiah Stavchansky
Isaiah Stavchansky is a New York–based Mexican-American writer, actor, and educator. His plays have been developed and produced with Atlantic Acting School, The Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Tank, and Kenyon College. Atlantic Acting School Conservatory (2020). BA: Kenyon College (2018).
FAQ
LABS
How will classes be offered?
All of our classes take place on Zoom. Each class will be taught at the time advertised. Time and date are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
I’m an experienced writer. Are all the classes designed for me?
All of our classes cater to writers of all levels. In every class we ask the writers to take on themes of immigration.
Will I be asked to write something new in the labs?
In every class, we will be generating new work. Unless specified by the instructor, we do not allow students to bring in work they wrote prior to the lab.
How do the scholarships work?
We offer one full scholarship per workshop. If you are interested, you must apply for the specific lab you want and submit a 250-word letter describing your need and a writing sample. We will get back to you to let you know whether you will receive aid.
I applied for a class but I can no longer take it. Do I still have to pay?
Applying for a course is not binding. If you sent in an application but can no longer participate, you can withdraw your application on Submittable or email lab@restlessbooks.org. However, we do not issue refunds. If you have already paid, you can defer your acceptance to a later course.
Applications
What application materials do I need to apply?
No materials are necessary to apply for a course. However, if you are applying for a scholarship, you will need to submit a 250-word letter describing your need and a writing sample.
What are the writing sample requirements?
We ask that you submit a creative writing sample that best reflects your style and skills.
How soon after I send in my application will I hear back?
We’ll respond to everyone at most a week before our first session.
Reserving your spot
Does the letter of acceptance mean that a spot is held for me in the incoming class?
No. Your spot will be secured once you pay the class fee.We will notify scholarship applicants via email with their results.
May I defer acceptance to the next round of classes?
Yes. Please email lab@restlessbooks.org to request information about upcoming classes.
May I defer acceptance to the next round of classes if I received a scholarship?
Yes. Please email lab@restlessbooks.org to request information about upcoming classes.
Financial Information
Do you offer extended payments?
We do not. You must pay in full before the class begins to hold your spot.
International Students
Do you accept international students?
Yes, we do. All of our classes are held on Zoom so you’ll be able to attend.
Will the class times change to accommodate students in different time zones?
All classes are offered at the times stated.
I have more questions!
We understand. Please reach out to (lab@restlessbooks.org) with any additional questions you might have. We are here to support you.
“The poet’s work whispered in my ears with a subtle hint: there was an exceptional bond between Xinyu and me in that bigger universe beyond the ploughed fields. We were more than just classmates. Our thoughts and views were rooted in much deeper and richer soil.”