Dialogue and Dialect Workshop 2026

An essential part of creating a character is understanding how that individual speaks or communicates. For writers who are working to create inclusive fiction with diverse characters from races, cultures, and backgrounds different from their own, crafting appropriate dialogue is more than just idealizing and compressing speech to make it seem natural. It may also mean figuring out how to get across the nuances of language, accent, or dialect without Othering or exoticizing characters or the real cultures and identity groups they represent.

In this craft-focused webinar we’ll help you sharpen your dialogue skills through short lectures and hands-on exercises led by author, editor, and Writing the Other co-author Nisi Shawl. They'll lead students through analysis of the ways familiar and unfamiliar cultural assumptions are embedded in texts and talk about alternative techniques for conveying difference via voice–yours and your characters’. At the end of class you’ll get a wealth of resources for further study and practice.

• Date: November 21st, 2026 

• Time: 10AM - 3:30 PM Pacific

• Where: Online — Zoom Classroom

• Price: $175

• Registration Deadline: November 15th, 2026

Financial Aid Available!

For full webinar details, including required texts, accessibility info, and available financial aid, please visit WritingTheOther.com.

Refund Policy

If you find that you need to drop the class, you may do so via Humanitix.

If you send a refund request up to 14 days before the class start date, you will receive a full refund.

Beyond that time you will not have your registration fee refunded. However, you will be able to use your payment as credit toward enrollment in a future class.