Critical Writing Initiative

The KCAIC Critical Writing Initiative is designed to increase the capacity and quality of arts writing in Kansas and throughout the region. The program is predicated on a belief in the importance of written criticism and thoughtful arts inquiry to a robust creative ecosystem.

The four-month program, offered at no cost for participants, is composed of two parts: a workshop period and a field-experience period.

The workshop period will consist of eight virtual sessions held on Saturdays in July and August 2023. During these sessions, the participants will have the opportunity to learn and receive feedback from established critics and arts writers. Participants will complete writing assignments and participate in critiques designed to strengthen critical and writing skills.

During the field-experience period, each participant will attend arts events across the state, complete three paid writing assignments within their arts focus and have these pieces published.

Example workshop topics:

• Covering the arts in the Great Plains (panel)
• Film and television writing
• Writing about the visual arts
• Introduction to theater criticism
• Profile writing
• Food writing
• Finding and pitching stories (panel)

Other workshop topics may including writing about dance and performance, writing about books and literature, and writing for radio.

There are post-virtual workshop office hours offered by the KCAIC Critical Writing Initiative facilitator to support participants in their outreach efforts and to review journalistic projects.

The program is designed for emerging arts critics, but more established writers and previous participants may also apply.

Participants will leave the program with a strengthened professional network, strategies for and experience in covering multiple arts and culture topics, knowledge about how to pitch freelance stories, a byline in a KCAIC publication, and one more clip for their writing portfolio.