Anthologies

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Craft

Public Speaking Details

Meet Alida, your guide to mastering the art of storytelling. With an an MLS and MFA in Writing, three novels, two indispensable craft books, and numerous literary journal publications, Alida brings a lifetime of dedication to the written word. Over the past 12+ years, she has served writers of all levels as a developmental editor, story coach, and creative writing teacher, helping writers shape their vision into works of fiction and nonfiction. Whether teaching workshops locally—in colleges, high schools, senior centers, or even Minnesota prisons—or connecting with writers worldwide through her online editing and coaching business, Word Essential, her personalized approach empowers writers to achieve their creative goals. Alida is dedicated to helping women tell their stories in their own voices, whether they are just starting to write or are turning a novel or memoir into polished prose. Topics: Sharing your story with voice and heart. Crafting authentic characters with emotional resonance. The transformative role of storytelling in processing grief. Breaking genre boundaries in literary and genre fiction. Story craft, from the basics of structure to the nuances of voice. Turning real life into fiction. Armchair Time Travel: writing fiction that reads like you were actually there.

Biography

A native Minnesotan, Alida grew up with wholesome Midwestern values and a daily dose of “Minnesota Nice,” but always sensed there was more going on behind people’s closed doors. Her stories explore the core of our humanity with richly emotional, darkly themed tales about complicated, real women, their relationships, and the secrets that haunt them. Alida is the winner of the 2025 Minnesota Author Project Adult Fiction Award, voted on by librarians across the state, the Page Turner Award, and Confluence Prize. She is also a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards, three times nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and a notable in Best American Essays. Alida is an author, speaker, developmental editor, and writing coach with an MFA, over 12 years experience, and a story craft podcast for writers and readers curious about writers, called the Story Works Round Table.