Writing the City creative writing workshops
Monthly workshop series fusing creative writing and the urban. Tokyo (and cities in general) are full of wonder and weirdness that writers of any persuasion can learn to see, feel, and bring to life on the page.
Workshop format:
Each month there will be a series of four 2-hr afternoon workshops, each on a theme involving the city.
The first hour is dedicated to a short lecture by either Joy or Brian on that workshop’s theme then various writing exercises the participants can do to heat up their creative energy.
The next 30 minutes will be a guided walkabout into the neighborhood surrounding the workshop’s venue, where the participants will be able to use all their senses, even perhaps their sixth sense, to give them additional inspiration to enhance what they have been thinking and processing during the previous hour.
The final 30 minutes will be dedicated to creating a draft of whatever format the participant chooses from the exercises and city walkabout. Whoever would like to share their creation is welcome to do so (either to the whole group or smaller groups).
Each workshop is limited to 8 participants, so secure your space!
May 2026 Writing the City Workshop Series
9 May (Sat. 14:15-16:15): Mythologizing Tokyo - Joy Waller
17 May (Sun. 14:00-16:00): Weirding the Urban Mundane - Brian Wood-Koiwa
23 May (Sat. 14:15-16:15): Main Character Energy - Joy Waller
31 May (Sun. 14:00-16:00): Ensouling the City - Brian Wood-Koiwa [1
Workshop #1 - Mythologizing the City with Joy Waller Sat. 9 May 2026
A creative writing workshop led by Joy Waller, co-founder of Moon Hotel Press, co-host of Drunk Poets See God, and editor at Tokyo Poetry Journal.
Come explore and create the myths & symbols that make up your own personal version of the world's most intoxicating city.
Note that this workshop will include a brief walking portion.
Workshop #2 - Weirding the Urban Mundane with Brian Wood-Koiwa Sun. 17 May 2026
A creative writing workshop led by Brian Wood-Koiwa, co-founder of Writing the City Workshops, author of the UrbanWeird serial novels Flowers Wilt, Weeds Thrive and Conspiracy of False Citizens, and Tokyo photowalk guide.
Come and get a bit weird with the mundane. Not everything in The City is neon psychedelic, rumbling trains, and the constant hubbub of the human mass.
In this writing workshop, we will slow down a bit and appreciate the mundaneness of The City. However, the mundane does not have to be boring. Far from it.
We will practice weirding the mundane through our writing by learning how to skew our perspective.
Note that this workshop will include a brief walking portion within the surrounding neighborhoods.
Workshop #4 — Ensouling the City with Brian Wood-Koiwa Sun. 31 May 2026
A creative writing workshop led by Brian Wood-Koiwa, co-founder of Writing the City Workshops, author of the UrbanWeird serial novels Flowers Wilt, Weeds Thrive and Conspiracy of False Citizens, and Tokyo photowalk guide.
In this workshop, we will focus on the premise that cities, especially megalopolises like Tokyo, are living entities who began life as a creation of humanity but mature into their own being-ness.
We will imagine ourselves in conversation with Tokyo by asking ourselves questions such as, what personality does this city, or any city you have experience in, possess; what are its fears and desires; and anything else your imagination can conjure—with the help of this mega-being muse we call Tokyo (would it even call itself that?).
Note that this workshop will include a brief walking portion within the surrounding neighborhoods.