On January 14, 2026, we launched the Okoboji Year-Round Mastery Circle, a monthly online class series that keeps the Okoboji magic going long after the docks are pulled in for the season.

Each session runs 90 minutes on the second Wednesday of the month and features one of our OWSR workshop leaders adapting their signature class for Zoom. OWSR Founder Julie Gammack will be moderating the conversations, keeping them lively, useful, and laser-focused on helping you move your writing forward.

This is not a casual drop-in workshop series. It is a developmental path. You will sharpen your voice, strengthen your structure, and leave with pages that are stronger, clearer, and more emotionally resonant. You will write, revise, share, and grow beside peers who are just as committed as you are to finishing meaningful work. All skill levels are welcome.

January

DATE: January 14, 2026
TIME: 7:00 pm
TITLE: Points of Entry in Storytelling

How to choose where a story begins—prologues, frame narrators, in-media-res openings, and the dreaded “false start.” Perfect for fiction, nonfiction, and memoir writers wrestling with where to step onto the path.

BIO: Kali White VanBaale is an award-winning author of “The Monsters We Make,” “Release of Information,” and more. MFA, educator, and editor-at-large of The Past Ten.

Kali will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Kali.

February

DATE: February 11, 2026
TIME: 7:00 pm
TITLE: From Page to Screen – Writing Character-Driven Stories for Film and Stage

Learn how an Oscar-nominated screenwriter shapes emotional arcs, builds memorable characters, and thinks cinematically—whether writing scripts or prose.

BIO:  Peter Hedges is an author, screenwriter, and filmmaker known for “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” and “Pieces of April.”

Peter will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Peter.

March

DATE: March 11, 2026
TIME: 7:00 pm
TITLE: Writing for Change

How to use your voice to illuminate injustice, human rights issues, global challenges, and more—and how to offer readers pathways to action.

BIO: Rekha Basu is a syndicated columnist, author, and globally raised feminist journalist.

Rekha will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Rekha.

April

DATE: April 8, 2026
TIME: 7:00 pm
TITLE: Turning Local Stories Into Powerful Narrative

Discover how to uncover overlooked histories, interview with sensitivity, navigate research gaps, and build narratives that matter.

BIO: Rachelle Chase is an author, columnist, historian, and podcaster known for her celebrated work on Buxton, Iowa.

Rachelle will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Rachelle.

May

DATE: May 13, 2026
TIME: 7:00 pm
TITLE: Lazy Language and How to Fix It

A spirited deep-clean of clichés, filler, and saggy sentences—and how to replace them with crisp, fresh, surprising language that pops off the page.

BIO: Phoebe Wall Howard is an award-winning journalist known for turning business and automotive reporting into can’t-put-down storytelling.

Phoebe will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Phoebe.

June

DATE: June 10, 2026
TIME: 7:00 pm
TITLE: Finding Transcendence in Your Memoir

How to move beyond “what happened” toward meaning, shape, and emotional resonance. One of the most beloved OWSR classes every year.

BIO: Debra Engle is an author, teacher, and mentor to thousands of memoirists.

Debra will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Debra.

July

DATE: July 8, 2026
TIME: 7:00 pm
TITLE: Bringing It All Together – Finding Themes in Your Memoir

If you’ve got pages (or piles) of stories, this workshop helps you discover the through-lines that hold them together.

BIO: Beth Hoffman is a longtime journalist, author of “Bet the Farm,” and host of “At the Iowa Farm Table” and “In the Dirt.”

Beth will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Beth.

August

DATE: August 12, 2026
TIME: 7:00 pm
TITLE: Craft and Character Masterclass

Craft protagonists readers care about from page one. This workshop will be taught by Nicole Bart and Julie Cantrell.

Nicole Baart is the author of twelve novels, including “Everything We Didn’t Say” (an October 2021 Book of the Month selection and Amazon Editor’s pick) and “Where He Left Me,” an instant National Bestseller. The cofounder of a nonprofit and mother of five, she lives in Iowa with her family.

Nicole will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Nicole.

Julie Cantrell is a multiple award-winning, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, editor, creative writing instructor, TEDx speaker and ghostwriter.

Julie will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Julie.

September

DATE: September 9, 2026
TIME: 7:00 pm
TITLE: Inside the Mind of a Literary Agent

What makes agents say yes? How do you pitch memoir, fiction, or nonfiction? What hooks a reader—or an editor? Find out from the agent provocateur herself.

BIO: Katharine Sands is a literary agent.

Katharine will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Katharine.

October

DATE: October 14, 2026
TIME: 7:00 pm
TITLE: Nonfiction Panel: Voice, Empathy, Perspective

Douglas Burns is a fourth-generation Iowa journalist and the former long-time co-owner of the Carroll, Iowa newspaper. He now operates a statewide news site, The Iowa Mercury.

Douglas will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Douglas.

Dr. Robert Leonard is an author and occasional contributor to The New York Times, the Kansas City Star, the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the Des Moines Register, TIME, FERN, USA Today, and many other publications. Much of his written work covers rural issues, including politics, agriculture, immigration, food security and climate change.

Robert will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Robert.

Ty Rushing is a Kansas City, Kansas native who made a name for himself as an Iowa journalist. He broke barriers as the first Black reporter and/or editor at eight Iowa print publications across the state. Recently, Ty wrote, produced, and directed an Emmy-nominated documentary film for Iowa PBS. He is also a journalism professor at the University of Iowa.

Ty will also be presenting at the 2026 Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Click to learn more about Ty.