Writer, Educator, and Storyteller
One final chance on 8/21 for students to spark ideas for their personal statements and be entered to win a free college essay coaching package.
Feel free to contact me at kjfitzsimmons@gmail.com with questions!
As Pride month comes to a close, I’m thrilled to announce that our next No, YOU Tell It! show is another team-up with Lambda Literary.
More information soon about No, YOU Tell It! “Defiant” coming in September as part of the Brooklyn Book Festival and produced in partnership with Lambda Literary and The Astoria Bookshop!
NEWS: Honored to announce that I was named the second-place winner of The Corona Chronicle Essay Contest and will have my essay published in the forthcoming anthology from Ellipsis Rare Books.
50% of all proceeds from submissions to this charitable, community history writing project, collecting the unique perspectives of New Yorkers living through an uncertain period in the City’s history will be donated to the Food Bank For New York City.
Looking to find focus? Join us for a virtual write-in! Two Tuesday sessions are available each week.
Format: We check in on what we’re working on, write silently for 1:40, then check out by sharing how it went. Email kjfitzsimmons@gmail.com for more info and to register.
This summer, I’m thrilled to be partnering with Revisionary Writing and Editing to offer three FREE online college essay writing workshops.
If your students or kids are looking to get a running start on their personal statements, these 1.5-hour sessions can help get them going. Registration is now open at stand-out-stories.eventbrite.com
The Palm Circle Press Short Story Anthology, which includes my piece, “Ophelia at 30,” as well as awesome work by a number of talented writers is officially available in ebook and paperback. Click here to grab yourself a copy.
I’m thrilled to have my story included in this diverse collection. Here’s a few words from the foreword:
I’m so incredibly proud of this anthology. I’m proudest of how the diversity in these stories abstractly synchs with their similarities. There’s an odd alchemy at work. There’s a touching love poem written by a 105-year-old woman. There’s a story about a woman murdering her husband to escape his abuse. There’s even a story about alien abduction…
Lee Anderson, Palm Circle Press
The Astoria Bookshop creative writing workshop continues ONLINE with three coming up this May! Contact me for more info and to register.
Thrilled to be teaching two sessions of Stand-Out Stories: Personal Essay for College Applications and Beyond at The Center for Fiction via Zoom this summer!
We’ll spend two weeks mining memories and trading true tales to help students see that their slice of life is as valuable as anyone else’s in the world.
Spread the word and feel free to contact me at kjfitzsimmons@gmail.com with questions.
If you are looking to provide support for the rising juniors and seniors in your academic community, I offer private coaching, a single-session group workshop focused on generating ideas for their college essays, or a two-week/weekend intensive where we will create and revise multiple drafts.
I’m excited to share that I’m leading two such intensives, Stand-Out Stories: Personal Essays for College Applications and Beyond, this July & August at The Center for Fiction.
My goal is to help students find and craft a focused, personal story that opens a window into their unique character for admissions officers—while also being respectful of the trauma many of them are still processing due to the pandemic and our country’s continued civil unrest.
I’m presently booking online offerings for the summer and am open to both in-person and online sessions in the fall. Reach out!
The 21 essays selected from our entries demonstrated a depth of thought and engagement with their subject matter and details that we felt best captured the experiences and questions of New Yorkers over the last year.
Ellipses Rare Books
Honored to share that I have been selected as a semi-finalist in The Corona Chronicle Essay Contest from Ellipsis Rare Books in support of the Food Bank for New York City – the provider of 80 million free meals per year for hungry and homeless New Yorkers.