Chapbook Manuscript Workshop
A Virtual Panel Discussion & Workshop
This event is open for registration from January 26 – March 12, 2026.
Working on your debut chapbook? Maybe you’re looking for writing exercises to help with developmental edits, or advice on where to query your completed manuscript. If so, we invite you to our Chapbook Manuscript Workshop, moderated by Joshua Roark, Palette's founding editor, and joined by two previous chapbook prize winners, Ava Chen and Jessie Keary.
In our two-hour virtual discussion and workshop on Friday, March 13, 2026 at 7 PM EDT / 4 PM PDT, our panelists of writers and editors will share their experiences and insight to help you on your chapbook journey. You will have the opportunity to hear their advice on writing/editing/publishing chapbooks, learn tips and tricks to troubleshoot any issues with your current manuscript, and ask any questions during the Q&A.
Registration costs $20. You can register below through Submittable. The event Zoom link will be sent in the confirmation email from Submittable. A recording of the event will be distributed to all registrants, so we encourage you to sign up even if you're unable to attend the night of the event.
We hope to see you then!
meet our panel:
Joshua Roark works as the main faculty for Antioch University Los Angeles’ Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing, as well as an infrequent Poetry Mentor for their MFA program. He completed his own MFA in Poetry with Antioch’s low-residency program in 2017. After founding Frontier Poetry in that same year, Joshua went on to become the Editorial Director of Discover New Art and helped launch several more literary magazines and platforms, publishing many books by incredible artists, serving writers of every genre and style. Joshua Roark’s book of sonnets about teaching middle school as a Teach for America teacher, Put One Hand Up, Lean Back, was published by Unsolicited Press. In addition to his poetry, Joshua is a screenwriter and film producer in Los Angeles and most recently produced Dead Deer High, a feature film based on his original screenplay.
Ava Chen is an avid creative and Chinese-American undergraduate at Princeton University. The founding Editor-in-Chief of the international literary magazine Sophon Lit and a Teaching Assistant for Polyphony Lit, her writing has been recognized by YoungArts, Bennington College, The Adroit Prizes, Columbia College Chicago, and more. Ava's poetry has also appeared in or is forthcoming with Sixth Finch, The Rumpus, Gigantic Sequins, Chestnut Review, Salt Hill, The Penn Review, The Offing, Sine Theta Magazine, diode, wildness, Frontier Poetry, and elsewhere. Her debut chapbook Habitual Prayer was chosen by Danez Smith as the winner of Palette Poetry's 2023 Chapbook Prize. Ava also adjudicates for NYC Midnight's international writing competitions. In her free time, she enjoys walking her golden retriever and playing piano for her two turtles. She hopes you have a wonderful day.
Jessie Keary is a queer, trans, Midwestern writer with too many hobbies. For the last few years, he’s been writing a collection of erasure poetry using archived, US newspaper articles about transgender people from the 1860s-1960s. The language of gender identity has evolved, which is often weaponized, as if the experience of being trans is as new as some of the language. Through poetry, Jessie strives to honor the gender-expansive people who have always existed and always will. Their poetry can also be found in Transmasculine Poetics (Sundress Publications), Sweeter Voices Still (Belt Publishing), and various corners of the internet.
our itinerary:
- Panel Discussion (45 minutes)
- Workshopping Practice & Exercises (30 minutes)
- Q&A (30 minutes)