Making “Place” a Character in Your Writing with Radha Vatsal

Every story has a location—but that location can function as more than just a backdrop.

In this workshop, we will explore how to transform your story’s location into a character that propels the narrative—or even helps to generate the plot. We will begin by analyzing writing that uses location effectively and then respond to prompts that activate what you have learned. Participants can choose to share what they have written in class and receive feedback from the instructor and other students.
Bio:
Radha Vatsal is the author of No. 10 Doyers Street and the Kitty Weeks mystery novels set in World War I-era New York. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Lit Hub, CrimeReads, Scroll.in and elsewhere. She has designed and led writing workshops at the Queens Public Library.

Born and raised in Mumbai, India, she earned her Ph.D. in Film History from Duke University. She was a 2025-26 Fellow at the CUNY Writers’ Institute and lives in New York City.