Lower Merion High School recently welcomed New York Times bestselling author Liz Lawson, who spent the morning leading a pair of programs in the library for students interested in learning about the craft of writing.

Lawson is the critically acclaimed author of The Agathas, The Night in Question and The Lucky Ones. Her books have been featured by People Magazine, Buzzfeed, Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble and more. The Lucky Ones received a "Best Book of 2020" nod from both Kirkus Reviews and the Chicago Public Library, while The Agathas was named a best book of 2022 by Waterstones.

After a brief introduction from LMHS librarian Kerry Smith, Lawson led students through an engaging "flash fiction" workshop, which is essentially just an alliterative way to say a very short story (generally less than 1,500 words). After explaining the ins and outs of the activity, students had the opportunity to try their hand at this impromptu writing exercise before a handful bravely shared their work with the other writers in the room. Lawson provided encouraging feedback to the students, letting each know something she loved about their piece.

Following the workshop, Lawson gave a more general presentation where she talked about her background, path to becoming a writer and creative process, as well as a variety of other writing- and publishing-related topics. Before the end of the program, students and staff had an opportunity to participate in a Q&A with Lawson.

To view a slideshow of images from Lawson’s visit, click through below!