Tuesdays, April 23-June 18 (9 weeks)  7-9:30 pm
$365 members/$395 others   San Francisco
Testimonials for Jenny

ATTENTION: THIS CLASS IS NOW CLOSED

Think you want to write, but not sure where to start? “Good news,” says Jenny Pritchett, “it’s all about you!” In this fun, fast-paced class for beginners, you’ll use your own experiences and observations – your unique movement through the world – as jumping-off points to investigate all types of writing: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, memoir, humor, essays and more. “We’ll address the intersection of reality and imagination,” says Jenny, “with a little reading, weekly writing exercises, handouts and discussion to get your pens (and brains!) flexing.

“We’ll play with basic elements of craft, such as concrete detail — is it a car, or a 1968 Buick Skylark? We’ll learn how to see more clearly with our eyes closed — and then stamp our imaginary visions onto paper. And we’ll explore the fundamental questions of all creative writing:  What is story? What is conflict? What is voice? And, most importantly, What is my voice?”

Jenny Pritchett holds a degree in magazine journalism from Northwestern and an MFA in creative writing from SFSU. The former managing editor of Fourteen Hills, she has taught or lectured at SFSU, California College of the Arts, and Ex’pression College for Digital Arts. Her debut story collection, At or Near the Surface (Fourteen Hills Press), won the 2008 Michael Rubin Chapbook Award. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and published in Southwest Review, Northwest Review, Boulevard, Salt Hill, Fiction Attic, Best of the Web 2008 and elsewhere. In January 2008 she was a writer-in-residence at the Ragdale Foundation in  Illinois. Her first novel, Believe Me When I Tell You, is represented by Zachary Shuster Harmsworth.