You must use YOUR name on the checkout form, because your name is on the credit card you are using to make the purchase. However, you can put the gift recipient's name and email address in the spaces further down on the checkout form that ask for: "Name of Student, if Different from Person Paying" and "Email of Student, if Different from Person Paying." That way we will know who the gift certificate is for, for our records. But the automated purchase confirmation and receipt emails will go only to you, the purchaser.

We don't send printed or emailed gift certificates. You will need to present the gift to your recipient in the form of a card, note or verbal communication.

Gift recipients can then simply call the Writing Salon, give us their name (we keep a records of gift certificates that have been purchased), and tell us which workshop they want to take. If they want to take a longer class, they can simply pay the additional amount. Please remember, gift certificates are good for only one year from date of purchase.

How can we ensure that deeply personal writing will be compelling and even luminous for our readers? How can we avoid getting mired in emotional or linguistic ruts? That’s where both the craft and the courage come in!

“When we dive consciously and skillfully into personally difficult material, whatever the genre, we can deepen our ability to see and hold complexity, name truth, and, ultimately, connect with our readers – as well as with ourselves – more powerfully,” says instructor Ruth L. Schwartz.

“Poet Bruce Weigl says, ‘Say it clearly and you make it beautiful, no matter what.’ In this class, we’ll explore what kinds of clarity – and what kinds of beauty – Weigl is referring to. We’ll explore ways to cultivate the breadth and depth that the best writing requires of us. And, in the process, we just may help ourselves heal.

"This class will offer a variety of resources, approaches and techniques to help you cultivate both depth and craft. You’ll read and discuss published examples of extraordinary personal writing, including poetry by Bruce Weigl, Sharon Olds and Robert Hass, and prose by Joy Harjo and Lauren Slater. In-class and take-home writing exercises will offer multiple ways to approach material effectively. You’ll use tools like visualization and humor, "and in the process," says Ruth, "we’ll find ways to honor the enormous, messy, magnificent complexity of our truths – and write them well. Ultimately, we’ll expand the range of (e)motion available to us, as writers and as human beings."

Note: 10 CEUs are available for licensed MFTs or LCSWs.

Ruth L. Schwartz is the author of four award-winning books of poems, including Edgewater, a 2001 National Poetry Series winner selected by Jane Hirshfield. Her memoir, Death in Reverse, documents the year following her donation of a kidney to her former partner. Her poems and essays have appeared frequently in The Sun (sometimes under a pseudonym, at the editors’ request), and she has received numerous literary fellowships, honors and prizes. Ruth is currently a Distinguished Visiting Writer in the low-residency M.F.A. program at Ashland University and also teaches privately. In addition, she is a practicing hypnotherapist and shaman who honors and wrestles with pain, beauty and truth in all their disguises.

"One of the best ways to try out new ideas and build an audience for your writing is to start a blog," says instructor Britt Bravo. "The first thing a publisher is going to ask you is, 'Do you have a platform?' A blog, combined with other social media tools like Twitter and Facebook, is a great way to build it."

During the class you'll learn how to:

- Pick the best blogging platform for you
- Choose blog post topics that are engaging for your readers and fun for you to write
- Increase traffic and community engagement
- Listen to what other people are saying about your "brand" online
- Find your blogging tribe
- Use social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr in conjunction with your blog
- Find time to write
- Measure your success

"You'll walk away with a blogging plan that you can start tomorrow," says Bravo.

Britt Bravo is a blogger, podcaster, creative career coach, and social media consultant for artists, creative entrepreneurs and nonprofits. She began blogging in 2005 with the launch of her personal blog, Have Fun * Do Good. Since then, she has written for the Huffington Post, WEtv’s WE Volunteer blog, BlogHer, NetSquared, the Stanford Social Innovation Review Opinion Blog, WorldChanging, The Extraordinaries, and the Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship blog. She also produces the Big Vision Podcast, and the Arts and Healing Podcast. In 2007, the East Bay Express named her the Best Podcaster/Blogger Most Dedicated to Social Change. Britt is a frequent speaker about blogging and social media, and has presented at events such as the Bioneers, BlogHer Conference, Ladies Who Launch, Stanford Women’s Leadership Conference, Writing for Change Conference, and San Francisco Writer’s Conference. For more information about her work, go to www.brittbravo.com.

If you’re eager to share a story with the next generation of readers, this workshop will stoke your creative fire, hone your writing craft, and give you invaluable insight into the world of children’s publishing. Whether you’re interested in picture books, chapter books, or young adult novels, this class will help you to begin new projects or further develop projects that you’ve already begun.

Class time will be divided between workshopping and in-depth discussion of strategies for getting published. You’ll learn the ins and outs of the children’s book market — how to find and approach editors and agents, how to write stand-out query letters, how to craft submissions that shine, what to do when an editor or agent requests revisions, and how to negotiate for a higher advance.

Every week, students will submit pages from a work-in-progress, or responses to weekly writing prompts. “We’ll examine what makes writing books for children different than writing books for adults,” says Lindsey. “We’ll also explore how to find a voice that young readers will love. And at the end of the course, you will have the option to submit a query letter and your work to me for additional critique.”

As a child, Lindsey Alexander wrote fan mail to her favorite authors and illustrators, a number of whom, she says “amazingly wrote back.” Years later, as an editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books, she had the pleasure of collaborating with some of these same talented people. Among the authors she’s worked with are Sarah Weeks, Laura Numeroff, Jean Craighead George, and William Joyce. Lindsey holds an MFA from The New School University and has taught at The New School and the Monterey Bay Writers Studio. As an editorial consultant, she works with a variety of clients, including both trade and academic publishers, and literary agencies.

"But my favorite was the one I did about a new reading program for kindergartners; the kids pulled me right into the class, and I learned more that one day than I ever learned in kindergarten. That's one of the things I love most about magazine writing — it's a constant learning process. It gives you a license to probe into the world. It's also the most accessible way to break into professional writing. Even when you have no publishing credits, if you come up with the right idea, and pitch it to the right editor at the right time, you can get the assignment."

This down-to-basics introduction to the world of magazine writing will cover: How to get ideas, determine your market, and write query letters that editors will read. "We'll go over the rules of the game (and when to break them)," Cary says. "We'll talk about getting rejected (and how to handle it), as well as getting accepted (and how to handle THAT!). We'll also discuss the ins and outs of dealing with editors, how to be a professional, and how to use one article to get an assignment for another one." This workshop will give you a keener understanding of the world of magazine writing, and tips on how to get started (or, if you've already started, to take yourself to the next level).

Cary Pepper has been a freelance writer for 30 years. He has published dozens of articles in such publications as The New York Times, TV Guide, Premiere, Advertising Age, Town and Country, and Mad. He is also an award-winning playwright whose work has been produced throughout the U.S. and in Europe. He has taught writing at Media Alliance, the San Francisco Art Institute, and privately.

"If ghosts and witches, lost loves and conflict were good enough for Homer, Shakespeare, and Dante," says Nick Mamatas, "they're good enough for me. A genre is like a toolbox—good writers go beyond formula and use the tools of their trade to build and make real what nobody else could imagine."

Whether you're ready to be the next Nora Roberts, or simply have a great idea for an urban fantasy series, we'll get your ideas into shape—eliminate the clichés, perfect the voice of your characters, and create gripping plots—with an eye toward submission and publication. In addition to workshopping of stories or novel chapters, we'll explore the current marketplace for both short fiction and novels, and practice skills that writers need regardless of genres in which they write.

"Genre doesn't mean generic," Nick says. "This is not a place to learn the secret handshake or a class where you'll learn the basic outline for a by-the-numbers story. Instead, we're writing to add to the great traditions of stories we already love."

Nick Mamatas is the author of three novels: Under My Roof (Counterpoint), Move Under Ground (Prime Books), and the forthcoming Sensation (PM Press). He's also published over sixty short stories in genre magazines, literary journals, and anthologies, some of which were recently collected in You Might Sleep... (Prime Books). His fiction has been nominated for both the Bram Stoker and International Horror Guild awards, and as editor of the online magazine Clarkesworld Nick has been nominated for the World Fantasy award and science fiction's Hugo award. He currently teaches online at Western Connecticut State University, edits science fiction and fantasy for VIZ Media, and is awaiting the release of his next anthology, Haunted Legends (Tor Books), co-edited with Ellen Datlow.

The Round Robin is based on the same premise,” says instructor Jane Underwood. “The more you use your writing muscles, the more you will tone and strengthen them. The primary focus is PRACTICE. Every day you will practice your writing, in the same way that a piano student practices the piano or a swimmer swims laps.”

This class is structured around a carefully facilitated exchange of daily emailed writings (based on prompts provided by Jane) among all class members, plus two in-class meetings.

Round Robin’ers aim to do three things: 1) write regularly, 2) enjoy and explore the process of writing freely and playfully (discovering what you have to say in the act of saying it), and 3) “partner” on a rotating basis with classmates. (“Partnering” will be explained at the first meeting.)

“We might talk about some basic elements of craft during class meetings,” says Jane, “but the main focus of this class will not be discussions of craft. The focus will be on finding the inspiration, motivation and self-discipline to keep writing and to keep generating raw material that you may eventually choose to rewrite, revise, and publish. It will also be about learning to recognize and appreciate the strength of your natural voice, before you have a chance to snuff it out by revising your work too hastily.”

Writers in all genres and at all levels of experience have participated in this class, and we have many Round Robin returnees who take the class year-round.

NOTE: Attendance at the first meeting is mandatory for newcomers and strongly encouraged for returning participants. Attendance at the final meeting is also strongly advised for ALL participants. In addition, every class member must commit to full participation on a daily basis.

Jane Underwood, founder of The Writing Salon, has been a writer, editor and teacher more than 30 years. Her poetry, prose, erotica, articles and essays have appeared in print and online periodicals (SF Chronicle, The Sun, Five Fingers Review, Quarterly West, Western Humanities Review, Libido, babycenter.com, Conversely.com, Salon.com), anthologies (The Ecstatic Moment, Yellow Silk, Ripe Fruit, Best Women’s Erotica, Nesting: It’s a Chick Thing), and on stage (Lilith Theater). She holds a masters degree in creative writing, has taught many creative writing classes, ranging from introductory classes to erotica writing to personal essay writing. She has been leading “Round Robin” groups for six years.

" The first ten, twenty or hundred times writing and revising the poem are a discovery process. What more is there underneath the poem? What leaps can you make? What gems can you uncover?

"A poem is a nest built out of the twigs and ribbons of ordinary words. Poets are like magpies — stealing images, details, scraps of dialogue, and the flotsam and jetsam of everyday life to construct their nests, nests that enable consciousness to fly."

In this class, you will spend some time giving and receiving feedback, says Alison, but the main focus will be on in-class writing exercises and discussions to help you generate more and better material. You will focus on process over product, on going deeper rather than rushing to find closure.

Alison Luterman's first book of poems, The Largest Possible Life, was published by Cleveland State University Press. Her second book See How We Almost Fly won the Pearl Poetry Prize in 2008 and is now available from Pearl Editions. Two of her poems appear on The Library of Congress website as part of the Poetry 180 project that former poet laureate Billy Collins initiated. One of her poems was featured for several years on BART in the mid-90's and another poem, "I Confess" was on view for commuters in Portland's public transit system. She has had poems published in many magazines and anthologies, including The Sun, Poetry East, Oberon, Kalliope, The Brooklyn Review, Salt River Review and others. She has taught poetry to thousands of children through California Poets in the schools, and to adults at Esalen Institute, Omega Institute, the Santa Barbara Writer's Conference, and The Mendocino Coast Writer's Conference.

“What I want you to get out of this workshop,” says instructor Chris DeLorenzo, “is a sense of how your voice comes across as one-of-a-kind, and how writing can be fun and experimental. Only then can you learn to let go of self-conscious writing—writing that sounds the way you think it’s supposed to sound.”

The exercises in this class focus on producing writing with concrete details, description and dialogue, along with a healthy dose of playfulness to balance the serious stuff.

“You’ll be given permission to write anything you want,” says Chris, “in order to discover the how effortless and fun it can be to create from the internal ‘dream space’ of the imagination. You’ll also get a chance to more deeply explore the question: ‘What do I want to say as a writer?’”

Based on the Amherst Writers and Artists method, Chris’s workshop encourages a sense of safety and mutual trust among participants. “Many classes and workshops are about having someone else define and critique your work,” says Chris, “whereas my workshops are about allowing you to do that for yourself, by reflecting on the positive feedback (as opposed to critiques) that you get from me and your classmates.”

Chris DeLorenzo has an MA in creative writing and is a certified Amherst Writers and Artists method (AWA) facilitator. He teaches writing at the University of San Francisco and has published poetry, prose and personal essays in numerous publications. He has also written two novels, Certain Sacred Places and All That Remains.

“What I want you to get out of this workshop,” says instructor Chris DeLorenzo, “is a sense of how your voice comes across as one-of-a-kind, and how writing can be fun and experimental. Only then can you learn to let go of self-conscious writing—writing that sounds the way you think it’s supposed to sound.”

The exercises in this class focus on producing writing with concrete details, description and dialogue, along with a healthy dose of playfulness to balance the serious stuff.

“You’ll be given permission to write anything you want,” says Chris, “in order to discover the how effortless and fun it can be to create from the internal ‘dream space’ of the imagination. You’ll also get a chance to more deeply explore the question: ‘What do I want to say as a writer?’”

Based on the Amherst Writers and Artists method, Chris’s workshop encourages a sense of safety and mutual trust among participants. “Many classes and workshops are about having someone else define and critique your work,” says Chris, “whereas my workshops are about allowing you to do that for yourself, by reflecting on the positive feedback (as opposed to critiques) that you get from me and your classmates.”

Chris DeLorenzo has an MA in creative writing and is a certified Amherst Writers and Artists method (AWA) facilitator. He teaches writing at the University of San Francisco and has published poetry, prose and personal essays in numerous publications. He has also written a novel, Certain Sacred Places. (Tip: You may want to check out this book: Writing Alone and With Others, by Pat Schneider, founder of the Amherst Writers and Artists Method. It's not required for this class, but you might enjoy it!)

You'll do plenty of writing and reading, and have lively discussions about both the craft and the process of poetry. The weekly homework assignments (workshopped the following week) are designed to provide fresh angles of approach that can surprise, even startle, both the writer and his/her readers. "We all get stuck in ruts," Julie says, "and the class offers ways of digging ourselves out, whether we use these strategies to simply get started at writing or to revise a particularly challenging poem."

The class is suitable for a wide spectrum of people. "We've had students with an interest in poetry but no experience writing it, and others with MFA's from Iowa, and it's always been a good mix", says Julie. "The focus of the class is generative--to get everybody going and excited about doing new work, to take away strategies that can help with their current and future writing--and to have a great time while we're at it."

Julie Bruck has taught at several Canadian universities, and was a resident faculty member at The Robert Frost Place. She has an MFA from Warren Wilson, fellowships from The MacDowell Colony and the Canada Council, and has published two collections, The Woman Downstairs (1993) and The End of Travel (1999). A third book is in the works. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Ploughshares, and Ms. New poems are forthcoming in The New Yorker and The Malahat Review. A Montreal native, she has lived in San Francisco for eleven years.

They want to write, or they tinker with two-pages and never get around to completing the piece, or they have ideas rollicking through their brains that haven’t, as of yet, made it to the page. But they all come to class with one common goal: they want to write a compelling story.

In this workshop-intensive course, every student will bring in stories (at least two) for their peers to discuss, critique, and deconstruct, in positive, nurturing ways. Everyone is here to learn, to improve, and the workshop environment is key for a writer to understand all aspects of story-telling. “Writers need readers,” says instructor Joshua Mohr. “We need other eyes to help us identify our story’s strengths. But just as important as praise is hearing what readers are not responding to. This is how we grow, hone a style and voice, and in the end, publish.”

The class will also emphasize revision tactics: how to take a flawed draft and renovate it. “Each student will complete an entire revision,” says Josh, “and will finish the course with a broader understanding of the hard work necessary to take a sloppy, first draft and turn it into literature.”

NOTE: Many students who have taken Junse Kim’s 5-week “Intro to Fiction” class will take this class next, and some people enroll in this class more than once because it’s a great way to keep the momentum going. Another “keep going” option is Josh’s “Fiction Continuation” workshop, which meets once a month for six months, instead of once a week for 9 weeks.

Josh Mohr is the author of the novel Some Things that Meant the World to Me. His second novel, Termite Parade, is due out in June 2010. He has an MFA from the University of San Francisco, and also teaches through UC Berkeley’s ASUC studios and a local halfway house, and has also published numerous short stories, including one, “Dressing the Dead” that was featured in the New Short Fiction Series’ emerging American writers show in Los Angeles.

And meeting regularly with fellow writers also helps us increase our commitment and hone our writing skills.

In this class students will submit their work for feedback and be guided through the process of revision. They’ll learn about the strengths of their short stories or novel excerpts and they’ll receive input on what needs more work. Students will also discuss the various aspects of craft, and look at some pieces from published writers. A few short exercises may also be assigned to help students generate new work and put into practice what they learn in class.

“Becoming a better writer means learning about the craft from other writers,” says instructor Elaine Beale. “But it also means finding and staying true to your own style and voice. In this workshop, we’ll seek to respect the unique voice of each participant while helping him or her write with more power, more confidence, and ultimately greater impact on the reader.”

“For those who are having trouble generating new work,” adds Elaine, “there’ll be deadlines and exercises to provide inspiration. For those who are more prolific but need guidance through the process of revision, there’ll be extensive feedback to help with rewrites. And for everyone, there’ll be lots of thought-provoking discussion about what makes good fiction. I always like to make my workshops stimulating, lively and fun.”

Elaine Beale's most recent novel, Another Life Altogether, has received positive reviews from the Boston Globe, Lambda Literary, and Publishers Weekly, and was featured in Oprah Magazine as one of the ten must-read books of March 2010. Elaine has taught creative writing for more than a decade and is also teaching one-day Writing Salon workshops on plot, character development, inspiring the muse, and mystery writing.

Here's what I suggest you do: Just get your buts to class! That's it! Once you're here, I'll help you achieve the following goals: 1) to start (or get back to) your writing, 2) to experiment with new ways to approach and vary that writing, 3) to write with more ease, and 4) to write with a better ear for hearing and appreciating your innate writer's voice (yes, you do have one; it already exists).

This class will focus primarily on in-class writing. It will, in fact, be an in-class writing extravaganza. The aim will be for you to generate fresh new material that you can later shape and mold into finished pieces — fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose. It doesn't matter what genre you're interested in. It doesn't even matter if you don't yet know what genre you're interested in. What matters is that you will write, and that you will learn by doing so.

At every class, I will give you an assortment of timed writing exercises and jumpstarts that will help you explore the world of creative writing. You'll have the opportunity (option) to share "snippets" of what you've written. The purpose of sharing will not be to get advice or critiques from me or other class members on how to improve your writing. Rather, it will be to find out what we appreciated about what you wrote, just as you wrote it.

Every now and then, I will talk about craft. Sometimes I'll do this when explaining why I gave a particular exercise. Other times I'll do it when someone shares something that creates an opening for me to talk about a specific aspect of writing. But the main focus of this class won't be on what I tell you about writing; it will be on you, doing your in-class writes.

Please bring the following to class: 1) Paper and a pen, or a laptop with a fully charged battery (electrical outlets are limited), 2) A willingness to explore, experiment, discover, create, and share.

Jane Underwood, founder and director of the Writing Salon, has been a writer, editor and teacher for more than 30 years (and also leads the popular "Daily Write Round Robin" class). Her poetry, prose, erotica, articles and essays have appeared in numerous print and online periodicals, anthologies, and on stage. She has a masters in creative writing, and is also an avid photographer, with a special affection for urban trees, fallen leaves, and quirky San Francisco stairways.

Or maybe you need a boost to your creativity that will help your words flow.

“We live such busy lives,” says instructor Elaine Beale. “Demands come at us from all directions. It can be very challenging to make the time to write. Besides, writing creatively requires a level of inner stillness and disconnection from the busyness that surrounds us. Sometimes we simply need to take a day to reconnect with our creative selves.

“This workshop will be chock-full of discussions and exercises designed to jump-start participants’ writing and reignite their imaginations. It will be a supportive and inspiring place where creative sparks will fly and you’ll get lots down on the page.”

Elaine will also provide advice and materials designed to help participants maintain a writing practice after the workshop is over. “Ideally,” she says, “I want everyone to leave with a renewed commitment to their creative selves, as well as concrete techniques that will help them convert that commitment to actual writing.”

Elaine Beale's most recent novel, Another Life Altogether, has so far received positive reviews from the Boston Globe, Lambda Literary, and Publishers Weekly, and was featured in Oprah Magazine as one of the ten must-read books of March 2010. Elaine has taught creative writing for more than a decade and is also teaching our Berkeley Novel Writing class, as well as occasional short workshops on plot development and mystery writing.

For five weeks you will live as writers, paying attention to the world around you and translating your experience (and imaginations) into language. “Our classroom will be a creativity laboratory,” says Aurora. “We’ll do writing exercises, read aloud, look at art, listen to music, study maps and old photographs, tell jokes and make up fables. We’ll read stories, poems and personal essays and take them apart to see how they work. You’ll learn to take notes and to pay attention to detail as you go through your days — observing crowds in airports, the facial expressions of a Safeway cashier, a story overheard on the bus. The exercises and assignments I give will help you put it all together: vivid details, imagination, structure and voice.

“Our classroom will also become a community. We’ll listen to each other’s work and exchange feedback. Along the way we’ll talk about our obstacles and triumphs. I’ll bring in essays by authors about their writing practices, to give us perspective. Our conversations about the process of writing will help you to stay motivated, to keep writing even after the class is over.”

You don’t need to have any experience in writing to take this class. Most people come here simply with a desire to write. They leave with a community of writers to support them, work they are proud of, and a strong sense of their own innate creativity.

Aurora Brackett loves to teach as much as she loves to write. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University (where she received a Wilner Award for Short Fiction) and has taught there, at Johns Hopkins University and at College of Alameda. Her stories and poems have been published or are forthcoming in Cosmopsis Quarterly, Alimentum Journal, Tinfish, The Portland Review and Fourteen Hills. She has been awarded residencies at the Vermont Studio Center and Hedgebrook.

It’s the equivalent of, say, an aspiring carpenter who has committed to building a beautiful house, yet doesn’t know how to hammer in a nail or saw a piece of wood.”

In this class, you’ll develop concrete skills and narrative techniques through fun writing exercises designed to help you master your craft. At the end of five weeks, you’ll have a better grip on how to use these techniques (for developing character, setting and plot) as tools for building your story. The class will also analyze other narrative genres, from movie scenes to comic books, to analyze storytelling skills you can apply to your fiction writing.

NOTE: We used to always tell people to take this class BEFORE taking the 9-week Fiction Workshop. However, we’ve discovered that some people have actually found it just as valuable to take the 9-week Fiction Workshop first, and this one second! In fact, Junse has had quite a few MFA creative writing graduates who take this “intro” class — and, of course, they’ve already taken tons of other fiction writing classes! So it’s really up to you. We don’t have any strict “rules” about it.

Junse Kim, like many Writing Salon students, didn’t begin to pursue a writing life until well after graduating from college. Before ever taking a writing class, he worked as a concert promoter, Peace Corps volunteer, managerial consultant, scriptwriter, nonprofit fundraiser, and “full-time” temp. He has since received a Pushcart Prize (for his short story Yangban), a Faulkner Award, and the Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing at Bucknell University. His fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in the Ontario Review, ZYZZYVA, and Cimarron Review, as well as two anthologies: Pushcart Prize XXVII and Echoes Upon Echoes: New Korean American Writing.

It’s the equivalent of, say, an aspiring carpenter who has committed to building a beautiful house, yet doesn’t know how to hammer in a nail or saw a piece of wood.”

In this class, you’ll develop concrete skills and narrative techniques through fun writing exercises designed to help you master your craft. At the end of five weeks, you’ll have a better grip on how to use these techniques (for developing character, setting and plot) as tools for building your story. The class will also analyze other narrative genres, from movie scenes to comic books, to analyze storytelling skills you can apply to your fiction writing.

NOTE: We used to advise people to take this class BEFORE taking the 9-week Fiction Workshop. However, we’ve discovered that some people have found it just as valuable to take the 9-week Fiction Workshop first, and this one second! In fact, Junse has had quite a few MFA creative writing graduates who take this “intro” class, even though they aren’t beginners. So it’s really up to you. We don’t have any strict rules about it.

Junse Kim, like many Writing Salon students, didn’t begin to pursue a writing life until well after graduating from college. Before ever taking a writing class, he worked as a concert promoter, Peace Corps volunteer, managerial consultant, scriptwriter, nonprofit fundraiser, and “full-time” temp. He has since received a Pushcart Prize (for his short story Yangban), a Faulkner Award, and the Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing at Bucknell University. His fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in the Ontario Review, ZYZZYVA, and Cimarron Review, as well as two anthologies: Pushcart Prize XXVII and Echoes Upon Echoes: New Korean American Writing.

The contemporary mystery offers immense opportunities for the creation of quirky protagonists, unusual settings, stories with social or political relevance, and even for books that put new twists on the genre or that seem to defy the demands of the genre altogether. Nevertheless, writing a mystery demands certain key skills and a knowledge of what works in this particular area of fiction.

If you want to try your hand at a mystery novel, or have already started but aren’t sure how to pull it all together, this workshop will get you going and give you tips re: how to stay on track. “We’ll look at the key issues that make a mystery successful,” says instructor Elaine Beale, “from developing a compelling protagonist and maintaining momentum, to creating a plausible, keep-them-guessing-to-the-end plot.”

Elaine Beale’s first novel, Murder in the Castro, was published in 1997, and her second, Another Life Altogether, was released by Random House this year and has received positive reviews from the Boston Globe, Lambda Literary, and Publishers Weekly. It was also featured in Oprah Magazine as one of the ten must-read books of March 2010. Elaine has taught creative writing for more than a decade and is also leading one-day Writing Salon workshops on plot, character development and inspiring the muse.

Both the distant past and the not-so-long ago can be mined, remembered and re-created skillfully in writing. This class is a guide to the mining and refining process. “The gold of memoir,” says instructor Kathleen McClung, “combines the gifts of a novelist—vivid characters and settings, lively and suspenseful narration—with a poet’s introspection and close attention to language.

“In this class we’ll focus on finding and shaping evocative stories from our own lives, stories that build from our specific and unique life events and move toward resonant, universal themes. Through readings, discussions, and writing exercises, we’ll explore the basic elements of memoir: selecting key moments and passages, scene-setting and dialogue, using fresh sensory detail, reflecting and musing on the meanings of our experiences so that our work “speaks” to readers. We will find and fine-tune our own distinctive writing voices, essential for this genre.

Class participants will have opportunities to try their hand at writing and sharing short memoir pieces and will be guided in giving and receiving encouraging, constructive feedback for ways to develop/deepen the writing. Readings will include excerpts from Judith Barrington’s Writing the Memoir and Tristine Rainer’s Your Life as Story, as well as work by a variety of contemporary memoirists.”

Kathleen McClung has mentored hundreds of writers at Skyline College, the Writing Salon, and other colleges, and she has taught/advised student teachers in the credential program at Mills College. She has also edited books at small presses including UCSF Nursing Press, Food First Books, and Westview Press. Her memoir, fiction, and poetry have been published in Spirituality & Health, The Rambler, Hawaii Pacific Review, Poetry Northwest, Tiny Lights, Hot Flashes, off our backs and elsewhere, and her work has received awards from the Soul-Making Literary Competition, Memoirs Ink., San Francisco Bay Guardian, Writers Digest, the National Society of Arts & Letters, and the Academy of American Poets.

“The artful memoir isn’t easy to knock off,” says Kathleen McClung. “We need skill and nuance in narrating and musing on past events and feelings to make a cohesive whole. Memoirs that matter, that truly move readers, call for soul-searching and for mastery of essential literary elements—an engaging voice, vivid scenes and characters, a careful blend of action and reflection, a unifying thread/theme.”

This class is designed to engage and support writers in the challenge of telling their truest stories with language that shimmers on the page. Kathleen will provide readings, writing exercises, and constructive group critiques. She will advise on the memoirist’s rights and responsibilities and the paradox of preserving solitude and nourishing community.

Between classes, participants will exchange pages with workshop partners and check-in once with Kathleen. By the end of the class, memoirists will have a wider repertoire of techniques, new colleagues and connections, more richly layered writing, and more resilience for future projects.

Kathleen McClung has mentored hundreds of writers at Skyline College, the Writing Salon, and other colleges, and she has taught/advised student teachers in the credential program at Mills College. She has also edited books at small presses including UCSF Nursing Press, Food First Books, and Westview Press. Her memoir, fiction, and poetry have been published in Spirituality & Health, The Rambler, Hawaii Pacific Review, Poetry Northwest, Tiny Lights, Hot Flashes, off our backs and elsewhere, and her work has received awards from the Soul-Making Literary Competition, Memoirs Ink., San Francisco Bay Guardian, Writers Digest, the National Society of Arts & Letters, and the Academy of American Poets.

“It’s one of the few mediums where the writer is in charge of the story; it’s your vision and your voice. Okay, true story: A couple of years ago I wrote a one act play which was produced in a tiny seventy seven seat black box theater. One night Dustin Hoffman happened to come to the show (What? Huh?). He saw it, loved it and hired me to write a film with him. That experience reinforced the belief that theater is the best showcase for a new voice. Plus? It’s a blast. And getting your play in front of an audience is completely attainable – write a play, rent a room and invite people. It really is that easy. Okay, well you do actually have to write your play…but I can help with that.”

This workshop is designed to give writers an introduction to the tools and the support they need to begin writing a new play, or dust off an old one and give it new life. Patricia says: ”This fun and focused workshop will help you figure out what your play is really about, who the characters are and why you (and your audience) should be spending time with them.” Through a combination of lecture and writing exercises, you'll be reminded of how good it feels to write. “My own writing," says Patricia, "came out of my days of doing improv at the Groundlings and The Second City – “Yes, and…” became my mantra and remains how I approach the process of sitting down to write. It’s an amazingly effective tool to help you get out of your head and get the words onto the page.”

The workshop will help you set a time line for finishing your play and then help you to find its place in the world. "We'll look at the nuts and bolts: how to adapt your play for film or television, how to submit, how to find a literary agent, formatting, as well as the larger questions regarding form, themes and dialogue. Whether it’s a one-act, a full-length, a one-person show or a musical, this workshop will kindle or rekindle your passion for storytelling and live theater.

Patricia Cotter is a working, Emmy Award winning, Groundling Theater and Second City Alum. She has taught improv at the LA based Groundling Theater, and has written for Dustin Hoffman's Punch Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Television, and Disney Theatrical.

I was also encountering a lot of writing friends who were stalled in their work: novelists who had written the first 50 pages and then stopped themselves by doing constant revision; short story writers who had ideas for stories but no inspiring atmosphere or time to sit down and put pen to paper. I decided it might be time for me to: 1) put a hold on studying craft, 2) stop revising so much, and 3) get back to generating more new material.

Raw Writing is a class that won’t leave you feeling raw. In this one-day version of Jamey's upcoming 5-week Raw Writing class (Nov. 15th-Dec. 13th), you'll use visualization and relaxation techniques, along with both short and longer timed writing exercises, to put the joy of discovering fresh new material back into the writing process. You’ll also read some snippets of short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry for inspiration. "This class will be about generating the rough, unrefined stuff, without judgment or criticism," says Jamey. "Don’t get me wrong, the act of revision has its place, but this class is about energizing your writing with exercises that will give you new, raw material. You’ll be able to share what you feel like sharing, look for that sentence or paragraph that calls out to you, and reconnect with the initial act of creation."

Whether you are a new or experienced writer, you can come to this class to gather more raw, uncooked "ingredients," and worry about cooking them later!

Jamey Genna received her masters in writing from the USF, where she is also a major projects advisor. Her short fiction has been in many literary magazines including Storyglossia, Cutthroat, Dislocate, Shade, Pinyon, and Georgetown Review. Her short story “Stories I heard when I went home for my grandmother’s funeral” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her collection of fiction Nobody Has to Die for It to Tell You Something was both a finalist for the Ontario Prize and a semifinalist for the Iowa Prize. Her collection of short-short fiction I’ll Tell You That Story in a Minute was a finalist for the 2007 Elixir Press Chapbook Awards.

I was also encountering a lot of writing friends who were stalled in their work: novelists who had written the first 50 pages and then stopped themselves by doing constant revision; short story writers who had ideas for stories but no inspiring atmosphere or time to sit down and put pen to paper. I decided it might be time for me to: 1) put a hold on studying craft, 2) stop revising so much, and 3) get back to generating more new material.

Raw Writing is a class that won’t leave you feeling raw. In this one-day version of Jamey's upcoming 5-week Raw Writing class (Nov. 15th-Dec. 13th), you'll use visualization and relaxation techniques, along with both short and longer timed writing exercises, to put the joy of discovering fresh new material back into the writing process. You’ll also read some snippets of short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry for inspiration. "This class will be about generating the rough, unrefined stuff, without judgment or criticism," says Jamey. "Don’t get me wrong, the act of revision has its place, but this class is about energizing your writing with exercises that will give you new, raw material. You’ll be able to share what you feel like sharing, look for that sentence or paragraph that calls out to you, and reconnect with the initial act of creation."

Whether you are a new or experienced writer, you can come to this class to gather more raw, uncooked "ingredients," and worry about cooking them later!

Jamey Genna received her masters in writing from the USF, where she is also a major projects advisor. Her short fiction has been in many literary magazines including Storyglossia, Cutthroat, Dislocate, Shade, Pinyon, and Georgetown Review. Her short story “Stories I heard when I went home for my grandmother’s funeral” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her collection of fiction Nobody Has to Die for It to Tell You Something was both a finalist for the Ontario Prize and a semifinalist for the Iowa Prize. Her collection of short-short fiction I’ll Tell You That Story in a Minute was a finalist for the 2007 Elixir Press Chapbook Awards.

"In this class I’ll give practical, de-mystifying advice from a veteran screenwriter’s experience, focusing on three crucial elements to help aspiring writers get a foot in the door: 1) Concepts that sell: the need for a “strange attractor,” which is often called “the high concept idea,” 2) Characters that actors will vie to play: “structuring both the outer journey (physical plot) and the inner journey (emotional arc) of your protagonist hero, and 3) Conflict: how to get it, because a screenplay has to have it (and most beginner’s scripts don’t).

"My approach is to teach by personal example, to provide a professional insider’s look at the screenwriting process. By studying scripts of well-known movies and referencing my own current script-in-progress, I’ll demonstrate how to choose a premise that actually has a fighting chance, and then how to story map that concept, character build, sequence and outline the narrative, and ultimately start writing a screenplay. Class writing assignments (for those who want to do them) will encourage students to develop an idea, or to hone an already written screenplay into a calling card script."

Terrel Seltzer is a self-taught screenwriter. She learned the craft by watching and outlining literally hundreds of movies. Her career started in the Bay Area, working with SF director Wayne Wang, for whom she wrote the screenplays for the independent films Chan is Missing and Dim Sum. Her two produced Hollywood screenplays are How I Got into College (with Lara Flynn Boyle and Anthony Edwards) and One Fine Day (with Michelle Pfeiffer and George Cloony). Currently, she has two scripts in development: Magick written for director Robert Zemeckis at Dreamworks, and Foolproof, a spec script recently optioned by Warner Brother Classics.

During this day of sensory exploration, we’ll explore ways to come up with juicy images and details — descriptions that dance and breathe, scenes that taste and smell, characters that sing and shout, stories that are soft as the nape of a baby’s neck…or hard as a tack.

Whether you write fiction or poetry, screenplays or essays, memoirs or magazine pieces, you’ve got to master the craft of creating visceral scenes, palpable descriptions, and sensory worlds that seem so real, your readers will forget that they aren’t! This is BASIC creative writing 101 for beginners — and 1001 for pros who need a reminder. This is how you get your words not only into your readers’ minds but also into their hearts. The icing on the cake is that knowing how to do this makes the process of writing a whole lot more fun!

Jane Underwood, founder and director of the Writing Salon, has been a writer, editor and teacher for more than 30 years (and also leads the popular “Daily Write Round Robin” here at the Writing Salon). Her poetry, prose, erotica, articles and essays have appeared in numerous print and online periodicals (SF Chronicle, The Sun, babycenter.com, Five Fingers Review, Western Humanities Review, HOW(ever), Salon.com), anthologies (The Ecstatic Moment, Yellow Silk, Ripe Fruit, Best Women’s Erotica), as well as on stage (Lilith Theater). She has a masters in creative writing, and is also an avid photographer, with a special affection for fallen leaves, decaying walls and quirky San Francisco stairways.

maybe you shy away from talking about it with your co-workers, neighbors or brother-in-law (you know the way he rolls his eyes and calls you a dreamer). So come to this workshop instead, where you’ll meet other people who are doing what you’re doing, or want to do. "We’ll talk about your idea, how to make sure it has enough weight to carry a novel," say Karen Bjorneby. "We’ll talk about your character and make sure she’s so compelling we all can’t wait to find out what she’ll do next. . . what changes is she going to go through along the way? We’ll talk about plot; how are you going to make enough things happen? Or how are you going to keep from being melodramatic? We’ll talk about structure—how do you organize this huge thing and not get overwhelmed?

"We’ll share tips on the process, on getting the pages written, on keeping going, on when to go back and revise and when to keep moving ahead. And of course we’ll be talking about the nuts and bolts of craft—making your scenes work and your voice sing."

With the help of various writing exercises, class members will work on developing written plot summaries, making sure there’s enough action and enough character development. "Our goal is to get you so close to your main character you’ll know all his secrets, hopes, fears, dreams...better than his own therapist would!" says Karen "We’ll also do writing exercises to help you connect with your setting. And we’ll share what you've written, so that you'll get feedback on your craft, your style, and on that special quality you bring to your writing that makes it uniquely yours."

Karen Bjorneby started writing by participating in workshops just like this one. She is the author of Hurricane Season: Stories from the Eye of the Storm, which received a Foreword Honorable Mention as best independent/university press short story collection of the year at Book Expo America. She has received a Pushcart Special Mention, two other Pushcart nominations, a National Magazine Award nomination, and she was named a Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in nearly two dozen publications including The Threepenny Review, The North American Review, New Letters, StoryQuarterly, Confrontation, The New Orleans Review, The Nebraska Review, and The Sun. She is currently at work on her own novel and is "very familiar with the pitfalls along the way, having fallen into several of them myself."

maybe you shy away from talking about it with your co-workers, neighbors or brother-in-law (you know the way he rolls his eyes and calls you a dreamer). So come to this workshop instead, where you’ll meet other people who are doing what you’re doing, or want to do. “We’ll talk about your idea, how to make sure it has enough weight to carry a novel,” say Karen Bjorneby. “We’ll talk about your character and make sure she’s so compelling we all can’t wait to find out what she’ll do next. . . what changes is she going to go through along the way? We’ll talk about plot; how are you going to make enough things happen? Or how are you going to keep from being melodramatic? We’ll talk about structure—how do you organize this huge thing and not get overwhelmed?

“We’ll share tips on the process, on getting the pages written, on keeping going, on when to go back and revise and when to keep moving ahead. And of course we’ll be talking about the nuts and bolts of craft—making your scenes work and your voice sing.”

With the help of various writing exercises, class members will work on developing written plot summaries, making sure there’s enough action and enough character development. “Our goal is to get you so close to your main character you’ll know all his secrets, hopes, fears, dreams…better than his own therapist would!” says Karen “We’ll also do writing exercises to help you connect with your setting. And we’ll share what you’ve written, so that you’ll get feedback on your craft, your style, and on that special quality you bring to your writing that makes it uniquely yours.”

Karen Bjorneby started writing by participating in workshops just like this one. She is the author of Hurricane Season: Stories from the Eye of the Storm, which received a Foreword Honorable Mention as best independent/university press short story collection of the year at Book Expo America. She has received a Pushcart Special Mention, two other Pushcart nominations, a National Magazine Award nomination, and she was named a Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in nearly two dozen publications including The Threepenny Review, The North American Review, New Letters, StoryQuarterly, Confrontation, The New Orleans Review, The Nebraska Review, and The Sun. She is currently at work on her own novel and is “very familiar with the pitfalls along the way, having fallen into several of them myself.”

You can do this by learning two things: 1) how to improve your storytelling abilities, and 2) how to market your work.

“I’ll lead you through the steps of writing a travel story and then targeting and querying your markets (short story anthologies, newspapers, magazines and ezines),” says instructor Lisa Alpine.

“We’ll also discuss ways to generate other travel-related sources of income, such as writing press releases and doing guidebook research. Whether you’re writing about your neighborhood or rafting down the Zambezi, you can develop specialty travel angles that open up publishing avenues beyond the Sunday Travel Section—and still pay well. So come launch your career as a travel writer!”

Lisa Alpine: Curiosity about what is beyond the curve of the horizon has fueled Lisa Alpine’s voyaging since she left home at 18 to live in Paris. She has owned an import company (Dream Weaver Imports in San Francisco), published a newspaper (The Fax in Marin County, CA), written a travel column for 12 years for the Pacific Sun, and taught dance and writing workshops around the world for two decades. She is the Global Getaways columnist for Examiner.com. Her travel essays appear in numerous anthologies, including I Should Have Stayed Home, Hyena’s Laughed at Me and Now I Know Why, and Lonely Planet’s Tales From Nowhere. She is often a guest speaker at numerous travel writer conferences, and is a member of the Wild Writing Women and Bay Area Travel Writers.

For the first four weeks, instructor Alison Luterman will lead carefully crafted writing exercises designed to elicit the undertones and overtones that give events resonance and elevate anecdotes into the realm of art. The latter weeks will be dedicated to refining and then workshopping the pieces you have begun, bringing them to the next level of craft.

"Every one of us is neck-deep in the middle of our own long and winding stories, stories that, when shared, can help us bridge the gap between ourselves and the rest of the world," says Alison. "What's wonderful about finding and honing these stories - about being a writer, in fact, is that...it redeems everything, even the moment of burning shame when you flunked the driving test three times, even the fact that you could never decide what you wanted to be when you grew up. It reminds you that once you were twenty and limber and unafraid to sleep in the cornfield when hitchhiking across France. And, like the smell of fresh coffee or a first kiss, it heightens the senses. We'll workshop your essays or memoir excerpts from the standpoint of craft, voice, and structure, using the techniques of fiction writing, playwriting, and even poetry to enliven your writing."

Alison Luterman has been shamelessly telling tales from her own life ever since she could grip a sweaty pencil. She has published essays in The Sun, Radiance, Response, The East Bay Express, and The Boston Phoenix. Her book of poems, The Largest Possible Life, won The Cleveland State University Poetry Prize, and a recent poem, "The Quilts from Gee's Bend, Alabama," won the latest Writer's Digest poetry award. Her play, Saying Kaddish with My Sister will be produced in January of '08 by the Jewish Ensemble Theatre of Michigan. She has taught poetry to thousands of school children through California Poets in the schools, and is an adjunct creative writing instructor at New College. She also performs improvisational dance, singing, storytelling and poetry through the Wing It! performance ensemble. She has given workshops and readings around the country.

This introductory workshop will clue you in to the unique requirements for writing historical fiction, and set you up for a successful journey into this increasingly popular genre.

Do you want to reintroduce a little-known hero/heroine into popular culture? Would you like to tell the sweeping saga of your own family's struggle in America? And since any story more than 50 years in the past is considered historical fiction, even your own childhood tale could be the source of your inspiration.

"You can't just throw a tapestry over the flat screen TV in your scene and call it historical," says instructor Jess Wells. "There are real differences between modern life and life in the past, which require real differences in your writing. That challenge, to me, is the greatest thing about this genre: it's like a three-dimensional chess game – the bottom layer is the character's story, the middle layer is the unique historical setting and events, and the top layer is the language.

"Each week we'll discuss an aspect of the craft of historical fiction, investigate research opportunities, and examine a different section of one of the greats of historical fiction: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind. I'll give you take-home writing exercises to help you brainstorm and move your work along. I'll also set aside time at the end of each class to look at your specific projects, in terms of plot development, character development, or research requirements.

"My goal is to help you identify an era and an area that speak to you. Maybe you'd like to reintroduce a little-known hero or heroine into popular culture. Or tell the sweeping saga of your own family's struggle in America. And since any story more than 50 years old is considered historical fiction, you might even be able to use your own childhood as a source of your inspiration. The possibilities are endless!"

Jess Wells is the author of thirteen volumes of work, including the novel The Mandrake Broom (Firebrand, 2007), which dramatizes the fight to save medical knowledge during the witch-burning times in Europe 1465-1540. Her work on The Mandrake Broom earned her a San Francisco Arts Commission Grant for Literature to write her second historical novel, which will chronicle the early years of Christine de Pizan in the French court of Charles V. Her short stories, essays, and erotica are included in more than three dozen literary anthologies, journals, university curricula, and she is a four-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards. Jess has also taught this workshop at the Saints and Sinners Literary Conference, the Golden Crown Literary Conference, and at Other Words in Florida.

This introductory workshop will help you discover the unique requirements of writing historical fiction and setting yourself up for a successful journey into a popular new genre.

Says instructor Jess Wells, "We'll look into how to research and when to stop researching, how to create credible characters without arcane dialogue and, most importantly, how to choose a historical era that excites your imagination. I've chosen to focus on the Middle Ages because I'm fascinated by inventions that change the way people live, and this era was filled with watershed moments. Of course, the gorgeous fabrics and remarkable settings don't hurt, either."

Whether you come to this workshop to explore the seed of an idea, flesh out an already existing plan, or move further along on a story you've already started, bring your questions and your drafts. "We'll set aside time to look into your specific ideas, challenges and questions," says Jess.

"We'll start the day with a brief look at your ideas (regardless of how new or undeveloped they are) and then I'll talk about the unique challenges of writing historical fiction. After lunch, we'll go through research techniques, a bibliography of the books that will become your best friends, and do some brainstorming exercises to help you create well-rounded characters. We'll examine the first chapter of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind, to see what a masterful job he does of working with time, place, and setting. (If you read the book ahead of time, great, but I'll hand out copies of the chapter during the workshop.) Last but not least, we'll take what we've learned and look at your project/ideas, in the hopes of sending you home with a solid grasp on the era, area, character, and story you want to tell."

Jess Wells is the author of thirteen volumes of work, including the novel The Mandrake Broom (Firebrand, 2007), which dramatizes the fight to save medical knowledge during the witch-burning times in Europe 1465-1540. Her work on The Mandrake Broom earned her a San Francisco Arts Commission Grant for Literature to write her second historical novel, which will chronicle the early years of Christine de Pizan in the French court of Charles V. Her short stories, essays, and erotica are included in more than three dozen literary anthologies, journals, university curricula, and she is a four-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards. Jess has also taught this workshop at the Saints and Sinners Literary Conference, the Golden Crown Literary Conference, and at Other Words in Florida.