Five Weeks or One Day (not currently scheduled)
$185 members/$215 others   Berkeley
Testimonials for Elaine

Mysteries are one of the most popular and diverse genres in fiction today.  They sell by the millions and hundreds of authors have established long and successful careers in mystery 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.

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5 Saturdays,  Feb. 25-March 31 (5 weeks, skip March 10) 2-4:30 pm
$185 members/$215 others San Francisco
Testimonials for Kathleen

Note: This is a beginner’s class. If you have already started a memoir and want guidance at an intermediate level, Kathleen also offers a Memoir Writing “Continuation” class.

Memoir is not reserved only for the rich and famous. In fact, beautiful and haunting memoirs—books and essays—grow out of our ordinary lives, carefully observed. 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.

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5 Weeks, 7-9:30 p.m.
$185 members/$215 non-members     Berkeley

Special Package Deal: Take this class together with the “Intro to Creative Writing” class, and receive both classes (5 weeks plus 5 weeks, back to back) for the price of one 9-week class. This discount applies only if you choose the “Intro to Creative Writing/Raw Writing ‘Combo’ option” when you register. If you register for Intro to Creative Writing separately and then decide to take Raw Writing, the discount doesn’t apply.

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“Not long ago I was feeling distant and unconnected from my writing,” says instructor Jamey Genna, “trying too hard to create a finished product even before I had more than a rough beginning.  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.

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Five Mondays, Jan. 23-Feb. 20, 7-9:30 p.m.   Berkeley
$185 members/$215 non-members

Special “Combo” Package: Take this class along with David Rosenthal’s  5-week “Expanding Your Poet’s Tool Kit” class (10 weeks total, for the same price as one 9-week class). Just be sure to register for the “Combo” option, if you want the discount. If you sign up for the classes separately,  the discount doesn’t apply.

“Many beginning students come to a poetry class hoping for quick critiques and suggestions for revision.  There are times when it’s right to want this, but not until you’re nearing the final draft,” says Alison Luterman.

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5 Weeks, 7-9:30 p.m.
$185 members/$215 non-members San Francisco

“I plan to write more books whenever I can find the appropriate writing attire and color-coordinated pen.” ~ Miss Piggy

You want to write but…you’re afraid. Or too tired. Or uninspired. Or don’t have the time. Or ________________ (fill in the blank with your own favorite “but”).

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

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