“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
– Ernest Hemingway
Whether you’re a beginner, pro, or somewhere in between, we have the class for you.
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- Summer Screenwriting Circle“It’s so hard to write a screenplay in isolation,” says instructor Kate Montgomery. “Whether you’re writing your very first script or rewriting your tenth, we all face similar challenges, so a workshop is an ideal way to come together...more
Instructor: Kate Montgomery
June 25 - August 205 Saturdays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:00pm
Online - A Voice of One’s Own: Playing the Notes That Sound Like YouMiles Davis once noted: “Man, sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself.” “Miles had a point,” says instructor Allison Landa. “We don’t so much find our own voice as curate it over time...more
Instructor: Allison Landa
July 091 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
Online - The Green World: Writing about Nature“Nature can be a source of solace, inspiration, and renewal,” says instructor Katharine Harer. “Just walking down a path surrounded by trees with the smell of the earth under my feet changes the way I feel instantly...more
Instructor: Katharine Harer
July 091 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, CA - You Can Be a Winning Writer: How to Get Published, Grow Confidence and Build CommunityFor writers poised to publish poems, articles and stories as well as those with completed manuscripts or book proposals, this online class will provide a strategy for success...more
Instructor: Joan Gelfand
July 091 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
Online - Daily Write Round RobinJane Underwood had a unique vision when she developed the Round Robin class. By combining several elements—partnering, repetition, practice, feedback, and dedication—she created not just a writing course, but an actual community, one that has continued and grown for over a decade...more
Instructor: Allison Landa, Kathy Garlick
July 10 - August 216 WeeksAll Day
Online - Creative Writing 101“Have you wanted to test the waters of creative writing but don’t know where to begin, or how?” asks instructor Kathy Garlick. “Have you waded into those waters before, but it’s been a while?” In this 5-week class, you will be guided surely and safely into the writing experience...more
Instructor: Kathy Garlick
July 10 - August 075 Sundays, (PST)10:30am - 1:00pm
Online - Advanced Nonfiction WorkshopThis class provides a “literary laboratory” for experienced nonfiction writers to workshop their writing, advance their craft, delve deeply into their themes, take risks, and tackle the all-important revision process...more
Instructor: Kerry Muir
July 10 - September 119 Sundays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
Online - Poetry Mentorship with Brian TierneyThis remote poetry “class” offers a unique opportunity for personal and intimate poetry instruction. Students will work with Brian Tierney one-on-one, via written correspondence over two months, during which students will compile and send three “packets”...more
Instructor: Brian Tierney
July 11 - September 129 WeeksAll Day
Online - Playing with Poetic Forms“Form in poetry is like a jungle gym which can give structure to the swinging impulses of your mind and strengthen and lengthen your poetic muscles,” says instructor Alison Luterman...more
Instructor: Alison Luterman
July 11 - August 155 Mondays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - Sexuality on the Page“All humans are sexual beings and writing about sexuality is simply writing about life,” says instructor Jennifer Lewis. This 5-week online class will be a safe space to explore intimacy, desire, obsession, and trauma through writing...more
Instructor: Jennifer Lewis
July 12 - August 095 Tuesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - Write from Real Life: Personal Essays and MemoirsIn this remote class you will plunge into the personal themes that make your real life stories uniquely yours. In the first half of this class, instructor Alison Luterman will give you writing exercises carefully designed to elicit the undertones and overtones that elevate events and anecdotes into the realm of art...more
Instructor: Alison Luterman
July 12 - September 139 Tuesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - Short and Sweet: Prose Poems, Flash Fiction and Mini-MemoirsIn this online class we’ll look at examples of short pieces from practitioners such as Lydia Davis and Russell Edson, and we’ll explore how to incorporate techniques like free association and juxtaposition into our work. Then we’ll write, share, and write some more...more
Instructor: Alison Luterman
July 13 - July 273 Wednesdays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
Online - Let’s Get Real: Writing with Authenticity, Passion and VulnerabilityInstructor Elaine Beale says, “The best writers create stories that resonate long after a reader has finished the final page. To do this, you have to be willing to go the places that may feel uncomfortable or complicated, to be both brave and curious...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
July 13 - August 105 Wednesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - Intro to Fiction: To Begin at the Beginning“Big Secret Number One to writing fiction is that you have to make a mess. Many messes,” says instructor Steve Mitchel. “You have to throw truckloads of words down onto the page knowing full well that most of them will end up in the compost...more
Instructor: Steve Mitchel
July 14 - August 115 Thursdays, (PST)7:00pm - 9:30pm
Online - Comedy Writing 101“Comedy is fragile,” says instructor Kate Montgomery. “One extra word can ruin a laugh. But the truth is, just about anyone can be funny, once they know how it’s done...more
Instructor: Kate Montgomery
July 161 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
Online - Plot and Structure: The Big PicturePlot and structure are the “big picture” ingredients of fiction. A good plot can turn a novel into a page-turner. The right structure will make a story more resonant and compelling and amplify its themes...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
July 16 - July 303 Saturdays, (PST)10:30am - 1:00pm
Online - Creative Writing Workshop: The Process Is EverythingThis online creative writing workshop will enable class members to deepen reflection on their own work, receive focused feedback from classmates and instructor, and inspire development toward class members’ finest hopes for their writing projects...more
Instructor: Kathy Garlick
July 17 - August 286 WeeksAll Day
Online - Creative Practice: Cultivating a Writing Routine That Works for You“Writing is a way to engage deeply and meaningfully with the world so that life does not just simply pass us by,” says Shelby Hinte. “Writing is a way to linger and dissect the moments that might otherwise evade us. But as busy adults, how do we find time to write...more
Instructor: Shelby Hinte
July 18 - August 155 Mondays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - The Writing GymTo tone and strengthen your writing, you need the occasional workout for your writing muscles. Enter our Writing Gym for a fun and energetic exercise-themed series of writing prompts designed to get your creative juices flowing...more
Instructor: David Jacobson
July 201 Wednesday, (PST)2:00pm - 3:00pm
Online - Color & Shape: Writing Poetry in Response to Visual Art“Have you ever wanted to write a poem in response to a photograph or a painting? What about a film?” asks instructor Thea Matthews. “This class is designed to stretch your creativity and bring out the joy in your creative process...more
Instructor: Thea Matthews
July 23 - July 302 Saturdays, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
Online - Making Unsympathetic Characters Compelling“Everybody loves heroic characters, those avatars of virtue who can do no wrong as they smile through perfect teeth and find solutions to every problem via indomitable spirit and/or iron will,” says instructor Jeff Chon. “But what is it that makes Sherlock Holmes, often seen as insufferably arrogant, compelling...more
Instructor: Jeff Chon
July 27 - August 103 Wednesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - Script Writing from the Inside Out: Writing Stories for Stage and Screen“Writing plays and screenplays is a form of storytelling that merges poetry and engineering,” says instructor Jessica Litwak. “We create poetry with the specific impediments, accents, rhythms, and cadences in the voices of our characters. We engineer our stories with structural foundations, dramatic arcs, scenes...more
Instructor: Jessica Litwak
July 30 - August 275 Saturdays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
Online - Be Bold: Poetry Workshop“This intensive workshop is designed for poets seeking to elevate their craft and hone the art of revision,” says instructor Thea Matthews. “‘Be Bold’ will provide a safe, constructive environment for students to feel empowered and to seek endless possibilities with their poetry...more
Instructor: Thea Matthews
July 31 - August 285 Sundays, (PST)10:30am - 1:00pm
Online - Intro to Creative Nonfiction: Let Your Story Unfold“Have you always wanted to write but are stumped by the way to tell your own story?” asks instructor Jennifer Lewis. “In this remote class, by exploring different types of creative nonfiction, you will find the unique way to bring your story to life”...more
Instructor: Jennifer Lewis
July 31 - August 285 Sundays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
Online - Intro to Poetry: Unlock Your Emotional TruthsIn this class, we will explore poetry together, none of us traveling to precisely the same place, but all of us keeping one another company on the journey. By the end of five weeks, you’ll be able to uncover the emotional truths that most compel you to write...more
Instructor: Kathy Garlick
August 06 - September 105 Saturdays, (PST)10:30am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA - Your Singular Life“Writing memoir is like being a miner, shining a light into the nooks and crannies of our lives,” says instructor Katharine Harer. “We think we know what we’ll find, but we’re often surprised by the depth and complexity we uncover...more
Instructor: Katharine Harer
August 16 - August 303 Tuesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - From Loss to Healing: Writing Your Own TransformationAbsence of any kind can often overwhelm us, rendering us silent. But as writers, we have tools at our disposal with which we can approach these empty spaces—and the empty page...more
Instructor: Kerry Muir
August 17 - September 145 Wednesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - Fiction Workshop: The Craft of Artful Storytelling“What makes a story compelling?” asks instructor Andy Touhy. “More importantly, what are the ways to make it compelling? In this online workshop, we’ll begin to really think about how fictional narrative (short story or novel) is constructed, and made better...more
Instructor: Andy Touhy
August 18 - September 155 Thursdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - How to Finish Your Novel (The Right Way)In this five-part series, we’ll discuss how to get to your first-draft finish line if you’re stuck, how to become a better self-editor using troubleshooting and problem-solving techniques, and how to know when your work is ready for other people to read...more
Instructor: Kilby Blades
August 18 - September 155 Thursdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - Poetry Mentorship with Erin RodoniIn this 9-week mentorship experience, Erin Rodoni will engage with you as a unique poet. In addition to providing detailed critical feedback on your creative work, she will also take into account the arc and scope of your poems, examining the ways in which they are speaking to and building on each other...more
Instructor: Erin Rodoni
August 22 - October 249 WeeksAll Day
Online - The Writing GymTo tone and strengthen your writing, you need the occasional workout for your writing muscles. Enter our Writing Gym for a fun and energetic exercise-themed series of writing prompts designed to get your creative juices flowing...more
Instructor: David Jacobson
August 241 Wednesday, (PST)2:00pm - 3:00pm
Online - Raw WritingIn this 3-week version of The Writing Salon’s Raw Writing series, David will lead you through prompts and exercises that indulge your senses, tickle your intellect, and mine your memory. You’ll engage in writing exercises using your favorite pieces of literature, music, and other art forms...more
Instructor: David Jacobson
August 25 - September 083 Thursdays, (PST)7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA - Happily Ever Afters in Fiction: How to Write Romantic Sub-Plots“In this online class, we will explore how romantic sub-plots can be used in stories outside of the romance genre to hook more readers and deepen their emotional investment in your fiction,” says instructor Kilby Blades...more
Instructor: Kilby Blades
August 271 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
Online - The Art of the Prose Sentence: Challenging Your Sentences to Do MoreIn this six-hour class, we will examine style and voice via their building blocks: word choice, punctuation, and syntax. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to write sentences that don’t just cater to content but that create rhythm and emotion, tension and beauty...more
Instructor: Anne Raeff, Lori Ostlund
August 28 - September 112 Sundays, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
Online