“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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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
December 011 Wednesday, (PST)2:00pm - 3:00pm
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Writing “Woke”: How to Speak to the 21st Century Reader“Authors are under increasing pressure to land on the right side of history as it pertains to characterizations, story themes, and personal views,” says instructor Kilby Blades. “Readers, critics, and industry demand cultural and social awareness. When authors get it wrong, the stakes are high...more
Instructor: Kilby Blades
December 01 - December 153 Wednesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
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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
December 11 - December 182 Saturdays, (PST)2:00pm - 5:00pm
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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
December 151 Wednesday, (PST)2:00pm - 3:00pm
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Creative Writing Boot Camp“In a quick but powerful workshop, we’ll focus on the most essential elements of creative writing such as voice, character, dialogue and description,” says instructor Kathy Garlick...more
Instructor: Kathy Garlick
January 081 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 4:00pm
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
January 08 - January 223 Saturdays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
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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
January 09 - March 068 WeeksAll Day
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Intro to Creative Writing: Fun with the FundamentalsIn this class, instructor Elaine Beale leads a series of sessions designed to teach participants about the key elements of creative writing craft. It touches on fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and memoir so you get a chance to explore all these genres in one class...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
January 09 - February 065 Sundays, (PST)10:30am - 1:00pm
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Let’s Begin Here: Approaching Craft in Fiction Through Character, Dialogue and SceneIn order to write, one must read constantly, observe the world well, and take seriously the craft of writing. During this five-week course, we will focus on the last of these, the craft of writing...more
Instructor: Lori Ostlund
January 09 - February 065 Sundays, (PST)10:30am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
The Five S’s: An Intro to Writing Poetry“What makes a poem powerful? What makes a poem effective?” asks instructor Thea Matthews. “In this introductory course we will focus on Five S’s to enhance our approach to writing poetry...more
Instructor: Thea Matthews
January 09 - February 065 Sundays, (PST)10:30am - 1:00pm
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Creative Nonfiction Master ClassThis master 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
January 09 - March 069 Sundays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
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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
January 09 - February 065 Sundays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
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Poetry MentorshipThis 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
January 10 - March 149 WeeksAll Day
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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
January 10 - February 075 Mondays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
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Short Story 1-2-3: Writing Fiction That Packs a Punch“Ever since I began writing, I’ve been fascinated by the short story form,” Jennifer Lewis says. “You can read a short story from beginning to end in one sitting. I love the immediacy and resolve, the feeling of completion with an economy of words...more
Instructor: Jennifer Lewis
January 10 - March 079 Mondays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
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Poetry Generation IntensiveIn this class, students will explore multiple techniques for generating new poems, and for drawing possibilities for new work from our own and others’ existing poems...more
Instructor: Lisa Gluskin Stonestreet
January 11 - February 226 Tuesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
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To Make a Long Story Short: Efficient, Effective EditingIn this online class, David will offer tips and tricks to edit and revise your prose. His focus is non-fiction, though the principles taught in class also apply to business communications, e-mail, and other forms. By the end of three weeks, you will leave class with the tools to tighten your writing and perhaps a polished piece of 500-3,000 words...more
Instructor: David Jacobson
January 11 - January 253 Tuesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
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Writing Genre Fiction: The Same, But Different“Genre fiction includes many types of books: sci-fi, mystery, horror, romance,” says instructor Kilby Blades. “All of these books carry one commonality: readers know how they will end. In fact, readers choose genre fiction in order to be taken on exciting, predictable journeys...more
Instructor: Kilby Blades
January 12 - January 263 Wednesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
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Earning Dramatic EmotionIn this 5-week process class we will dissect the intricate concepts of how emotions are developed in fiction and creative nonfiction, and master how to recognize and apply narrative craft that develop dramatic emotions in ways that can move our readers...more
Instructor: Junse Kim
January 13 - February 105 Thursdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
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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
January 13 - March 109 Thursdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
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A Play in a Day: Writing a Ten-Minute PlayIn this short intensive workshop, students will receive a basket filled with playwriting tools, specifically with the ten-minute play form in mind. Tools will include character development, dialogue, story arc, and other essentials for dramatic writing...more
Instructor: Jessica Litwak
January 151 Saturday, (PST)2:00pm - 5:00pm
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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
January 19 - February 023 Wednesdays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
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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
January 201 Thursday, (PST)2:00pm - 3:00pm
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Unlock Your Story: The Power of First-Person Point of ViewIn this half-day class, we’ll use writing exercises, group discussions, and brief readings to unlock stuck places in work that you’ve already drafted. We’ll specifically focus on point of view and the power of first-person to create intimacy and insight...more
Instructor: Allison Landa
January 221 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
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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
January 221 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
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
January 23 - March 066 WeeksAll Day
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Manufacturing Worlds: Write Page-Turning Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Other Speculative FictionWhether you’re writing fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction, horror, or alternate history, all of these different genres share one important thing in common—the reader needs to fully believe in a world completely manufactured by the writer...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
January 29 - February 052 Saturdays, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
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The 5-Minute MemoirInstructor Rob Williams says, “I love being wowed by a short piece of writing, something that may take only three to five minutes to read, but in its brevity is still rich with candor, humor, or heartbreak, and leaves me thinking about it long after I’ve read the last sentence...more
Instructor: Rob Williams
February 051 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Writing YA (Young Adult) Stories for the ScreenThe rise of the YA (young adult) novel is arguably the single most significant literary event of the 21st century. In a time of declining book sales, YA readership has exploded. And so has the market for screen adaptations, as well as original TV and film projects targeting the YA market...more
Instructor: Kate Montgomery
February 051 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
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Poetry MentorshipIn 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
February 07 - April 119 WeeksAll Day
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Breathing Life into Your Nonfiction CharactersInstructor Katharine Harer says, “Believable characters are an essential element of memoir and personal essays. Living, breathing characters deepen the possibility of human connection. Without fleshed-out characters, it doesn’t matter how exciting your plot or how dazzling your writing style – you’ll still leave a reader wanting more...more
Instructor: Katharine Harer
February 08 - March 085 Tuesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
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Fiction Workshop: Enrich Your Drafts“If you’re craving some constructive, insightful feedback from a supportive group of fellow writers, it’s time to dip your toe into the workshop,” says instructor Steve Mitchel...more
Instructor: Steve Mitchel
February 09 - March 166 Wednesdays, (PST)7:00pm - 9:30pm
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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
February 121 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
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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
February 12 - February 192 Saturdays10:00am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
The Transformative Trip: Travel Writing Meets MemoirAt its best, travel transports and transforms us. It makes us pay attention, and leaving home—and our comfort zone—carves out space for new insight. Think of a memorable trip that you’ve taken. What longing or ambition or heartbreak set you in motion? Did you stumble on a new understanding of the world or your place in it...more
Instructor: Erin Van Rheenen
February 12 - February 263 Saturdays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
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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
February 171 Thursday, (PST)2:00pm - 3:00pm
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The Art of Perhapsing: Remembering and Speculating in Creative Nonfiction“The nonfictional nature of memoir and essay writing often comes into conflict with the nature of memory,” says instructor Rob Williams. “How do we keep our pact with the reader, to honor the truth of our story, when we may not be able to recall all of the details or even dialogue...more
Instructor: Rob Williams
February 19 - February 262 Saturdays, (PST)10:00am - 1:00pm
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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
February 19 - March 195 Saturdays, (PST)10:30am - 1:00pm
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The Screenwriter’s Workshop: Spotlight on the Process“As screenwriters, we tend to work alone for protracted amounts of time in silence, but when we’re hard at work on a script, it’s invaluable to get encouragement and feedback to keep us on track,” says instructor Kerry Muir...more
Instructor: Kerry Muir
February 19 - March 195 Saturdays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
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Writing the Big ThemesLove. Loss. Transformation. These themes are so integral to the human experience that writers have returned to them again and again for centuries. In this online workshop we’ll explore a different theme each week...more
Instructor: Erin Rodoni
February 20 - March 205 Sundays, (PST)10:30am - 1:00pm
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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
February 20 - March 205 Sundays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
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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
February 20 - March 205 Sundays, (PST)2:00pm - 4:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Poetry Microchapbooks: The Art of Going Small“In the past 5 years, the microchapbook has emerged as a popular form in the digital age,” says instructor Alan Chazaro. “It is smaller than the chapbook, yet longer than a journal submission, allowing for the poet to zoom into miniature thematic threads and develop a voice in a matter of 10-13 pages...more
Instructor: Alan Chazaro
February 23 - March 235 Wednesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
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Your Singular Life: An Introduction to Memoir Writing“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
March 051 Saturday, (PST)10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Writing in Community: Collaborations and Experiments“In this dynamic and lively three-week class, we will explore ways of writing in community,” says instructor Maw Shein Win. “As a long-time collaborator with visual artists, musicians, dancers, and other writers, I will offer a multitude of prompts—music, film/video, visual art, and photography that can inspire and generate new work...more
Instructor: Maw Shein Win
March 08 - March 223 Tuesdays, (PST)6:30pm - 9:00pm
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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
March 171 Thursday, (PST)2:00pm - 3:00pm
Online