“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.
Got Questions?
-
The Craft of Creating Picture Books: Where Text and Image MeetPicture books provide one of the most exciting and innovative spaces for play in the book world today. Genres collide, stories become graphic novels, and nonfiction dances from the page in lyrical twists and twirls...more
Instructor: Laura Atkins
April 201 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Screenwriting Boot Camp“The best way to learn anything is to DO it,” says instructor Kate Montgomery. “In this daylong boot camp, you’ll get the chance to throw yourself into the mix, to pick up screenwriting basics and apply them right away...more
Instructor: Kate Montgomery
April 201 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Tiny Kingdoms: Writing and Publishing the VERY Short StoryBig things can come in small packages—their own perfect beauty tied to their size. The short short story is literary proof that great fiction can come in a small package...more
Instructor: Andy Touhy
April 271 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Flash Memoir“Since brevity is the soul of wit,” join us for a day of reading and writing flash memoir. A close cousin to flash fiction, this genre zeroes in on brief-but-significant moments from our real lives and requires lean, precise language...more
Instructor: Kathleen McClung
April 271 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
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
April 28 - June 096 WeeksAll Day
Online -
Sweet Talk: The Joy of Writing Dialogue“Whether you write fiction, memoir or nonfiction, the same rule applies: when your dialogue clicks, your story springs to life,” says instructor Kerry Muir...more
Instructor: Kerry Muir
May 041 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
On Point: Crafting a Short-Form Point of View Piece“What drives many of us to write is the simple human need to express ourselves,” says instructor David Jacobson. “There may be no better way to meet that need than by presenting a point of view...more
Instructor: David Jacobson
May 041 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Through the Looking Glass: Applying the Cinematographer’s Lens to Written NarrativesWhat movies have served as touchstones, guideposts, or talismans in your personal and creative life? How has the cinema influenced you as a writer? In this five-week course, we’ll explore the fertile connection between cinema and written narrative...more
Instructor: Kerry Muir
May 11 - June 155 Saturdays10:30am - 1:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Sudden Stories: Five Weeks of FlashHow short can a story be? Consider Ernest Hemingway’s six-word classic: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” A tale told quickly can offer untold riches, which swell inside a reader long after the telling...more
Instructor: Andy Touhy
May 11 - June 155 Saturdays10:30am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Intro to Creative Writing“Each of us has a story to tell, but finding the words and voice for that story is an art and craft specific to each individual,” says instructor Kathy Garlick. “This class is designed for writers who may be uncovering and sharing that story for the first time...more
Instructor: Kathy Garlick
May 11 - June 155 Saturdays2:00pm - 4:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Navigating Point of View: 5 Weeks of “Moving in Close” on 3rd Person-CloseOne of the first decisions we must make as we begin a new story is about what point of view (POV) we will narrate from. Do we want the intimacy (and restrictions) of 1st person? The perceived credibility (and distance) of 3rd person? Or the flexibility (and navigation issues) of 3rd person-close...more
Instructor: Lori Ostlund
May 12 - June 165 Sundays10:30am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Writing from the Edge: Accessing Our Own Hard-to-Tell Tales“Vivid writing takes its power from the author’s inner conflict, particularly when it comes to describing difficult material,” says instructor Allison Landa. “This class will give you the tools you need to share your own hard-to-tell tales....more
Instructor: Allison Landa
May 12 - June 165 Sundays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Revision Boot Camp: From Trash to Treasure“Everyone, at every level,” says instructor Andy Touhy, “needs a second pair of eyes, a guiding hand, and an array of re-visioning techniques when it comes to next steps with raw or overcooked material.” So in this five-week course, we’re going to have a re-vision party...more
Instructor: Andy Touhy
May 13 - June 175 Mondays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
The Writer’s Toolkit: Strategies for Better Creative Writing in Any GenreHeather says, “Each week in this five-week class, we will cover one area of craft, such as imagery or tension, focusing on practical strategies—we might even call them tricks—to bring our stories, reflections, and worlds to life...more
Instructor: Heather June Gibbons
May 14 - June 115 Tuesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Intro to Creative Writing: Fun with the Fundamentals“Everyone is talented, original and has something important to say,” states Brenda Ueland at the beginning of her celebrated book, If You Want to Write. “I happen to agree with Ueland,” says Elaine Beale. “And when I teach at The Writing Salon, I see her assertion proved again and again...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
May 15 - June 125 Wednesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Fiction Workshop: Enrich Your DraftsYou’ve spent hours alone wrestling with your fiction and now you’re craving some constructive, insightful feedback from a supportive group of fellow writers. It’s time to dip your toe into the workshop...more
Instructor: Steve Mitchel
May 15 - June 125 Wednesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Fearless Poetry WorkshopNow celebrating its 15th year at The Writing Salon, this workshop draws people who want to jumpstart their poetry practice and to keep the engine oiled. You’ll do plenty of writing and reading, and we’ll have lively discussions about both the craft and the process(es) of poetry...more
Instructor: Julie Bruck
May 16 - June 135 Thursdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Daily Write June 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: Kathy Garlick
June 02 - June 233 WeeksAll Day
Online -
Your Story, Your Life: Memoir & Personal Essays“By writing memoir and personal essays, we give form to our histories and make something of meaning and beauty that is uniquely ours,” says instructor Katharine Harer. “I love this genre because you can be yourself, complete with your idiosyncrasies, strong opinions, flashes of wisdom and crazy moments...more
Instructor: Katharine Harer
July 08 - September 099 Mondays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Write That Novel!Writing a novel can be a lonely business. It can also be pretty overwhelming when you’re doing it without input or support. If you want to start a novel or you’ve got a novel in progress, this class is designed to help...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
July 08 - August 055 Mondays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Write from Real Life: Personal Essays & MemoirsIn this 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 09 - September 039 Tuesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Nomad with a Notebook: Introduction to Travel WritingWhether you’ve just returned from Paris or Sacramento or you’re dreaming of a trip, this class will help you transform your observations into vivid and lasting images. Katharine will provide tips on how to carefully observe and record your impressions of new places and cultures...more
Instructor: Katharine Harer
July 09 - August 065 Tuesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Getting Your Toes Wet: An Introduction to Memoir WritingDo you feel you have a story inside you, but you’re a little leery of getting thrown in the deep end? In this class, you’ll gently wade into the vast sea of memories and experiences you’ve been carrying around for your whole life...more
Instructor: Alison Luterman
July 10 - August 075 Wednesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Raw Writing: Generating New Material“Often we have to make nonsense before we make sense,” says instructor Heather June Gibbons. “When we allow ourselves to not know, to play and romp and even run amok, to release instead of control, to write fast and get messy, not only do we have fun and surprise ourselves, we find our true material...more
Instructor: Heather June Gibbons
July 10 - August 075 Wednesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Fiction Workshop: Build & Refine Your Storytelling SkillsWhen we read good stories they tend to endure in our hearts as touchstones that enrich our understanding of the world. We’ve all had the experience of reading something we like and wondering how the author developed such a breathtaking idea, with such compelling characters, and brought it to fruition...more
Instructor: Cary Groner
July 11 - September 059 Thursdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Step-by-Step to Story: A Generative Short Story Workshop“Anne Lamott may have coined the phrase ‘Bird by Bird,’ but I like to think of writing stories as similar to building a house,” says instructor Rob Williams. “You don’t build it in a day, you build it Brick by Brick...more
Instructor: Rob Williams
July 11 - August 085 Thursdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Embracing the Hush Hour: Deepen Your Poetry PracticeThe goal of this intimate 8-session class is for each person to finish a handful of new poems for potential publication. We’ll be drafting or revising a poem in between each class meeting; plan to complete 4-8 new works by the end of the class in October. Along the way we’ll share constructive feedback...more
Instructor: Kathleen McClung
July 12 - October 188 Fridays6:00pm - 8:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Start ‘Write’ Now!“Writers write, simple as that,” says instructor Kevin Dublin. “In this one-day workshop, my goal is for you to tap into the writing mind, to fill it up with your stories, your words...more
Instructor: Kevin Dublin
July 131 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Writing Is Good for You: Write Your Way to Happiness, Healing & HealthIn this workshop, instructor Elaine Beale will provide a day of guidance, writing exercises, and strategies that you can use to support your own wellness...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
July 131 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
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: Kathy Garlick
July 14 - August 256 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 class, you will be guided surely and safely into the writing experience...more
Instructor: Kathy Garlick
July 14 - July 283 Sundays10:30am - 1:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Spinning Straw into Gold: Nonfiction WorkshopThis workshop is for nonfiction writers who wish to shape, sculpt, structure, deepen and develop work already in progress...more
Instructor: Kerry Muir
July 14 - September 156 Sundays2:00pm - 5:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Memoir Master ClassThe focus of the workshop is to encourage and guide experienced writers in creating, revising, and potentially publishing short, stand-alone works of memoir...more
Instructor: Kathleen McClung
July 14 - September 156 Sundays2:00pm - 5:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Writing as Healing: Putting One Bead after AnotherThis class is intended for both new and experienced writers who value writing as self-exploration and fine art and who want to begin or deepen their own writing practice. Within a supportive setting, class participants will be encouraged to take risks with their work and to share the gifts of self-discovery and transformation with a larger community...more
Instructor: Kathleen McClung
July 201 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Something Borrowed, Something New: A Generative Writing ClassWhen we sit down to write, the pressure of inventing something from scratch can feel paralyzing. “The truth is, writers from Shakespeare to Hans Christian Anderson to J.K. Rowling have always been savvy borrowers,” says Nate Klug...more
Instructor: Nate Klug
July 201 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, 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
July 21 - September 016 WeeksAll Day
Online -
The Long Haul: Your Book Project Support Team“Embarking on a book-length project is like swimming across the Pacific,” says instructor Alison Luterman. “You definitely want a support team in a boat riding alongside you, with sandwiches and shark repellent...more
Instructor: Alison Luterman
July 21 - August 183 Sundays2:00pm - 5:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Revision Boot Camp: Fresh Approaches to Developing Your DraftsYou had the impulse, you wrote the first draft in a rush of raw creativity, and maybe you even worked on a second (or third) draft, but you know it’s not finished. What next...more
Instructor: Heather June Gibbons
July 271 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Playing to Write, Writing to Play: Using Improvisational Theater Games to Write Short Plays and Scenes“Everyone is a goofball kid at heart, and we don’t know what untapped resources of imagination and wit we have within us until we tap them in the name of play,” says instructor and playwright Alison Luterman...more
Instructor: Alison Luterman
July 271 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Tiny Kingdoms: Writing and Publishing the VERY Short StoryBig things can come in small packages—their own perfect beauty tied to their size. The short short story is literary proof that great fiction can come in a small package...more
Instructor: Andy Touhy
August 031 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Plot & Structure: The Big PictureThis one-day workshop is designed for writers who want to better understand how to develop a coherent plot that engages the reader and a structure that brings a story to life. The class will cover key concepts such as story arc, causality, flashbacks, plot twists and revelations...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
August 031 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Intro to Creative Writing“Each of us has a story to tell, but finding the words and voice for that story is an art and craft specific to each individual,” says instructor Kathy Garlick. “This class is designed for writers who may be uncovering and sharing that story for the first time...more
Instructor: Kathy Garlick
August 10 - September 145 Saturdays10:30am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
The Practice of Craft: Intro to FictionYou have a story to tell—maybe you’ve ventured to write it down. But something falls short and you don’t yet feel confident enough about technique to make it sing. In this five-week course, we’ll dive into the elements of fiction craft...more
Instructor: Andy Touhy
August 10 - September 145 Saturdays10:30am - 1:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Memoir as Love Letter“Who would you communicate with if you could reach across time and space?” asks instructor Kerry Muir. “A child yet to be born, a beloved friend, a parent now gone? Our prose takes on a strikingly intimate quality when we write with a specific recipient in mind...more
Instructor: Kerry Muir
August 10 - September 145 Saturdays2:00pm - 4:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Make It New: Poetry Revision Workshop“Revising gives us an opportunity to see our work in a new light,” says instructor Brian Tierney. “Sometimes you take a poem off its tracks and discover a whole different route; sometimes you need to fix the wheel, or the engine, or the headlight...more
Instructor: Brian Tierney
August 11 - September 155 Sundays10:30am - 1:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Who Says It’s Taboo: Breaking the Rules of Fiction“We all have our favorite writing rules—rules that have come about sometimes as simple pet peeves but more often for valid reasons,” says instructor Lori Ostlund. In this class, we will practice breaking those rules...more
Instructor: Lori Ostlund
August 11 - September 155 Sundays10:30am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Raw Writing: Generating New Material“First drafts are about profusion, not perfection,” says instructor Daniel Ari. “That’s what Raw Writing is all about. We set our expectations aside so we can get down to creating without worrying whether it’s ‘good’...more
Instructor: Daniel Ari
August 12 - September 165 Mondays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Fiction Workshop: Honing the Art of Storytelling“What makes a story compelling?” asks instructor Andy Touhy. “More importantly, what are the ways to make it compelling? In this workshop, we’ll begin to really think about how to tell a good tale (short story or novel)...more
Instructor: Andy Touhy
August 13 - September 105 Tuesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Intro to Screenwriting: Lights, Camera, Action!“Are you sitting on a fantastic story idea for the screen?” asks instructor Kerry Muir. “In Intro to Screenwriting, get ready to set that idea into motion.” In this five-week class, you will learn the fundamentals of narrative screenwriting in a low stress, supportive environment...more
Instructor: Kerry Muir
August 14 - September 115 Thursdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
On Point: Crafting a Short-Form Point of View Piece“What drives many of us to write is the simple human need to express ourselves,” says instructor David Jacobson. “There may be no better way to meet that need than by presenting a point of view...more
Instructor: David Jacobson
August 14 - August 283 Wednesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Limitation as Inspiration: A Generative Poetry Writing Class“Poets in every stage of their career, and often on a regular basis, struggle with where and how to start a poem,” says instructor Brian Tierney. “I’ve found that creating boundaries for the writing process is a good way to spark inspiration and creativity...more
Instructor: Brian Tierney
August 15 - September 125 Thursdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA