“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 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
January 05 - March 163 Saturdays2:00pm - 5:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Creative Writing Boot Camp: A One-Day IntensiveLearning the craft of writing takes a lot of time. With so many demands on your energy you’d like to take some shortcuts. You want to take the fast track to becoming a better writer. This workshop is designed to help you do just that...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
January 121 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
So You Think You’d Like to Write: Let’s Get Started!“Do you have the urge to write, but no clues about how to start? Or maybe you’ve been working on a piece of writing, but suddenly you’re stuck? Well, this one-day workshop is all about getting started...more
Instructor: Katharine Harer
January 121 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, 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
January 13 - March 108 WeeksAll Day
Online -
Let’s Begin Here: Approaching Craft in Fiction Through Character, Dialogue & 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 13 - February 175 Sundays10:30am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, 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
January 13 - March 246 Sundays2:00pm - 5:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Presenting You: Techniques and Practice for Live ReadingsIf you’ve ever applauded wildly after a live reading and thought, “I wish I could do that” — or if you’ve ever suffered through a flat literary performance and thought, “I never want to do that” — then this is the class for you...more
Instructor: Daniel Ari
January 13 - February 034 Sundays6:00pm - 8:00pm
Berkeley, 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
January 14 - February 115 Mondays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
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
January 14 - March 119 Mondays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, 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
January 15 - March 129 Tuesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Intro to Fiction: Laying the FoundationIn 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...more
Instructor: Junse Kim
January 15 - February 125 Tuesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Intro to Fiction: Laying the FoundationIn 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...more
Instructor: Junse Kim
January 16 - February 135 Wednesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Writing Through TransitionsThis five-week workshop will guide you through the intricacies of change, whether you want to explore a story from your past, such as a coming of age moment, or focus on something from your present, perhaps a career change, retirement or relocation, divorce or breakup, or aging...more
Instructor: Rob Williams
January 16 - February 135 Wednesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Poetry Now!“It is an exciting and bewildering time for poetry,” says instructor Nate Klug. In this five-week course, we will explore some of the innovations and pressing questions being asked by poets of our time, and each week we will respond with poems of our own...more
Instructor: Nate Klug
January 17 - February 145 Thursdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, 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
January 17 - February 145 Thursdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Lost in TranslationIn this one-day workshop, we will focus on creative translation as a means to generate new writing and broaden our literary horizons. We’ll get “lost in translation” and explore some of the ways that miscommunications, Freudian slips, and misreadings can add meaning to life...more
Instructor: Nate Klug
January 191 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Creative Writing Boot CampDon’t have the time to commit to a multi-week class but want to develop essential creative writing skills in one inspiring and productive session? This is the class for you. This one-day intensive boot camp will help you sharpen your writing skills in a fun and encouraging environment...more
Instructor: Heather June Gibbons
January 191 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
January 261 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Shifting the Burden: Writing Compelling BeginningsWhat is it that “shifts the burden” and makes readers feel that they want to spend time inside a writer’s world? In this one-day class, we will focus on first lines and first paragraphs: what they should do versus what creates confusion and keeps the burden on the reader...more
Instructor: Lori Ostlund
January 261 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
January 27 - March 106 WeeksAll Day
Online -
Keep Them Guessing: The Art of Mystery and Thriller WritingIf you want to try your hand at a mystery or thriller, or have already started but aren’t sure how to pull it all together, this workshop will get you going and give you tips for how to stay on track....more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
February 021 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Hip-Hop Poetry: A Generative Writing WorkshopYou can come to this class being able to rap along to Nicki Minaj’s whole catalogue, have never heard a rap song in your life, or anything in-between. In this one-day class, we will go on a journey to create and share our own hip-hop poems....more
Instructor: Kevin Dublin
February 021 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
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 May. Along the way we’ll share constructive feedback...more
Instructor: Kathleen McClung
February 08 - May 178 Fridays6:00pm - 8:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Write What You Don’t Know: A Fiction Workshop to Stretch Your ImaginationWrite what you know? Instructor Steve Mitchel asks, “Where’s the fun in that?” In this one-day workshop, you’ll practice writing what you don’t know...more
Instructor: Steve Mitchel
February 091 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
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
February 091 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
February 16 - March 165 Saturdays10:30am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Jumpstart Your Memoir Writing!Have you ever experienced the nagging feeling you ought to be writing down your life stories, but have simply lacked the time and the tools to do it? If so, this is the class to jumpstart your memoir-writing engine...more
Instructor: Kerry Muir
February 16 - March 165 Saturdays10:30am - 1:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Memoir Writing: Mine & Refine Your MemoriesIn 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...more
Instructor: Kathleen McClung
February 16 - March 235 Saturdays2:00pm - 4:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Poetry Revision 1-2-3: Working Together & Alone“To established and fledgling writers alike, revising can feel even more intimidating than staring at a blank page,” says instructor Brian Tierney. But in order to evolve a first draft toward its fullest realization, a poet must step back and re-read, re-evaluate, and retool: in other words, revise...more
Instructor: Brian Tierney
February 17 - March 172 Sundays10:00am - 1:00pm
Berkeley, 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
February 17 - March 175 Sundays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, 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
February 18 - March 185 Mondays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Writing a Story Kids Want to Read: Creating the Juvenile Novel“Writing fiction for young people means first understanding what makes a strong story,” says instructor Maxine Rose Schur. “If you have an idea for a story or have already begun writing one, this is the class for you...more
Instructor: Maxine Rose Schur
February 19 - March 195 Tuesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, 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
February 20 - March 205 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
February 20 - March 205 Wednesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Starting Your Novel: Taking the First StepsWriting a novel can be a lonely business. It can also be pretty overwhelming when you’re doing it without guidance, input or support. If you want to start a novel or you’ve got a novel in progress, this class will provide you with the help you’ll need...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
February 21 - March 215 Thursdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Secondary Characters: Adding Depth, Conflict & Surprise to ScenesIn this class, we will talk about ways to build more interesting secondary characters, study common relationship types, and do exercises aimed at creating more dynamic interactions between characters by thinking from the perspective of the secondary character...more
Instructor: Lori Ostlund
February 24 - March 245 Sundays10:30am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA