“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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- 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
May 28 - June 113 Thursdays, (Pacific Time)2:00pm - 4:30pm
Online - From Memories to Memoirs: The Moments That Make Your StoryIn this 3-hour class, through writing prompts carefully chosen by David, you’ll pinpoint the memories that drive you to the page, ones that thrill, haunt, and comfort you. You’ll write, reflect, and write some more...more
Instructor: David Jacobson
May 301 Saturday, (Pacific Time)10:00am - 1:00pm
Berkeley, CA - Story MappingGot an idea for a novel, a movie or a TV series? “That’s great!” says instructor Kate Montgomery. “Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and organize it into a layered, well-structured story that’s engaging from start to finish...more
Instructor: Kate Montgomery
June 06 - June 132 Saturdays, (Pacific Time)10:30am - 1:00pm
Online - Write Now!: Salon SaturdaysFor 25 years, The Writing Salon has used the power of writing prompts to coax out writers’ work in its raw form—work that would later become novels, personal essays, poems. Write Now! will showcase a Writing Salon teacher’s favorite paths to the source of inspiration...more
Instructor: Shelby Hinte
June 061 Saturday, (Pacific Time)10:30am - 12:00pm
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 07 - June 283 WeeksAll Day
Online - Submit, Repeat, Publish: Landing Your Work in Literary Journals and Small PressesFor beginning through more experienced writers, this class aims to demystify the sometimes confusing process of getting published while offering real-world insights and inspiration for success...more
Instructor: Jennifer Lewis
June 071 Sunday, (Pacific Time)10:00am - 1:00pm
Online - Tiny Kingdoms: Writing the VERY Short StoryHow 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
June 131 Saturday, (Pacific Time)2:00pm - 5:00pm
San Francisco, CA - Write Now!: Salon SaturdaysFor 25 years, The Writing Salon has used the power of writing prompts to coax out writers’ work in its raw form—work that would later become novels, personal essays, poems. Write Now! will showcase a Writing Salon teacher’s favorite paths to the source of inspiration...more
Instructor: Andy Touhy
July 111 Saturday, (Pacific Time)10:30am - 12:00pm
Berkeley, CA - Daily Write Summer 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 12 - August 236 WeeksAll Day
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 13 - September 149 WeeksAll Day
Online - Screenwriting and Storytelling Mentorship with Kate Montgomery“You can read all the how-to books and ask your friends and family for feedback. But if you’re serious about getting produced or published, you will ultimately need professional guidance,” says instructor Kate Montgomery...more
Instructor: Kate Montgomery
July 13 - September 149 WeeksAll Day
Online - Discover Creative NonfictionYour life is full of stories worth telling—moments that shimmer with meaning, people who’ve left their mark, experiences that won’t let you go. In Discover Creative Nonfiction, you’ll learn how to turn those stories into engaging narratives that come alive on the page...more
Instructor: Lauren Krauze
July 13 - August 105 Mondays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
San Francisco, CA - Poetry Workshop: Rekindling WonderThis 5-week workshop will offer a congenial space where you can listen to and learn from a range of helpful voices and try out new approaches to writing and revision. Over the length of the class you’ll receive oral feedback from your classmates and Katharine on at least 2-3 of your poems...more
Instructor: Katharine Harer
July 14 - August 115 Tuesdays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
San Francisco, CA - 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 14 - September 089 Tuesdays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - Fiction Craft: Find Your Story’s SongYou have a story to tell—maybe you’ve drafted it, revised it once or twice, and still something feels off. The language doesn’t quite sing, and you’re not sure which techniques will bring it fully to life. “Good prose fiction doesn’t write itself,” says instructor Andy Touhy. “And it can’t move your readers to feel unless it’s crafted well...more
Instructor: Andy Touhy
July 16 - August 135 Thursdays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - San Francisco MeetupOccurring on a seasonal basis, Writing Salon meetups are designed to provide an intentional and facilitated space to help you keep a finger on your own creative pulse. At the same time, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with a community of other like-minded writers...more
Instructor: Katharine Harer
July 181 Saturday, (Pacific Time)2:00pm - 3:30pm
San Francisco, CA - Fiction and Creative Nonfiction Mentorship with Junse KimIn this remote mentorship, through reflections on your own fiction or creative nonfiction pieces, craft-focused readings of published works, and Junse’s feedback on your work in progress, you will develop your craft application skills and hone your critical analysis...more
Instructor: Junse Kim
July 20 - September 219 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 23 - August 205 Thursdays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
San Francisco, CA - Lightning Strikes Twice: Two Days of Flash Fiction“Microfictions, prose poems, postcard-lit, tales that fit into the palm of a reader’s hand—a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” says instructor Andy Touhy. “I love and champion this genre because it can hold so much of life...more
Instructor: Andy Touhy
July 25 - August 082 Saturdays, (Pacific Time)2:00pm - 5:00pm
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 26 - September 066 WeeksAll Day
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 26 - August 235 Sundays, (Pacific Time)10:30am - 1:00pm
Online - Writing the Page-Turning Binge-Worthy Story“We’re living in a binge culture,” says instructor Kate Montgomery. “If we find an author we like, we read their entire backlist. If we discover a show we enjoy, we binge multiple seasons. Publishers and producers, who buy novels and screenplays, understand the demand for this kind of storytelling and are always in the market for new material...more
Instructor: Kate Montgomery
July 30 - August 133 Thursdays, (Pacific Time)2:00pm - 4:30pm
Online - Feral Poetry: Risk-Taking on the PageIn this 3-week class, we’ll look at poems by risk-taking poets like Diane Seuss, Danez Smith, and Chen Chen, among others. We’ll use these poems as jumping-off points for our work, doing prompt-driven writing inspired by what we find there...more
Instructor: Alison Luterman
August 03 - August 173 Mondays, (Pacific Time)2:00pm - 4:30pm
Online - Poetry StudioPoetry Studio offers a space for poets to refine existing work, read and discuss contemporary and classic poems, and generate new writing. Workshops form the heart of the experience, where participants’ poems are read and discussed with depth and care...more
Instructor: Brian Tierney
August 03 - September 146 Mondays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Berkeley, CA - Discover Fiction: Telling Stories, Inventing Worlds“In fiction, there are no limits to how far we can push our characters and the worlds where they reside,” says instructor Ann Guy. “This freedom allows us to explore every facet of experience, past, present, or future, on or off the planet. Where will your imagination take you?...more
Instructor: Ann Guy
August 06 - September 035 Thursdays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Berkeley, CA - 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
August 11 - September 085 Tuesdays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Online - Fiction Craft: 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
August 12 - September 095 Wednesdays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
San Francisco, CA - Screenwriting Boot Camp“The best way to learn anything is to DO it,” says instructor Kate Montgomery. “In this fun, informative boot camp, you’ll get into the process right away. With an interactive mix of lecture, discussion, screenings, and group and individual writing exercises, you’ll learn and apply the basics of professional screenwriting...more
Instructor: Kate Montgomery
August 15 - August 293 Saturdays, (Pacific Time)10:30am - 1:00pm
Online - Write Now!: Salon SaturdaysFor 25 years, The Writing Salon has used the power of writing prompts to coax out writers’ work in its raw form—work that would later become novels, personal essays, poems. Write Now! will showcase a Writing Salon teacher’s favorite paths to the source of inspiration...more
Instructor: Cate Lycurgus
August 151 Saturday, (Pacific Time)10:30am - 12:00pm
San Francisco, CA - Writing Plot: Finding Your Story’s Driving ForceIn this 3-week intensive, we’ll move beyond surface thrills to uncover what truly drives engaging narratives in both fiction and nonfiction. Through craft lessons, writing prompts, and group discussions, we’ll discover how to create plots that resonate with readers and keep them invested in a story...more
Instructor: Shelby Hinte
August 16 - August 303 Sundays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
San Francisco, CA - From Memories to Memoirs: The Moments That Make Your StoryIn this three-class series, through writing prompts carefully chosen by David, you’ll pinpoint the memories that drive you to the page, ones that thrill, haunt, and comfort you. You’ll write, reflect, and write some more...more
Instructor: David Jacobson
August 18 - September 013 Tuesdays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Berkeley, CA - Discover Poetry: Finding a Way InWhether you are new to poetry or you are looking for deeper immersion into the art form, this class will show you a variety of ways to appreciate, learn from, and fall in love with both the reading and writing of poetry...more
Instructor: Ben Jackson
August 26 - September 093 Wednesdays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
Berkeley, CA - 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
August 27 - September 103 Thursdays, (Pacific Time)2:00pm - 4:30pm
Online - Writing Dynamic Settings: How to Craft Living, Breathing Places“The word place is both a noun and a verb,” says instructor Lauren Krauze. “So while places can function as static locations, they can also be animated with action and movement. Together, we’ll explore how to enliven them, whether we’re writing about a childhood bedroom or a far-off planet...more
Instructor: Lauren Krauze
August 27 - September 103 Thursdays, (Pacific Time)6:30pm - 9:00pm
San Francisco, CA - Make Every Sentence Count: A Half-Day Craft Class“A well-crafted sentence communicates more than simply information,” says instructor Katharine Harer. “Language choice and syntax can create rhythms and music that echo in our minds long after we’ve finished reading. Vivid imagery and attention to detail can take us to a place we’ve never seen or smelled or touched, but feel we know...more
Instructor: Katharine Harer
August 291 Saturday, (Pacific Time)10:00am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA - Daily Write September 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
August 30 - September 203 WeeksAll Day
Online - Write Now!: Salon SaturdaysFor 25 years, The Writing Salon has used the power of writing prompts to coax out writers’ work in its raw form—work that would later become novels, personal essays, poems. Write Now! will showcase a Writing Salon teacher’s favorite paths to the source of inspiration...more
Instructor: David Jacobson
September 121 Saturday, (Pacific Time)10:30am - 12:00pm
Berkeley, CA - Getting Published: An Insider’s Guide“When people ask me for advice on submitting creative work,” says Amy G. Latham, published writer and literary journal editor, “I tell them to cast a wide net and have plenty of patience. Every writer collects more rejections than acceptances, but those who stay the course will find homes for their writing...more
Instructor: Amy G. Latham
September 121 Saturday, (Pacific Time)2:00pm - 5:00pm
Online