“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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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
September 05 - November 079 Thursdays2:00pm - 4:30pm
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
September 24 - October 225 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
September 23 - October 215 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
September 24 - November 199 Tuesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Seeing the World as a Novelist: Writing Fiction Through the Lens of Character, Setting and Scene“Our bodies are full of stories,” says instructor Nayomi Munaweera. “We are receptacles of history, biology, memory and dream. Some of us have the important and ancient job of transmuting this internal knowledge into works of fiction. And yet how does the novelist do this strange and unseen work...more
Instructor: Nayomi Munaweera
September 25 - November 209 Wednesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
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
September 26 - October 245 Thursdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
Raw Writing: A Class for Generating New Material“So many of us think we should be able to sit down and write perfectly crafted sentences, paragraphs and stories without writing those raw first drafts,” says instructor Elaine Beale. “But the fact is that our ‘raw writing’ is not only necessary, it’s actually a lot of fun...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
October 28 - December 025 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
October 31 - December 055 Thursdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, 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
September 211 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Conjure Better CharactersWhat makes Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Holly Golightly, and Walter White all so unforgettable? Bigger than life yet somehow also accessible, these characters have all made us feel genuine emotion...more
Instructor: Kate Montgomery
September 281 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
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
October 051 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
October 191 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
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
November 02 - December 075 Saturdays10:30am - 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
October 26 - November 235 Saturdays2:00pm - 4:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
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
October 06 - November 173 Sundays2:00pm - 5:00pm
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
September 29 - December 086 Sundays2:00pm - 5:00pm
Berkeley, 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
October 27 - November 245 Sundays7:00pm - 9:30pm
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
September 22 - November 178 WeeksAll Day
Online -
Daily Write Holiday 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
December 01 - December 223 WeeksAll Day
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
October 06 - November 176 WeeksAll Day
Online -
The Poetry Workshop: An Online ClassAre you eager for specific, constructive feedback on your poems? Do you want to participate in an online community of writers committed to helping each other develop their poetry writing skills? If so, this is the class for you...more
Instructor: Heather June Gibbons
October 06 - November 176 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
September 23 - November 189 Mondays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Writing Through TransitionsThis 5-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
October 30 - December 045 Wednesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
Making Poetry out of Our Lives: A Poetry Workshop“Reading and writing poetry have long been occasions for self-exploration,” says instructor Brian Tierney. “Poems uncover and recover; they engage memory and personal history, bringing them back to life with new meanings and new understandings...more
Instructor: Brian Tierney
October 03 - October 315 Thursdays7:00pm - 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
November 07 - December 125 Thursdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, 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
September 211 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, 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
October 051 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, 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
October 191 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, 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
October 26 - November 235 Saturdays10:30am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
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
October 26 - November 235 Saturdays2:00pm - 4:30pm
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
September 29 - December 086 Sundays2:00pm - 5:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Novel Writing Boot CampPerhaps you’re about to embark on writing a novel—after all, National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November! Or maybe you have a novel in progress, but feel like you could use a little help...more
Instructor: Elaine Beale
October 121 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
Intro to Creative Writing“Everyone has a story, and every story is made up of other stories that can be told. How will you tell your story? And to whom?” asks instructor Kevin Dublin...more
Instructor: Kevin Dublin
September 22 - October 205 Sundays7:00pm - 9:30pm
Berkeley, CA -
The Revolving Door Poetry WorkshopThis class will focus on creating a community space for writers to reimagine their own material, to read contemporary and classic poems, to discuss elements of poetic craft, and most importantly to generate “new” work by way of revision...more
Instructor: Brian Tierney
November 03 - December 156 Sundays10:30am - 1:00pm
Berkeley, CA -
The Screenwriters WorkshopThe Screenwriters Workshop offers a safe online haven where students can submit, comment on, and discuss each other’s work, while instructor Kerry Muir acts as guide and facilitator...more
Instructor: Kerry Muir
October 06 - November 176 WeeksAll Day
Online -
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
October 29 - December 035 Tuesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, 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
October 121 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
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
September 281 Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
Fiction Master Class: A 9-Week WorkshopThis class—which will be capped at just 9 participants—will offer advanced fiction writers the opportunity to submit two new pieces of fiction and one revision and to receive rigorous, supportive, and constructive feedback on all three...more
Instructor: Lori Ostlund
September 22 - November 249 Sundays10:30am - 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA -
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 workshop we’ll explore a different theme each week...more
Instructor: Erin Rodoni
September 22 - October 205 Sundays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA -
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 class will be a safe space to explore intimacy, desire, obsession, and trauma through writing...more
Instructor: Jennifer Lewis
September 25 - October 235 Wednesdays7:00pm - 9:30pm
San Francisco, CA