“The best writing is physical, visceral, makes us feel that we are living a story rather than reading one on the page,” says instructor Gila Lyons. "As Anton Chekhov said, 'Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass
This 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
“Personal essay takes the messy unfiltered stuff of life and molds it into something of beauty, meaning, wisdom, and hopefully, a great story,” says instructor Gila Lyons
To write our best, we must write from the heart. But finding which subjects mean the most to us can be difficult. Each week Jay Ridler will lead you through a series of fun, engaging, and effective exercises to help you discover and explore the deep and most compelling themes in your life
During this five-week workshop, your writing will be inspired by five of your own personal taboos—the things you do not write about due to fear of what others may think, of it being too near to your heart, of shame
In 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
“One secret to writing alive poetry lies in risking saying the awkward thing, or venturing outside whatever limits you’ve put around your voice,” says Alison. “We’ll create a brave community together that will allow us to break some new ground for ourselves
In 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
Are you ready to start and actually finish a screenplay? That’s the goal of this 9-week course. You’ll learn all about screenplay structure, character development, story arcs & archetypes, dialogue, theme, genre, conflict, pacing, visualization, and WGA formatting while crafting the first draft of your own original screenplay
“In the face of the current political reality, many of us want to raise our voices in a way that is not just enraged or pedantic but also artful,” says instructor Alison Luterman. “We, too, want to read works of literature that speak to us in our hour of need