“Many people are driven to write by the simple human need to express ourselves,” says instructor David Jacobson. “There may be no better way to meet that need than through the short, pointed burst of intellectual and emotional energy that goes into a newspaper column, op-ed or blog post

“Writing plays and screenplays is a form of storytelling that merges poetry and engineering,” says instructor Jessica Litwak. “We create poetry with the specific impediments, accents, rhythms, and cadences in the voices of our characters. We engineer our stories with structural foundations, dramatic arcs, scenes

Now celebrating over 15 years 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

Love. Loss. Transformation. These themes are so integral to the human experience that writers have returned to them again and again for centuries. In this online workshop we’ll explore a different theme each week

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

“Reading the works we love, we’ve all had the experience of picking up the writer’s voice in our heads until that ‘other voice’ somehow becomes our own voice. We are changed by it,” says instructor Kathy Garlick. “In this class, we’ll read like writers. By looking at things from the ‘inside out,’ by tapping into that ‘other voice,’ we’ll discover how writers pull off amazing feats

Are you hungry for honest, constructive feedback on your fiction? Do you long to be part of a community of writers dedicated to helping one another render (shape, enrich, and enliven) a story the best it can be?

“Big Secret Number One to writing fiction is that you have to make a mess. Many messes,” says instructor Steve Mitchel. “You have to throw truckloads of words down onto the page knowing full well that most of them will end up in the compost

In this online class, David will offer tips and tricks to edit and revise your prose, primarily for nonfiction pieces. By the end of three weeks, you will leave class with the tools to tighten your writing and perhaps a polished piece of 500-3,000 words

To tone and strengthen your writing, you need the occasional workout for your writing muscles. Enter our Writing Gym for a fun and energetic exercise-themed series of writing prompts designed to get your creative juices flowing

Through select readings, discussions, and writing exercises in this 3-week online class, we will survey the landscape of Latinx writers as a way to inform our own sense of who we are and where we come from

In 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

“Are you sitting on a fantastic story idea for the screen?” asks instructor Kerry Muir. “In Intro to Screenwriting, you'll acquire a veritable toolbox of strategies and exercises, as well as creative inspiration to help set your idea into motion

Whether you wish to concoct savory cuisine, debate politics, or relate the ins and outs of your daily life, this five-week online class will take you from the concept of a blog to its realization

In this online class, we will tap into the wider world we are rooted in--and the communities we are shaped by--as sources of inspiration for our poems. Each session will provide generative writing exercises, prompts, group dialogues, and select reading materials

Instructor Jessica Litwak says, “I started out my working life as an actor, so I write and teach writing from the inside, embodying story and character with passion, specificity and joy. I work to inspire and guide my students towards strong and clear written expression, particularly through character and dialogue

For writers poised to publish poems, articles and stories as well as those with completed manuscripts or book proposals, this online class will provide a strategy for success

“Too often the voice and craft of BIPOC authors are overlooked when studying poetry,” says instructor Thea Matthews. “Enough! In order to be a more effective writer, a poet, one must be aware of the diverse voice and craft of non-white authors

This class is for experienced nonfiction writers who want to advance their craft through workshop, and who want to learn through the reading and discussion of the work of others

“Some of our most defining stories are about the things that have happened to our bodies,” says instructor Jennifer Lewis. “Whether adolescence, childbirth, aging or gender transitioning, each of us has experienced transformations that have shaped our character

“Big Secret Number One to writing fiction is that you have to make a mess. Many messes,” says instructor Steve Mitchel. “You have to throw truckloads of words down onto the page knowing full well that most of them will end up in the compost

“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

In this online class, we’ll read and discuss some of the most evocative illness and healing writing of our time. Guided by readings, discussions, and in-class exercises, we’ll write our own journeys through “the night-side of life,” as Susan Sontag describes illness

“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 online class, you will be guided surely and safely into the writing experience

In this 3-week class, we’ll look at the similarities and differences between poetry and lyrics. We’ll read examples of both genres, try our hands at creating lyrics out of poems, and vice versa

In this short intensive workshop, students will receive a basket filled with playwriting tools, specifically with the ten-minute play form in mind. Tools will include character development, dialogue, story arc, and other essentials for dramatic writing

At its best, travel transports and transforms us. It makes us pay attention, and leaving home—and our comfort zone—carves out space for new insight. Think of a memorable trip that you’ve taken. What longing or ambition or heartbreak set you in motion? Did you stumble on a new understanding of the world or your place in it

In 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

How 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

Instructor Katharine Harer says, “Creative writing is the perfect repository for the sometimes confusing and always human experience of being a parent"

To tone and strengthen your writing, you need the occasional workout for your writing muscles. Enter our Writing Gym for a fun and energetic exercise-themed series of writing prompts designed to get your creative juices flowing

“Comedy is fragile,” says instructor Kate Montgomery. “One extra word can ruin a laugh. But the truth is, just about anyone can be funny, once they know how it’s done

“The power of language, of the voice, is not to be underestimated,” says instructor Thea Matthews. In this 5-week class, participants will generate new work, or continue preexisting literary projects, that reflect personal and collective power and resiliency

In this 5-week remote class, students will use class time to develop a series of creative nonfiction pieces connected to classic Jungian archetypes such as the Hero, Lover, Outlaw, Trickster, Orphan and more

“Reading the works we love, we’ve all had the experience of picking up the writer’s voice in our heads until that ‘other voice’ somehow becomes our own voice. We are changed by it,” says instructor Kathy Garlick. “In this class, we’ll read like writers. By looking at things from the ‘inside out,’ by tapping into that ‘other voice,’ we’ll discover how writers pull off amazing feats

In 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

“Writing is a way to engage deeply and meaningfully with the world so that life does not just simply pass us by,” says Shelby Hinte. “Writing is a way to linger and dissect the moments that might otherwise evade us. But as busy adults, how do we find time to write

“Food writing offers a unique lens into so much of the world,” says instructor Georgia Freedman. Food is a big part of how we show love, how we share and celebrate our cultures, how we connect with our community

“The writerly advice to ‘show, don’t tell’ is easier said than done,” says instructor Erin Van Rheenen. “‘Showing’ means crafting compelling scenes where characters say and do things in the real time of the story. The truth is, it can be hard to write a scene

“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”

“What makes a story compelling?” asks instructor Andy Touhy. “More importantly, what are the ways to make it compelling? In this online workshop, we’ll begin to really think about how fictional narrative (short story or novel) is constructed, and made better

“Poets have been focusing their work on the body for ages — on pleasure, on identity, on beauty, on illness, and on the body as a living target,” says instructor Preeti Vangani. This 3-week online class will be a generative space to explore pleasure, trauma, survival and healing through writing poetry about the body

“The best way to learn anything is to DO it,” says instructor Kate Montgomery. “In this fun and informative 3-session boot camp, you’ll throw yourself in right away, learning and then immediately applying the basics of professional screenwriting

“Many people are driven to write by the simple human need to express ourselves,” says instructor David Jacobson. “There may be no better way to meet that need than through the short, pointed burst of intellectual and emotional energy that goes into a newspaper column, op-ed or blog post

To tone and strengthen your writing, you need the occasional workout for your writing muscles. Enter our Writing Gym for a fun and energetic exercise-themed series of writing prompts designed to get your creative juices flowing

To tone and strengthen your writing, you need the occasional workout for your writing muscles. Enter our Writing Gym for a fun and energetic exercise-themed series of writing prompts designed to get your creative juices flowing