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January 2021
$50.00 / $40.00 11 seats left
“Nothing happens nowhere,” says Elizabeth Bowen. In this workshop we will learn to use setting as a map, as a structure for storytelling. Setting can be a situation, a tone, a time, an atmosphere, a relationship, and more. It can be as broad as a country, as small as a porch swing or bed. At [...]
Find out more$25.00 / $20.00 30 seats left
The country is at an unprecedented moment in history, and our voices matter more than ever. In this class, we will learn how to write op-eds and letters to the editor to local and national publications. This information-packed session will include a lecture component, a set of short, generative exercises, and time for Q&A. Participants [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 17 seats left
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for story structure. Let’s discuss a plan that is right for you. We’ll brainstorm the strengths and weaknesses of your specific story’s destination and the journey along the way. Is there a rich narrative and character arc, a strong point of entry, appropriate placement of flashbacks, a transformative and resonant [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 26 seats left
You have a great idea for a story. Do you dive in and just begin writing, or start by drafting an outline? Are you a born planner or a writer who loves to discover stories organically (i.e., a pantser)? Understanding how to structure a well-conceived story around a main character and central conflict, while paying [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 14 seats left
Characters set in motion a series of events and actions that become the engine of your play. In this workshop we will look at strategies for exploring and developing characters in the early stages of writing your play and discuss ways to assess the potential of the characters to drive action in your story. In [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 8 seats left
Spend an evening sharing your stories, poems, and memoirs. This small-group coaching session will give you the opportunity to bring your voice– and self– to the words you’ve written. You’ll learn how to become a more genuine and effective communicator of your work, which will in turn fuel a more authentic writing process and outcome. [...]
Find out more$25.00 / $10.00 8 seats left
Writers of all genres, this uplifting workshop will guide your personal creative genius to 'write' on your feet using memory prompts to spark poems or mini stories to be shared in a judgment free zone. LIVE VIDEO CONFERENCE: This workshop will be held via our online video conferencing platform, Zoom. The dates and times will remain [...]
Find out moreFebruary 2021
$50.00 / $40.00 35 seats left
You may think you don’t have the time, energy, or inspiration to write because of your hectic lifestyle. Wrong! Learn what professional writers know about organizing their time, establishing a productive writing routine, and getting their stories written. The class will highlight methods that many professional writers use to complete their books in months instead [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 15 seats left
What does your audience need to know and when do they need to know it? You only have a couple of hours (often less) to tell a story onstage, so there isn’t much time for providing back stories. In this workshop we will consider various strategies for managing exposition and look at examples in their [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 27 seats left
Agents say it all the time. What sells a manuscript? A standout voice. Acquire the tools you need for developing a compelling voice of your own through the study of entertaining published examples, a clear explanation, and writing exercises designed to ignite your unique way of expressing yourself. You will enjoy a sense of excitement [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 25 seats left
Many free verse poets write for years without really understanding how a line of poetry functions and where it should end. Should it be as long as a breath, or should it end wherever there is a comma, a period, or a break in the syntax? In this workshop, we will look at how modern [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 12 seats left
This workshop offers a practical 16-point plan that takes you from the mere germ of an idea all the way through the creative process, with an eye on getting a finished book into the hands of potential fans. Participants will discuss how to transform the nub of an idea into a book-length project, populated with [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 15 seats left
This introductory workshop explores dialogue, the playwright’s primary tool for conveying a story that ultimately becomes a visual, aural and emotional experience for an audience. We will look at various functions of dialogue and we will discuss how actors, designers and directors use dialogue as a basis for transforming words on the page to life [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 12 seats left
The world can be a scary place, chaos and uncertainty making us feel isolated and alone. Remaining grounded in gratitude and community can help, as can connecting through art and writing. In this generative writing workshop, participants will examine gratitude as active pursuits in both writing and life. We will study contemporary poems that effectively [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 2 seats left
Thinking about writing a memoir? Writing a book is a big dream – so it’s important to start out on the right foot. In this class, you’ll get clear about what your memoir is really about. We’ll discuss timeframes, intentions, and goals for the finished project. Participants will leave this class with a clear roadmap [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 19 seats left
At the core of every good tale is a character with whom the reader wants to spend time. Discover how to move beyond the superficial and cliché, crafting characters who invite the reader to explore the human condition. Illustrations and exercises will help to uncover your character's inner values (in memoir that character is you) [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 39 seats left
To capture a reader's attention and hold it, an author needs a great first sentence, paragraph...chapter. How do we provide the hook that will draw readers--and that includes literary agents and publishers--into our stories, no matter the genre? This fun workshop will reveal tried-and-true techniques for launching your novel, short story, or memoir that will [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 12 seats left
In this session we will discuss, explore and attempt to demystify one of the more personal and varied aspects of a creative writer’s craft: process. We will look at some strategies for getting started, exploring a first draft, self-criticism and revision. We will also discuss briefly the opportunities available once a draft is ready for [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 24 seats left
Writing a book and getting it published is hard enough--however the work doesn’t end there. Both traditionally and self-published authors are expected to do their own promotion, and there are so many options for promotion, it can be hard to know which ones are most effective, let alone which ones are out there before publication. [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 12 seats left
Do you know why listening for the natural rhythms of speech can strengthen your writing? Have you ever wondered how scanning the lines of your first draft can make for a better poem? Here’s an opportunity to improve your ear for meter, and to fine-tune your understanding of how meter works in poetry. Guided by [...]
Find out moreMarch 2021
$50.00 / $40.00 39 seats left
Writing a novel takes commitment, but it doesn’t need to be daunting. Learn how to generate a handful of plots from which to choose, methods for effectively planning your story, and simple hacks for fine tuning your basic fiction skills. Participants will initiate a flexible writing plan that will keep their writing flowing. This is [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 13 seats left
We all have some poems that get stuck, despite the fact that we still care about them and want them to work. How do you open up a poem and keep its original energy? How you discover the heart of the poem and what it’s really trying to say and be? How do you spot [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 14 seats left
This workshop offers a practical 16-point plan that takes you from the mere germ of an idea all the way through the creative process, with an eye on getting a finished book into the hands of potential fans. Participants will discuss how to transform the nub of an idea into a book-length project, populated with [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 29 seats left
Why do so many poets writing today shy away from rhyme? Maybe it’s because they’re afraid it will make their poems sound old-fashioned. In fact, knowing how to rhyme subtly and skillfully can achieve quite the opposite. In this workshop, we will examine the many different rhyming strategies available. Discussing what distinguishes a “good” rhyme [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 40 seats left
It's often said that without conflict there is no story. It also holds true that strengthening the conflict in any type of fiction will bump up the tension and turn limp, ordinary fiction into an extraordinary tale that will keep readers turning pages. Whether you choose to write literary fiction, mysteries, family sagas, thrillers, historical [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 11 seats left
Considering giving a reading or presentation, but find yourself terrified by the idea? As writers, we long to share our creativity and passion, yet are often thwarted by fear and uncertainty. Join speaking coach and therapist Jennifer Hamady to learn how to alleviate your apprehension and generate fantastic public deliveries. In this fun, interactive workshop, [...]
Find out more$25.00 / $10.00 12 seats left
Writers of all genres, this uplifting workshop will guide your personal creative genius to 'write' on your feet using memory prompts to spark poems or mini stories to be shared in a judgment free zone. LIVE VIDEO CONFERENCE: This workshop will be held via our online video conferencing platform, Zoom. The dates and times will remain [...]
Find out moreApril 2021
$50.00 / $40.00 27 seats left
Whether you want to write a memoir, blog, college essay, letter to your granddaughter, or use your own life as the basis for fiction, life story writing requires that we tell where we come from and who we are. Learn to identify your story's essence, the truth it reveals, and to engage the reader through [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 40 seats left
The cleverest plot in the world won’t hold a reader’s attention if your characters are flat, unrealistic, and behave like stick figures on the page. Learn how to choose, develop, and employ interesting characters that readers will want to follow through your stories. Participants will learn how to create a strong character-reader bond and focus [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 15 seats left
Improve your villanelle skills, or write your first one. Guided by an internationally published author of sonnets, villanelles, and other metrical poems, you’ll first read classic and contemporary villanelles to see why they work. Next, the class will write a group villanelle, and then, with or without shortcuts, you’ll write one of your own. You'll [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 13 seats left
Improve your sonnet skills, or write your first one. Guided by an internationally published and anthologized author of sonnets, villanelles, and other metrical poems, you’ll first read classic and contemporary sonnets to see how and why they work. Then -- with or without shortcuts -- you’ll write one or more of your own. Next you'll [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 29 seats left
Write your life story as you lived it, one moment at a time. This interactive workshop teaches writers to distill a moment of change, conflict, contradiction, or mystery to its essence, so that the impact on the writer resonates profoundly with the reader. We will examine inspiring published examples to learn exactly how the writer [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 35 seats left
“Let us go then, you and I, where the evening is spread out against the sky like a patient etherized upon a table...” Poets and poems are often remembered for their opening lines, but is there a “right” or at least a “better” way to begin a poem? In this workshop, we will explore some [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 40 seats left
Revision is a dirty word to some writers. But you needn’t fear the challenges of polishing a manuscript before submission and publication. This fast-paced, half-day class focuses on the ten most common mistakes and concerns, often overlooked by authors before they send their story out into the world. Everything you do to your manuscript after [...]
Find out more$50.00 / $40.00 38 seats left
Lead with the future — not background. That’s the most important of eight journalism skills that will transform your writing. The others: write your readers’ language, be positive (to be both clear and upbeat), lay out logically, be consistent, be precise, be brief, and choose strong verbs. Highlights: communicate in a crisis, correct errors the [...]
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