You may think you don't have the time, energy, or inspiration to write because of your hectic lifestyle. Wrong! Join us for coffee and pastries, and 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 [...]

Do you want to write about subjects such as loss, shame, and trauma but are unsure how to proceed? In this workshop for women-identifying writers, participants will follow Adrienne Rich’s poem “Diving Into the Wreck” as a guide, using the tools of persona, voice, and memory to mine the rich territory of our most deeply [...]

Three days! Lots of prompts and time to write, share your work and learn some craft!

To capture a reader's attention and hold it, an author needs a great first sentence, paragraph, and chapter. How do we provide the hook that will draw readers 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 make your story's [...]

This workshop will allow writers of all genres to think and ‘write’ on their feet, using verbal and non-verbal warmups, and new original games to stimulate perspective, generate cognitive flexibility, and gain creative flow. Get rid of the negativity blocking your creativity in a judgement free zone. Gain a multifaceted perspective knowing that all answers [...]

Fear is just excitement without the breath! What if there was something you haven't learned yet that could change everything? The mission in this workshop is to help you use your fear as a compass, instead of letting it paralyze you - to help you write and share the pieces of your soul aching to [...]

Just as we learn to speak by hearing others speak around us, it’s our lifetime of reading that largely makes us who we are as writers. So, what are you reading, and how? In this workshop, you will experience seven techniques for becoming more conscious of yourself as a reader, deepening the experience of reading [...]

Tell a story that takes the writer to a brand new place, highlighting inciting (exciting!) events, world building, and unforgettable characters! This workshop is for writers of fiction (story or novel), memoir, or essay. The course will include writing prompts, instruction on writerly topics and reading assignments as well as peer review/workshop. Please bring the [...]

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 [...]

Writers from The Writer’s Center will unite with visual artists at Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center in Hyattsville, MD, to learn the ins and outs of collaborative partnerships and practice making work together. Participants will first get to know one another's creative and work styles, create new work drawing on one another's art and ideas, and [...]

Learn the skills to identify precisely the right word to express your meaning, feeling, or subtext. Participants will look at examples in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and discuss what makes an expression fresh rather than expected, where and how to find the mot juste (the exact, appropriate word), and why precision can succeed in getting [...]

Struggling to reach a writing goal, or want more creativity in your life? In this class, you’ll learn what’s needed to build a regular writing practice that works for you. As a group, participants will discuss obstacles to success, and begin to recognize and work with triggers and roadblocks. Participants will experiment with a variety [...]

How do you develop that most elusive of elements for a writer--your own voice? What are the elements of craft that go into voice? What creates vivid, distinctive narratives? Whether you are writing fiction or creative nonfiction, this one-day workshop will focus on several in-class prompts and writing samples designed to experiment with "voice" in [...]

Whether you are a writer of fiction, memoir, or personal essay, this class will give you the tools to make your prose sparkle and draw-in readers beginning with the first sentence. Participants will learn the creative use of sensory detail, metaphor, word choice, and pacing, which will be discussed and applied through in-class exercises and [...]

Do you read the New York Times "Tiny Love Stories" and think: I have a big, tiny love story? Can you imagine writing your life story in 100 words, or less? This workshop will focus on the exploding writing genre of micro fiction and non-fiction. Through prompts, writing samples, and in-class discussion, participants will write [...]

This class of mini-lectures and short exercises will take us through some of the following questions: who sees (when, how, and where), who knows (what, when, and how), and who speaks? There will be assigned readings emailed before class (check your email), and short exercises in class. Come ready for a lively, interactive time.

Explore the deep roots and traditions of women’s literature. The workshop will include discussion of some of the most important themes and techniques of women’s writing down the millennia; guided writing time to create your own poetry and prose in touch with these traditions; and the chance to share your work with our group. Suggested [...]

Just as in life, difficult and complicated people inhabit both fiction and personal essays. But how do we create interest in and empathy for the least likable? What is the leap of imagination that's required? There will be pre-class reading assignments and a writing assignment emailed ahead of time to jump-start our time together.

In this workshop, participants will look closely at the uses of metaphor, image, and concrete detail, as well as rhythm and inflection, in prose writing (both fiction and nonfiction). This will be an exercise-based class with mini-lectures from the instructor. Participants will receive reading assignments via email before the class begins.