Are you curious about translating real-life events onto the page? Do you have personal stories that seem like they could work together holistically? Are you a consummate journaler who wants to experiment with craft? In this two-day intensive, we break down specific craft elements (structure, characterization, time management, etc), and then use what we’ve learned […]
read moreThis class focuses on basic tips for revising poetry, giving and receiving constructive poetic feedback, and how to further revise a poem after a group workshop. First, we'll get inspired by topics or prompts discussed in class and revise poems you have been working on to get them workshop-ready. Then, workshop your poem among peers […]
read moreWhether you're currently working on a literary project or trying to get inspiration, this generative workshop will serve as a gentle and fun way to push yourself creatively. Through prompts, mini-lectures, readings, supportive discussion, group members will work towards realizing their prose visions.
read moreDive into screenwriting in this seven-week class exploring on the core elements of storytelling: character, conflict, and climax. This class breaks down the essentials of a compelling script, exploring how to craft memorable characters, create dynamic conflict, and build tension to a powerful climax. You'll have the chance to develop your ideas from concept to […]
read moreSending writing to literary journals can be an intimidating process. In this two-hour class, we'll take a step-by-step approach to sending our writing out to journal editors. Learn directly from Samantha Steiner, MFA, a writer with 50+ publications including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. In addition to her work in the world of book publishing, Steiner […]
read moreThomas Larson writes that “memoir is most successful when it is not the ‘story of a life,’ but a focused part of that life—a dozen summers spent working on a grandfather’s farm, a long relationship with a dying relative, the first year of law school.” You’ll work with writing prompts and timed writing exercises, and […]
read moreExplore the possibilities of the prose poem. Each week, we'll read and discuss examples of prose poems (historic and contemporary), then use these conversations to inspire us as we write prose poems of our own.
read moreHave you taken poetry workshops at VisArts? Do you feel ready to deepen your craft? Work with other experienced writers to study, learn new forms and critique your classmates' work.
read moreGot ideas for a science fiction or fantasy story but aren’t sure how to approach it? Have you wanted to try exploring these imaginative genres but need a push to get started? Looking for like-minded folks with whom to share work and explore ideas? If you answered yes to any of those questions, this is […]
read moreDo you have story ideas but don’t know where to start? Are you wondering what to do with those completed story drafts that need revision? Or, maybe you’re a first-time writer looking for a way into the work? In this two-day intensive, we break down specific craft elements (POV, time management, characterization, etc), and then […]
read moreWhat does it mean to write about home? We’ll examine the many kinds of homes that exist, ranging from houses to nations to the body itself. Our conversation will take us from the Grimms’ Fairytale “Hansel and Gretel” to the present day as we write about our changing relationships with home in the time of […]
read moreAre you looking for a creative way to process your childhood or recount memories? Look no further! This 4-week class will dive into childhood and early adulthood in the form of creative essays or short stories. We will include workshop time so students can receive feedback on their work as well as writing exercises to […]
read moreThis class is for the conversations that still need to happen. We’ll talk about the barriers that keep us from writing what we need to write. We’ll also examine works by Chanel Miller, Jeannette Walls, and Layli Long Soldier to take lessons from the ways in which they make difficult topics easier to access. Students […]
read moreDo you: Overthink the first draft? Struggle to get past creative resistance? Every draft is an experiment. In this class, participants will engage with on-the-spot experimental prompts, workshop short drafts, and come away with a new and renewed skill set for their creative process.
read moreHow are poems made? A poem is made from the mind (an idea), the body (the hands, the eyes, the mouth, the ears following sounds), and something else akin to the mystical, the visionary, the awe-inspired. This non-traditional workshop will use found poetry, erasure, collage, scraps, materials, and interesting forms and prompts to allow poems […]
read moreYou’re likely working on a book-sized project when your ideas feel too big to fit into your head. In this one-off class, we’ll discuss strategies for organizing and structuring large narrative projects like memoirs and novels. For creative thinkers, too much planning can feel constraining—but it doesn't have to be! In this class, we’ll practice […]
read moreThis six-week personal essay class will walk you through the process of writing, revising, and submitting an essay to the New York Times' Modern Love essay column. Discussions of published essays from the column and writing advice from the editor Daniel Jones will create a foundation for writing your own Modern Love style essays. Prompts […]
read moreExplore short story fiction writing by studying narrative craft elements like story, plot, character, scene, structure, archetypal patterns and dialogue. We’ll examine professionally published pieces and your own work. By the end of the course, you’ll be ready to begin a story based on a word or an idea. You’ll also understand how to evaluate […]
read moreIn this intimate four-week class, we will work together to organize your poems into a cohesive poetry manuscript. We'll focus on poem ordering and revision to tease out the book length poem your individual poems work together to create. This class is for folks who have started or want to start the process of pulling […]
read moreExplore the dark self, what Carl Jung called the “shadow” part of our psyche. Sometimes we see it in our dreams, sometimes it appears in dark imaginings. We’ll learn what the shadow can add to our creative writing by experimenting with timed writing, dream journals, guided imagery and Active Imagination.
read moreThe haibun may have its origins in Basho and Ancient Japanese poetics, but that hasn’t stopped it from captivating poets and readers in the modern age. Learn about how to craft a haibun, and why one might turn to a poetic form that largely consists of prose. You'll leave this class with two haibun drafts […]
read moreWhy do folktales and fairy tales have such a remarkable staying power? Author and mythographer Marina Warner suggests that it’s “because the meanings they generate are themselves magical shape-shifters, dancing to the needs of their audience.” In this class, we’ll read and discuss fairy tales, both traditional and revisionist. We will then reimagine them, as […]
read moreExplore the fundamental elements of poetry, through the reading and writing of poems. We'll read and discuss poems written by other people, then write poems of our own, with special attention to elements of line, image, and syntax. Students will learn how close readings of other poems may inspire their own work, and how they […]
read moreIn this introductory class, we will take some basic principles of photography and apply them to our work as writers. We will take photos; do some writing; learn to crop and edit both our images and our words; talk about the similarities between the two art forms; and how our exploration of one can feed […]
read moreThis workshop is for students who have some experience writing poetry and are looking to dig deeper into their writing practice. In this poetry workshop, we'll read published poems (written by contemporary and historical poets), and we'll use this work to inspire our own creative writing work. We'll write poems, and we'll spend time discussing […]
read more