A poetry workshop for queer-identified writers who want to write poems. We’ll explore writing poems from a queer orientation, read and discuss contemporary queer poets as a site of inspiration, joy, and expression, and write our own poems using queer identity as both a foundation and a means of queering genre. A desire to write […]
read moreIn this creative writing workshop, we will read from exciting and unusual poetic memoirists, read our own work out loud, and gently and compassionately workshop each other's writing. In doing this, we will explore the process of transforming our memories into works of art.
read moreMake a keepsake collection of family memories that have shaped your family as you define it today. This class is a great fit for anyone looking for an avenue into memoir writing. On our first day, we will look at family traditions and examine major events in our family histories. On our second day, we […]
read moreIf you love holiday movies or have a winter tradition to share, join us as we write winter-themed short stories (all holidays are welcome!). We’ll create story outlines, start at the end with closing scenes, then work backwards to opening scenes. Consider giving this class as a holiday gift to a budding writer in your […]
read moreFor centuries, poets have paid homage to anything and anyone they enjoy through the poetic style known as the ode. In a class ideal for this season of festivity, we will concentrate on our loved ones and their favorite things with the intention of composing a beloved ode just for them– or treat ourselves to […]
read moreIn this two and a half-hour workshop, author Rachel Beanland will lead participants through a series of readings, discussions, and exercises designed to explore narrative point-of-view. Plan to spend time analyzing first-, second- and third-person narratives, discussing the pros and cons of each, and determining what the best narrative approach is for you and your […]
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 2-hour session, we’ll engage with one of the hottest new genres in writing: the super short form. We’ll tell stories that make us breathless, hopeful, and hungry. Many of us are familiar with the short story, but there’s a whole range of writings shorter than that. Take flash fiction, which is 500 words […]
read moreIn this 2-hour session, we’ll talk about how songs are built, including what make a chorus, a verse, and a bridge. We’ll look at popular songs as we write our own original lyrics. We’ll also talk about the intimidating questions of how to begin and end a song. As we delve deeper into the mechanics […]
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 moreEngage in mindfulness practices while exploring hip-hop music. Students will reflect on themes like esteem, resilience, growth, community, and change, drawing inspiration to write original lyrics and record songs. Students will work individually and together to build a body of work that speaks to something important to them.
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 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 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 moreWhole Black Self is a one-day workshop using the poem “Whole Black Self” from Kristina Hamlett's book of poetry and prose “She Lives Here” to examine the challenges and joys of living as a Black person in this country, especially in the wake of COVID-19 and the rise of social justice advocacy. There will be […]
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 moreThis generative workshop will be collaborative with a focus on listening and the vulnerability of quieting down and tuning in. Like a pod, we will move through each other's words and work, so that together we can find new places to write from and to. Plan to bring a few lines or a whole poem […]
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 moreMake art that tells a story! Students will read books and play games to explore writing, illustration, and big ideas in storytelling, and create artwork inspired by stories.
read moreCelebrate the poet Emily Dickinson by reading some of her poems, eating her famous cake, and writing poems of your own. We'll also look at some of Dickinson's manuscripts and letters, and we'll consider how her writing process and life experiences shaped her poetry.
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 morePoems and Prose: Let’s make erasures together. This workshop will explore the form and practice of erasure (also called blackout or whiteout) as a multi-textual, creative process in and of itself. We’ll create erasures and read erasures, discuss erasures and the multimodal manipulation of text to create new poems, prose pieces that double as visual […]
read moreJoin us for a creative nonfiction workshop! What is creative nonfiction? Think about a memoir or creative essay or short story– those can be creative nonfiction! Whether you have a story you need to tell or want to explore important themes in your life, this class is perfect for you!
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 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 more