Current Workshops & Classes

Queer stories have always existed outside of mainstream narratives, and LGBTQ+ writers often must forge new modes of storytelling in order to express their stories authentically. From fragmented memoir to epistolary poetic novel to book-length erasure, queer writers are creating works that subvert expectations of genre as they assert complex identities. In this reading class, we’ll look at works by mostly contemporary LGBTQ+ writers with queer styles and queer themes (click "Learn More" to see a list of writers we'll read). We’ll ask ourselves what people mean when they use “queer” as a verb, and how this gesture can impact an essay, story, poem, memoir, or other text. We’ll also look at texts to examine how writers negotiate queer narratives and tropes, like the coming out narrative, camp aesthetics, and historical events. Note: This class is open to writers and readers of all genders and sexualities and is not limited exclusively to students who identify as queer. Read full course description and course outline at the "Learn More" link!

CAROLINE BELLE STEWART's stories can be found in Gulf Coast, Denver Quarterly, Fairy Tale Review, Black Warrior Review, and elsewhere. She's the author of the chapbook "Husbandly Things" (Factory Hollow) & co-creator of “Mast Year: A Mystical Field Guide" (Mount Analogue). A recipient of fellowships from Monson Arts and MacDowell, she lives in Western MA.

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Narrative Poetry

2 Hours: Saturday, February 4 (1 - 3pm EST) • $45

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In human life, narrative is implicit. Where narrative is missing or muddled, the mind craves and provides a story. How do we harness this narrative impulse in poetry? And in what ways is the toolkit for narrative poetry similar to, and different from, that of the fiction writing toolkit? In this class, we’ll study a range of approaches to narrative poetry—from straightforward and linear to fractured and opaque. We’ll discuss character, POV, and the manipulation of time. And we’ll consider what makes the ultimate effect of narrative poetry wholly distinct. Limited to 12 writers.

ANDERS CARLSON-WEE is the author of Disease of Kings (W.W. Norton, 2023), The Low Passions (W.W. Norton, 2019), and Dynamite (Bull City Press, 2015). His work has appeared in The Paris Review, BuzzFeed, American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many other publications. The recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Bread Loaf, Sewanee, among others, he is the winner of the Poetry International Prize. Anders holds an MFA from Vanderbilt and is represented by Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents.

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Intro to Memoir

4 Weeks: Tuesdays, February 7 - 28 (1- 3pm EST) • $250

We all have memories that stay with us. Somewhere inside them is usually a story. It may be highly subjective, but more often than not, it holds a universal truth. How do you get to that truth? How do you create a story that has energy and depth and speaks to the reader? This workshop will focus not only on WHAT is being written but also on HOW it is written. Through writing exercises, readings, and discussions of both nonfiction and fiction, we will explore techniques to awaken the personal story on the page. While writers will not be submitting work to the group for feedback, there will be lots of opportunities after in-class writing to share with the group for brief, supportive, on-the-spot feedback. Read full course description and course outline at the "Learn More" link!

CELIA JEFFRIES is the author of the award-winning novel Blue Desert. Her work has appeared in numerous newspapers and literary magazines including Westview, Solstice, and Puerto del Sol, as well as the anthology Beyond the Yellow Wallpaper. She holds an MA from Brandeis and an MFA from Lesley University.

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Short Story Intensive (Intermediate-Level Workshop)

8 Meetings / 3 Months: Mondays, Feb. 20 - May 22 (6 - 8pm EST) • $425

This workshop meets every other week, for three months, with one exception. See dates in link!

This intermediate-level short story workshop meets eight times, over the course of three months, and is designed for writers who have a number of short story drafts about which they’re excited and who feel ready to exchange critiques in a rigorous and friendly environment. Each member of the group will get to submit two stories over the course of fourteen weeks, (max ~7,000 words each) and will read the work of two peers each week. In workshop, we’ll try to see each piece on its own terms—this will mean that, before liking or disliking features of a story, we’ll try to identify its intent, what it achieves, and then finally, what potential it might have yet to realize. Close attention will be paid to the interplay of ideas and themes, as well as to the emotional/intellectual “core” of the story. The course will include craft lectures, generative writing time guided by exercises, as well as one-on-one meetings with the instructor. Read full course description and course outline at the "Learn More" link! Limited to 8 writers.

NEIL RICHARD GRAYSON has been a schoolteacher, video game designer, rock climbing instructor, bartender, and cross-country hitchhiker. He holds degrees in English & Education, and an MFA from Ohio State University. His fiction, essays, and poetry have appeared in CutBank, HOBART, StoryScape Journal, Fiction Southeast, among others. He’s been awarded fellowships from The Kenyon Review, Community of Writers, and Martha’s Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing, and was recently nominated for a Pushcart.

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Magic & Metaphor: Introduction to Speculative Fiction

2 Hours: Saturday, February 18 (1 - 3pm EST) • $45

Sometimes telling a realistic story doesn’t feel as emotionally honest as, say, having a rebellious teenager fly out her high school window. Or showing how a woman—feeling alone—mummifies herself in toilet paper. Or perhaps a woman feels stifled in her marriage. She could sit around drinking too much white wine—or—her husband could bury her in the backyard after binge-watching The Bachelor. Magic is a way of elevating what’s familiar. It’s revealing, illuminating something about character. In this class, you’ll learn how to use magic in a way that gives resonance to the stories only you can tell. This class is designed for beginners and those new to speculative writing and combines craft discussion, generative exercises, and an opportunity to share your work and receive verbal instructor feedback. Two short readings will be sent to those enrolled to be read in advance of the class. All levels and genres. Limited to 12 writers.

LEONORA DESAR's fiction has appeared in places such as River Styx, Passages North, The Cincinnati Review, Black Warrior Review, and Columbia Journal, where she was chosen as a finalist by Ottessa Moshfegh. She has been selected for The Best Small Fictions, Best Microfiction, and the Wigleaf Top 50. She holds an MFA in fiction from NYU, where she taught creative writing, and an MS from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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Into the Weeds: A Generative Poetry Craft Course

6 Weeks: Wednesdays, February 22 - March 29 (6 - 8pm EST) • $350

Ever feel like your grasp on craft is limiting what you can write, and how well you can write it? In this generative course, we will do more than skim the surface of craft—we’ll get into the weeds and dissect the nuances of the smallest craft choices. We’ll discuss why one word shines when its synonyms wouldn’t; why one image implies while another doesn’t. We’ll consider how different rhythms give the same words different meanings; and how a single turn of phrase can bring a character to life. But we won’t stop there. We’ll take these new craft tools and put them to use, drafting fresh poems of our own. While focused on poetry, this course is open to all writers and the craft lessons will be applicable to all genres. At the end of the day, it’s all writing.
Read full course description and course outline at the "Learn More" link!

ANDERS CARLSON-WEE is the author of Disease of Kings (W.W. Norton, 2023), The Low Passions (W.W. Norton, 2019), and Dynamite (Bull City Press, 2015). His work has appeared in The Paris Review, BuzzFeed, American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many other publications. The recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Bread Loaf, Sewanee, among others, he is the winner of the Poetry International Prize. Anders holds an MFA from Vanderbilt and is represented by Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents.

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Intro to the Personal Essay

4 Weeks: Mondays, March 6 - 27 (6 - 8pm EST) • $250

Ready to put yourself on paper? Whether you’re just getting started or you’d like to get re-started, this course is for you. Here, we’ll get curious about key concepts in the art of the personal essay, including narrative, writing both scenes and reflections/ideas, and basic revision concepts, while studying examples from essayists like Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, Sy Montgomery, and Berry Grass. We’ll put what we learn into practice using prompts and generation exercises for inspiration, and in the second half of the course, each student will have the chance to workshop one draft with the whole class. By the end of the course, you’ll have generated at least two short essay drafts to take with you, and the tools to continue honing your craft. Read full course description and course outline at the "Learn More" link! Limited to 10 writers. For beginners.

CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKI is the author of the hybrid novel In a Dream, I Dance by Myself, and I Collapse (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2016). Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Everyday Feminism, DIAGRAM, West Branch, Huffington Post, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Naropa University and currently works in Western Massachusetts as an English professor and death doula.

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Generative Short Fiction Intensive (All-Levels)

8 Weeks: Tuesdays, March 7 - April 25 (6 - 8pm EST) • $400

Have you vowed you'll write more? That you'll reclaim your writer’s life? This fun, supportive deep-dive into short fiction is for you! In this generative workshop, you’ll create up to seven short fiction drafts using prompts on storytelling elements like plot, voice, structure, character, setting, and point of view. To represent each element and deepen our understanding, each week you’ll be guided by reading and discussing a story from the masters, including Manuel Gonzalez, Alice Munro, Jamaica Kincaid, Jhumpa Lahiri, and more. You will have the opportunity to submit at least two drafts to receive workshop feedback from the teacher and class. Though this is a generation-focused course, we’ll also touch on introductory revision strategies. Past participants have estimated that the at-home reading/writing takes 2-5 hours per week. Read full course description and course outline at the "Learn More" link!

CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKI is the author of the hybrid novel In a Dream, I Dance by Myself, and I Collapse (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2016). Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Everyday Feminism, DIAGRAM, West Branch, Dusie, Huffington Post, Denver Quarterly, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Naropa University and currently works in Western Massachusetts as an English professor and death doula.

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Experimenting with Style

4 Weeks: Fridays, March 10 - 31 (6 - 8pm EST) • $250

So you have a story that needs to be told. But how are you going to tell it? As writers, words are our building materials. The way we put them together — the length of our sentences, the sound of the words we choose, the size of our paragraphs — is what we call style. And a unique style can make a story stand out from the pack. In this generative workshop, we’ll focus in on a different aspect of style each week –– like sound and rhythm, structural constraint, mindful minimalism and maximalism, and formal vs. informal tone. We’ll read a wide range of writers with varying aesthetics (including authors like Noy Holland, Jamaica Kincaid, and Lily Hoang) to inspire and inform our work. And, since honing your personal style means experimenting with language, we'll put the tools we learn from these stories into practice in our own writing through weekly prompts that get us to think creatively about language. Three-four times throughout the course of the class, you’ll also have the opportunity to receive feedback on a short piece, to help you figure out how to develop your own style. For writers just starting out writing short stories, as well as more experienced writers looking to introduce a little flair into their prose. Read full course description and course outline at the "Learn More" link!

CAROLINE BELLE STEWART's stories can be found in Gulf Coast, Denver Quarterly, Fairy Tale Review, Black Warrior Review, and elsewhere. She's the author of the chapbook "Husbandly Things" (Factory Hollow) & co-creator of “Mast Year: A Mystical Field Guide" (Mount Analogue). A recipient of fellowships from Monson Arts and MacDowell, she lives in Western MA.

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Writing YA Fiction with a Compelling, Teenaged Voice

2 Hours: Saturday, March 11 (1 - 3pm EST) • $45

In this class, we’ll take a time machine back to high school. We’ll examine the components of YA fiction—accessible prose, pacing, and above all, a memorable protagonist and voice. We’ll mine two novel openings and ask: How do the authors create a believable and compelling narrator, and how can we use their tools for our own work? We’ll explore how to create an authentic voice, establish tension, and balance interiority with action and dialogue. Not least, we’ll explore how to weave humor with sadness—many YA authors embrace visceral and even disturbing subjects, while still managing to make readers laugh. This class is designed for beginners. It will combine discussion of craft and pre-assigned reading with generative writing prompts. You will be encouraged to share work and receive verbal instructor feedback, and leave with an understanding of YA fiction and the beginning of new work. Before class, you’ll read two novel excerpts, which should take roughly 15 - 30 minutes. For writers of all levels.

LEONORA DESAR's fiction has appeared in places such as River Styx, Passages North, The Cincinnati Review, Black Warrior Review, and Columbia Journal, where she was chosen as a finalist by Ottessa Moshfegh. She has been selected for The Best Small Fictions, Best Microfiction, and the Wigleaf Top 50. She holds an MFA in fiction from NYU, where she taught creative writing, and an MS from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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Raise the Stakes: Arcs and Conflict

3 Hours: Saturday, March 18 (1 - 4pm EST) • $60

Have you ever been asked to "Raise the stakes!” in your writing, only to find yourself asking, “What the heck are stakes... how does one raise them?” Or, have you been told, “I love this character, but nothing really happens…” In this workshop, you will learn how to construct story arcs. Whether you are a plot driven, or character driven writer, hands-on exercises will teach you how to define circumstances, amplify tension, escalate internal, and external conflicts. There will also be a group discussion centered around analysis of scenes from work with strong arcs. As well as time for optional sharing of your work with the group. This workshop is ideal for short story writers, novelists, screenwriters, or playwrights looking to up the ante. Limited to 12 writers.

KIRA ROCKWELL is a neurodiverse playwright and educator. She is an Artist Fellow in Dramatic Writing with the Mass Cultural Council, a Recipient of Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting Award, an Elliot Norton Nominee, and more. Her work has been developed with The Kennedy Center, National New Play Network, Great Plains Theatre Commons, among others. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Boston University. As an educator, she has taught at Brandeis University, Wheaton College, and centers across New England.

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Creating Compelling Characters

4 Weeks: Wednesdays, April 5 - 26 (6 - 8pm EST) • $250

In this class, we'll unlock the toolbox for Creating Compelling Characters. Each session will include a handful of engaging writing prompts, out of the box exercises, analysis of character driven works, light group discussion, as well as the opportunity to share your work and receive constructive, writer centered, feedback. We will craft characters from the inside out by crafting the outside shells, inner cores, relationships, and motives in order to keep characters active in the story and their ultimate transformation. This class is designed for writers of literary or genre fiction, playwrights, and screenwriters. Writers at any level will gain a deeper understanding of how to craft character and come away with an invigorated approach to their writing. Read full course description and course outline at the "Learn More" link! All levels. Limited to 10 writers.

KIRA ROCKWELL is a neurodiverse playwright and educator. She is an Artist Fellow in Dramatic Writing with the Mass Cultural Council, a Recipient of Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting Award, an Elliot Norton Nominee, and more. Her work has been developed with The Kennedy Center, National New Play Network, Great Plains Theatre Commons, among others. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Boston University. As an educator, she has taught at Brandeis University, Wheaton College, and centers across New England.

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Revising and Polishing Your Poems

4 Weeks: Saturdays, April 8 - 29 (10am - 12pm EST) • $250

For most poets revision can be daunting, and yet it is the most important step toward creating work that resonates with readers. If you aren’t receiving regular feedback, this workshop will provide tools for discovering what your poems need. We will explore issues of craft including beginnings and endings, tension, line breaks, form, and diction. Each session will focus on giving and receiving feedback on poems that you want to improve in an atmosphere of respect. Before each session, students will send one poem for feedback, will work on suggested revisions between sessions, and complete 3-4 poems. Revision exercises will be given each week to use for future work. This workshop is geared toward beginners and advanced beginners. Read full course description and course outline at the "Learn More" link! Limited to 10 writers.

GAIL THOMAS' books are Trail of Roots, Leaving Paradise, Odd Mercy, Waving Back, No Simple Wilderness, and Finding the Bear. Her poems have been widely published in journals and anthologies including CALYX, Beloit Poetry Journal, North American Review, and elsewhere. She has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony and Ucross, and several poems have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

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Intermediate / Advanced Creative Nonfiction Workshop

8 Weeks: Mondays, April 10 - May 29 (6 - 8pm EST) • $400

This course is designed to give creative nonfiction writers, both those writing short essays and full manuscripts, the opportunity to give and receive feedback on work in progress. Writers may be working in any creative nonfiction genre, including but not limited to personal essay, memoir, travel writing, science and nature writing, political commentary, philosophical or contemplative essays, literary journalism, lyric essay, and hybrid or experimental work. The course offers a model for workshopping in which participants will receive written comments from the group and instructor via Google Docs during the week, before their work is discussed in class. Instead of remaining silent, writers will be an active participant in the conversation about their work, with a focus on revision. Each participant will get the chance to workshop up to 5,000 words at least twice through the course. Participants will also receive readings and occasional writing exercises via email to supplement craft discussions and teacher lectures. Read full course description and course outline at the "Learn More" link! For intermediate and advanced writers with a serious commitment to taking their work to the next level. Limited to 8 writers. 

CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKI is the author of the hybrid novel In a Dream, I Dance by Myself, and I Collapse (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2016). Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Everyday Feminism, DIAGRAM, West Branch, Dusie, Huffington Post, Denver Quarterly, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Naropa University and currently works in Western Massachusetts as an English professor and death doula.

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Earth Day: Connecting to Nature Through Writing & Art

3 Hours: Saturday, April 22 (1 - 4pm EST) • $60

Climate change affects us all, and climate policy dialogues are increasingly in the media spotlight. In this single-session workshop, we will reflect on our relationship with nature through discussion and writing prompts; consider the impact of our current actions on future generations; and each student will compose their own pledge to be a steward of the environment. From our earliest experiences of observing and interacting with nature, to trying to keep nature immersion as a regular practice in a busy adult life, we will explore our memories, attitudes, and hopes for the natural environment. If you are working on a larger writing project that incorporate these ideas, this class will help you to write embodied, visceral prose that comes from an authentic place. This is a multidisciplinary and multi-media workshop that integrates meditation, visual poster-making, and (if possible) a break to walk outside and contact your nearest natural space. See full description for a list of recommended materials! All levels and genres. Limited to 12 writers.

MICHELLE LEVY is a book editor, writer, and Certified Environmental Educator. Her essays have appeared in Hippocampus Magazine, Humans and Nature, GoNOMAD, and more. She's completed 90-day wilderness survival courses in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru. Originally from Chicago, she lived in Latin America for two years and Manhattan most of her life, and she now lives in the forest in the Catskills, with her two daughters, two cats, and a colony of stick bugs.

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Writing for Social Media:

Starting Your Blog / Newsletter

6 Weeks: Thursdays, May 4 - June 8 (6 - 8pm EST) • $350

Medium, Substack, Wordpress. You’ve certainly heard of them–perhaps you’ve read items on these platforms. Maybe you even have a site yourself that you've left dormant. Whatever the case is, this course is designed to help you start or revamp your online writing, to think up dynamic topics, play to your strengths, and generate endless posts that bring in a healthy following. Developing an online platform is a great way to write about your personal experience or expertise on a topic, connect with others, and in some cases, can lead to acquiring an agent and/or book deal. Over the course of six weeks, students will learn about numerous formats of online writing and discover strategies to build their own platforms. Each week, students will complete in-class writing to generate ideas of what their platform will be about. For writers of all levels and genres. Students should expect 1 - 2 hours of work each week. Limited to 10 writers.

ANITA GILL is a Fulbright Scholar whose work has appeared in The Iowa Review, Kweli, Prairie Schooner, The Offing, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. Her writing has been listed as Notable in Best American Essays and has won The Iowa Review Award in Nonfiction. She holds an MA in Literature from American University, and an MFA in Writing from Pacific University. She currently serves as Nonfiction Editor for Hypertext Review.

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The Poetry Chapbook: Creating and Publishing

3 Weeks: Saturdays, May 13 - 27 (10am - 12pm EST) • $200

If you have a group of poems you’d like to publish as a chapbook, this workshop will guide you through the process. A good chapbook is more than a shorter version of a full-length book and more than a steppingstone to a first volume. You will learn how to select, edit and order poems and how to search for a publisher. There will be hands-on exercises to demonstrate steps of the assembling process. Writers who would most benefit from this class are those who have 20-30 pages of completed work. (Prior to the first class, writers will submit 10 pages of poetry to be used to demonstrate assembly). Read full course description and course outline at the "Learn More" link! Limited to 10 writers.

GAIL THOMAS' books are Trail of Roots, Leaving Paradise, Odd Mercy, Waving Back, No Simple Wilderness, and Finding the Bear. Her poems have been widely published in journals and anthologies including CALYX, Beloit Poetry Journal, North American Review, and elsewhere. She has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony and Ucross, and several poems have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

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Get Unstuck: Lighting the Creative Fire

2 Hours: Saturday, May 13 (1 - 3pm EST) • $45