Key to Classes
We offer classes on weekday evenings, weekday mornings, and the daytime on weekends. All classes are listed on this page within their respective genre sections (i.e. all Poetry classes are listed together).
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| Daytime Classes and Seminars |
Evening Classes and Seminars |
Writing Studios (for advanced/professional writers) |
NEW! Important Information!
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The Muse Writers Center Classes
Looking for a place to express your inner writer? This session, we'll offer classes that meet for a variety of lengths, including one day & 2-, 3-, 4-, 6-, 7-, and 8-week classes. The Muse's instructors are all working writers and published authors who have taught courses at colleges, universities, and other community organizations. Class size is usually capped at 8 or 9 students—classes with different maximum sizes are indicated in the class listing.
When you take a class at The Muse Writers Center, you'll find yourself part of a diverse community of writers in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Classes range from those geared for novice writers or those with some writing experience who are looking for a structured environment in which to bloom to those geared for intermediate, advanced, or professional writers.
No matter what kind of class you take, you will be a vital part of the class. Attendance and class participation is critical, as you will be helping both yourself and your classmates develop your craft.
General Classes and Writing Workshops
Some classes are seminars where you will be learning a specific aspect of craft. In general, classes combine creative exercises designed to inspire, readings selected to support your work, and discussions to stimulate that work within an encouraging and nurturing environment. Most classes include a workshop component--based on the undergraduate and graduate-level workshop model, where current work is distributed to all members of the group for helpful criticism and advice. In a workshop, students are expected to both produce work for group critique and take time to provide feedback to other class members. Deadlines and guidance from our experienced instructors encourage participants to produce their finest work.
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Writing Studios
Continuing from the Intermediate Writing Workshop model, Muse Writing Studios are open to advanced and professional writers who are looking for a community and guidance while working on a project or refining their craft. Writing Studios are generally closed to open registration. Permission by the Studio's teacher and a submission of a writing sample is required for admittance into the Studio Group.
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Introduction to Writing Poetry
This course, for beginners and all interested in writing poetry, is designed to help you write and respond to poetry through creative exercises, readings and discussions. Each member of the group will write and revise original poems. Together, we will explore your handling of voice, imagery, structure, word choice and line in a stimulating and supportive workshop environment. Sign up today and join our talented and friendly writing community.
Sundays, 1-3:30 p.m.
an 8 week session beginning June 30
Instructor: Kindra McDonald
Open to: writers of all levels of experience
Meets: June 30, July 7, 14, 21, 28, August 4, 11, 18
Session cost: $215 ($200 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 6
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The Poetry Workshop
This continuing course, for poets with some experience, is designed to help you compose and respond to poetry through creative exercises, readings, and discussions. Each member of the group will write and revise original poems; together, we will explore your handling of voice, imagery, structure, word choice, and line in a stimulating and supportive workshop environment. To be critiqued, you will submit your work to the group prior to each class meeting.
Mondays, 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 10
Instructor: Noah Renn
Open to: continuing members and new members with some workshop experience
Meets: June 10, 24, July 8, 22, August 5, 19
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 1
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The Prose Poem Workshop
With the poetic qualities of its prose and its absence of line breaks, the prose poem is an intersection of forms and genres which invites experimentation and revels in unpredictability. We’ll look at prose poetry from writers including Charles Baudelaire, Gertrude Stein, Lisa Jarnot, and Ray Gonzalez, and we will write our own prose poems to be workshopped. Together, we’ll explore the possibilities of voice and music, narration and compression, rhythm and imagery in this flexible poetic form.
Sundays, 1-3:30 p.m.
a 4 week session beginning June 2
Instructor: Patti Hinson
Open to: poets with some workshop experience
Meets: June 2, 9, 23, 30
Session cost: $155 ($145 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 5
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Rewriting the World, from the Margins: Poetry, Exile, and Displacement
Among the things poetry promises is transport—which is really one of the first steps toward empathy and understanding: that is, through language, we are brought as close as possible to the experience of other lives and other worlds. And in these contemporary times, when there is an even more urgent call for the cultivation of an empathetic and humanistic sensibility, what poetry is capable of conveying is the sense that we do not have to completely abandon our own sense of who we are, or who we are still always becoming, in order to consider another life, another voice, another experience. In this workshop we will focus on the linked reading of selected works of poets who write from exile or from some perspective of displacement, and the generation of our own new poems around the course theme. We will ask these kinds of questions, which may in turn lead us to other questions: What does the poet in exile—or the poet in a transglobal world with ever-shifting boundaries—have to teach us about the world? How does it invigorate our insights—of self, of each other, of our larger sense of community, of our vocabulary and writing practice—when we view the world from the margins, from the in-between, from the outside, or from the not-here?
Sundays, 1-3:30 p.m.
a 4 week session beginning July 21
Instructor: Luisa Igloria
Open to: poets with some workshop experience
Meets: July 21, 28, August 4, 11
Session cost: $155 ($145 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 3
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To See the World in a Grain of Sand: An Exploration of Nature Poetry
Through readings and guided exercises we will explore the genre of nature poetry, working to develop a keener perception of the natural world and a deeper understanding of the mystery of the relationship we share with it. We will read and discuss the work of poets ranging in style from William Blake to Mary Oliver to Gerard Manley Hopkins, and compose our own work in response to the wild world around us.
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
a 4 week session beginning August 10
Instructor: Suzanne Rhodes
Open to: poets with some workshop experience
Meets: August 10, 17, 24, 31
Session cost: $170 ($155 returning students) A copy of Suzanne Rhode’s book, Hungry Foxes, is included in the tuition price.
Seats Remaining: 5
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The Poetry Studio
The studio continues! Members of the group will actively write and revise original poetry, with a special emphasis on the careful review of members' work, the examination of the literary and commercial marketplace, and the submission of work for publication. Work will be submitted in advance of each meeting. All poems submitted will be critiqued during that meeting.
Tuesdays, 7-9:30 p.m. (monthly)
a 4 meeting session beginning June 18
An announcement will be made soon as to the available seats in this class
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Introduction to Fiction Writing: Daytime Session
We all have stories to tell, whether we are aiming for short stories or novels, and in this class we will begin to explore both the fundamentals of craft and the even more crucial challenge of carving out a space for yourself as an artist. We will work at every level with your stories, from the mystery of the creative impulse itself to the logistics of getting a character from one end of the room to another. We will study excerpts from the fiction masters to see what we can learn and what we can copy. With any luck, we'll also have some fun getting to know each other and ourselves along the way. Come join us! Your instructor will make every effort to tailor the submission schedule to your goals.
Wednesday, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
an 8 week session beginning June 19
Instructor: Michael Khandelwal
Open to: writers of all levels of experience
Meets: June 19, 26, July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, August 7
Session cost: $215 ($200 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 7
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Introduction to Fiction Writing: Evening Session
We all have stories to tell, whether we are aiming for short stories or novels, and in this class we will begin to explore both the fundamentals of craft and the even more crucial challenge of carving out a space for yourself as an artist. We will work at every level with your stories, from the mystery of the creative impulse itself to the logistics of getting a character from one end of the room to another. We will study excerpts from the fiction masters to see what we can learn and what we can copy. With any luck, we'll also have some fun getting to know each other and ourselves along the way. Come join us! Your instructor will make every effort to tailor the submission schedule to your goals.
Thursdays, 7-9:30 p.m.
an 8 week session beginning June 13
Instructor: Eric Ramseier
Open to: writers of all levels of experience
Meets: June 13, 20, 27, July 11, 18, 25, August 1, 8
Session cost: $215 ($200 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 4
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The Fiction Workshop: Section A
The Fiction Workshop continues with returning writers and new members with writing experience. Members of the group will actively write and revise original short stories and chapters of novels. All members of the group will have the opportunity to submit material for the workshop. You will have at least two to three opportunities to be critiqued during the session.
Wednesdays, 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 12
Instructor: Leslie Clements
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 12, 26, July 10, 24, August 7, 21
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 4
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The Fiction Workshop: Section B
The Fiction Workshop continues with returning writers and new members with writing experience. Members of the group will actively write and revise original short stories and chapters of novels. All members of the group will have the opportunity to submit material for the workshop. You will have at least two to three opportunities to be critiqued during the session.
Tuesdays, 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 11
Instructor: Eric Ramseier
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 11, 25, July 9, 23, August 6, 20
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 6
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Flash Fiction Seminar
How hard can it be to write flash fiction? After all it only has to be 500 words long. What elevates your 500 words from the realm of the vignette or scene or sketch to the level of an actual story? Flash fiction is not simply condensed fiction. Though it may be packed with meaning, it is not a summary but a story in its own right. In this one-meeting seminar, Lydia Netzer shares three ways you can ignite your story in a very tiny space, and a few secrets to help you get it firing immediately.
Saturday, August 31, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Lydia Netzer
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 6
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Writing Young Adult Fiction Workshop
Young Adult (YA) fiction is literature written for adolescents generally between 12 and 18. While the audience is young (or young at heart), YA is an increasingly popular genre. Think Hunger Games, Harry Potter, A Wrinkle in Time, and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. The YA workshop explores both the richness of storytelling and the craft of fiction. Whether you're working on a short story, a novel, or a trilogy, you'll have the opportunity to submit pages at every meeting.
Sundays, 4-6:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 9
Instructor: Mae Lynn Walker
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 9, 23, July 7, 21, August 4, 18
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 3
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The Novel Studio
This Studio will focus on helping more advanced writers with the challenges of a long work of fiction--plot, structure, character development, keeping tension and your morale up, and just plain not losing your way. All members of the group will submit material at least three times during the session. We will also spend considerable time on revision and learning how to mine a draft for its hidden potential. This is an advanced/professional studio where students must have completed other fiction writing courses and a novel should be well under way. Students should bring a brief outline or synopsis of their novel-in-progress to the first class.
Sundays, 4-6:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 9
Instructor: Ellen Bryson
Open to: advanced and professional writers; students must apply by submitting a writing sample (no more than 15 pages) via email
Meets: June 9, 23, July 7, 21, August 4, 18
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 3
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The Daytime Fiction Studio: Section A
Returning writers and new members with workshop experience will actively write and revise original short stories and chapters of novels as well as consider various elements of fiction writing. All members of the group will have the opportunity to submit material for the workshop, with at least two to three opportunities to be critiqued during the session.
Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 4
Instructor: Michael Khandelwal
Open to: advanced and professional writers; students must apply by submitting a writing sample (no more than 15 pages) via email
Meets: June 14, 18, July 2, 16, 30, August 13
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 1
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The Daytime Fiction Studio: Section B
Returning writers and new members with workshop experience will actively write and revise original short stories and chapters of novels as well as consider various elements of fiction writing. All members of the group will have the opportunity to submit material for the workshop, with at least two to three opportunities to be critiqued during the session.
Mondays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 3
Instructor: Michael Khandelwal
Open to: advanced and professional writers; students must apply by submitting a writing sample (no more than 15 pages) via email
Meets: June 3, 17, July 1, 15, 29, August 12
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 1
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The Daytime Fiction Workshop
The Fiction Workshop continues with returning writers and new members with writing experience. Members of the group will actively write and revise original short stories and chapters of novels. All members of the group will have the opportunity to submit material for the workshop. You will have at least two to three opportunities to be critiqued during the session.
Mondays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 10
Instructor: Michael Khandelwal
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 10, 24, July 8, 22, August 5, 19
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
THIS CLASS IS FULL AND CLOSED TO REGISTRATION
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The Fiction Studio
Returning writers and new members with workshop experience will actively write and revise original short stories and chapters of novels as well as consider various elements of fiction writing. All members of the group will have the opportunity to submit material for the workshop, with at least two to three opportunities to be critiqued during the session.
Mondays, 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 3
Instructor: Michael Khandelwal
Open to: advanced and professional writers; although this class is full, students must apply to the waiting list by submitting a writing sample (no more than 15 pages) via email
Meets: June 3, 17, July 1, 15, 29, August 12
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
THIS CLASS IS FULL AND CLOSED TO REGISTRATION
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Daytime Introduction to Memoir: My Life, One Story at a Time
The goal in this workshop is to share your life stories in short personal writing. Knowing that you are writing not necessarily for publication but to set the record straight (in your own mind, if nothing else) will liberate you, allowing you to frankly explore your life choices and experiences, achievements and mistakes, beliefs and convictions.
Fridays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 21
Instructor: Heather Weddington
Open to: writers of all levels of experience
Meets: June 21, July 5, 19, August 2, 16, 30
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 6
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Personal Narratives: An Introduction to Memoir
Personal narratives are the work of memory and craft, style and substance. In this workshop we will move toward uncovering the stories within ourselves which most need telling. Through writing exercises, readings, and constructive discussions of our short essays-in-progress, we'll explore the ways in which language, voice, and literary techniques can bring the truth of our experiences to vibrant life on the page.
Wednesdays, 7-9:30 p.m.
an 8 week session beginning June 19
Instructor: Patti Hinson
Open to: writers of all levels of experience
Meets: June 19, 26, July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, August 7
Session cost: $215 ($200 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 5
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My Life, One Story at a Time: A Memoir Workshop
The workshop continues as you share your life stories in short personal writing. Knowing that you are writing not necessarily for publication but to set the record straight (in your own mind, if nothing else) will liberate you, allowing you to frankly explore your life choices and experiences, achievements and mistakes, beliefs and convictions.
Fridays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 14
Instructor: Heather Weddington
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 14, 28, July 12, 26, August 9, 23
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 6
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The Memoir Workshop: Section B
Memoir is the work of memory and craft, style and substance. In this workshop, returning writers and new members with writing experience will actively write and revise compelling and engaging stories spun from their own lives. We will address larger questions of form and substance—determining the scope of your memoir, what story to tell, what to leave out—and will continue discussing craft issues such as: writing scenes vs. exposition, dealing with time and flashback, character development, and truth and memory. All members of the group will have the opportunity to submit material for the workshop. You will have at least two to three opportunities to be critiqued during the session.
Sundays 1-3:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 30
Instructor: Claudia Isler Mazur
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 30, July 14, 28, August 11, 25, September 8
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 5
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The Memoir Workshop: Section C
Memoir is the work of memory and craft, style and substance. In this workshop, returning writers and new members with writing experience will actively write and revise compelling and engaging stories spun from their own lives. We will address larger questions of form and substance—determining the scope of your memoir, what story to tell, what to leave out—and will continue discussing craft issues such as: writing scenes vs. exposition, dealing with time and flashback, character development, and truth and memory. All members of the group will have the opportunity to submit material for the workshop. You will have at least two to three opportunities to be critiqued during the session.
Tuesdays, 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 11
Instructor: Claudia Isler Mazur
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 11, 25, July 9, 23, August 6, 20
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 5
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The Flash Memoir Workshop
Memoir writing is about creating compelling and engaging stories spun from your own life. Those stories allow readers to experience what matters to you—it also allows them feel part of something that matters to them too. In this class we will be writing short personal essays (between 500 and 1,000 words) which may or may not be part of a longer work. We'll generate new material in and out of class, and we'll continue working to refine our editing and storytelling skills. Working in a shorter format will let you take a fresh look at your life experiences; you'll also find ways to tighten your prose, to focus and shape your story into something resonant and necessary.
Mondays 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 10
Instructor: Patti Hinson
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 10, 24, July 8, 22, August 5, 19
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 5
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Introduction to Magazine Writing
This session is designed for aspiring freelance writers who have a desire to publish their work in magazines or current freelancers who would like to brush up on their skills or branch out to new publications. The early sessions will discuss the fundamentals of magazine writing, important differences from other forms of journalism, and the best ways to pitch and sell stories to editors. We will then follow up by reviewing several different types of magazine stories, including features, columns and department-style writing. Writing assignments will be turned in prior to each meeting and critiqued during the workshop. Submission of work for publication will be encouraged.
Thursdays, 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 6
Instructor: Angela Blue
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 6, 20, July 18, August 1, 15, 29
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 6
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The Memoir Studio
It is said that memoir is a blend of fiction and fact, the fiction from the prism of memory, the fact from photos and records and the daily data of our lives. A successful memoir blends both to paint the writer's truth. In this studio we'll do detailed, grad-school-level critiques of each other's work in a safe, supportive environment, led by memoirist and long-time teacher Janine Latus. Studio members must have workshop experience and must submit a writing sample to the teacher in advance of enrollment, with the goal of limiting this studio to experienced writers.
Tuesdays, 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 4
Instructor: Janine Latus
Open to: advanced and professional writers; students must apply by submitting a writing sample via email.
Meets: June 4, 18, July 2, 16, 30, August 13
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 5
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The Memoir Workshop: Section A
Memoir is the work of memory and craft, style and substance. In this workshop, returning writers and new members with writing experience will actively write and revise compelling and engaging stories spun from their own lives. We will address larger questions of form and substance—determining the scope of your memoir, what story to tell, what to leave out—and will continue discussing craft issues such as: writing scenes vs. exposition, dealing with time and flashback, character development, and truth and memory. All members of the group will have the opportunity to submit material for the workshop. You will have at least two to three opportunities to be critiqued during the session.
Mondays 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 3
Instructor: Patti Hinson
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 3, 17, July 1, 15, 29, August 12
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
THIS CLASS IS FULL AND CLOSED TO REGISTRATION
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Write Now
Writing isn't always work. Sometimes it's unplugging your pen and letting the words flow (no muss, no fuss, no tinkering and re-tinkering your way into a creative cul-de-sac, reworking the same sentence, the same word, until both the idea and the joy disappear). In this workshop we'll write longhand to cues, a timer ticking away, and then read our work out loud (you can always opt out) in a safe, positive environment. You can write in whatever form inspires you, from prose (memoir, fiction) to poetry. Each writer also can bring a longer form, out-of-class piece for group critique, under the guidance of Janine Latus.
Thursdays, 7-9:30 p.m.
a 7 week session beginning June 13
Instructor: Janine Latus
Open to: writers of all levels of experience
Meets: June 13, 20, 27, July 11, 18, 25, August 1
Session cost: $200 ($185 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 6
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Journaling for Personal Development
Often the simplest way to gain clarity in life is to write the way through it. In this structured and safe, 90 minute journaling workshop, we will develop tools to maintain a lasting, daily practice in writing for personal growth and awareness. More than "telling our stories," we’ll explore and consider our thoughts around our feelings, experiences and relationships. Together, we’ll begin a careful conversation with ourselves that we will continue both inside and outside of class.
Saturdays, 10-11:30 a.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 15
Instructor: Mira Roberts
Open to: writers of all levels of experience (mature teens, 15 and older accepted)
Meets: June 15, 29, July 13, 27, August 10, 24
Session cost: $125 ($115 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 6
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A Mother of a Voice: Writing Motherhood
Motherhood is primary and primal, yet no two mothers' experiences are the same. In this class, we will write to prompts, explore through reading examples of motherhood on the page (in a variety of genres) and work to generate new material in and out of class as we try to articulate the truths of motherhood (the beauty, joy and heartbreak) in a supportive environment. This class is for mothers, grandmothers, stepparents and co-parents alike. This is a multi-genre workshop open to writers with some workshop experience.
Sundays, 4-6:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 9
Instructor: Kelly Avery
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 9, 23, July 7, 21, August 4, 25
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 6
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The Postgraduate Studio
This rigorous multi-genre (memoir, fiction, poetry manuscript) workshop is modeled on the Masters in Fine Arts workshops experienced in colleges and universities. Working together to attain the highest level of craft through detailed reading of submissions and challenging conversations about the art of composing prose and poetry, writers engaged in long-term projects with the intent of publishing who are serious in their commitment to their work will find like-minded writers prepared to support and inspire them.
Sundays, 4-6:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 2
Instructor: Lisa Hartz
Open to: advanced and professional writers; the studio is currently full, but prospective students can still apply by submitting a writing sample via email.
Meets: June 2, 30, July 14, 28, August 11, 25
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
THIS CLASS IS FULL AND CLOSED TO REGISTRATION
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The Muse @ MOCA: Six New Stories in Six Weeks
Hitting a creative wall? Supercharge your summer writing routine with prompts and inspiration from the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). In this fast-paced workshop, we'll challenge ourselves to create new work each week, ranging from six brand new pieces of flash fiction or short stories all the way to six brand new beginnings to short stories, novellas, or novels. We'll use a different exercise to explore plot, character, setting, and language; you will get immediate feedback on your writing from both the instructor and fellow students.
Tuesdays, 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 11
Instructor: Mary Westbrook
Open to: writers of all levels of experience and genres
Meets: June 11, 25, July 9, 23, August 6, 20
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students & MOCA members)
Seats Remaining: 1
Please note this session takes place at MOCA, 2200 Parks Avenue Virginia Beach, VA 23451.
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The Muse @ MOCA: Daytime Introduction to Memoir: My Life, One Story at a Time
The goal in this workshop is to share your life stories in short personal writing. Knowing that you are writing not necessarily for publication but to set the record straight (in your own mind, if nothing else) will liberate you, allowing you to frankly explore your life choices and experiences, achievements and mistakes, beliefs and convictions.
Thursdays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
a 4 week session beginning July 11
Instructor: Andrea Nolan
Open to: writers of all levels of experience and genres
Meets: July 11, 18, 25, August 1
Session cost: $155 ($145 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 2
Please note this session takes place at MOCA, 2200 Parks Avenue Virginia Beach, VA 23451.
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Developing Characters: Getting Started
Writers must breathe life into their characters. Sometimes they write extensive biographies, scenes from the characters' pasts, or imagined journals the characters have kept. Writers may research character types. These artificial lists result in artificial characters who never leap off the page because writers are delving into their characters' pasts from the outside. In this workshop, we will walk through the process of the conception and gestation of characters—and find ways to let them grow into the people they are meant to be.
Saturday, June 1, 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Jean Klein
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 8 of 11
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Technical Writing
Technical professionals have a specific way of processing and communicating ideas that makes them successful in their fields. In this one meeting seminar, we'll look at effective strategies for organizing analytical vs. persuasive reports, the sentence structures essential for the clear communication of technical ideas, and the grammar rules particular to those fields. You will be given both the principles and practice writing exercises to improve your skills in this field. The instructor has taught technical writing for government and military agencies, banks, and hospitals.
Saturday, June 8, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Jean Klein
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 8
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Philosophy in Literature
You might think of this class as a book club with a heavy philosophical bent. We will read works that address and attempt to answer some of the pervasive questions of human existence—questions concerning personal identity, the meaning of life, and mortality. We will read and discuss a wide a variety of works which address the human condition in a powerful and unique way—Tolstoy, Kafka, Camus, Borges, Saramago, Homes—working toward a deeper appreciation of the philosophical issues embedded in each work.
Sundays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 4 week session beginning June 9
Instructor: Courtney Murphy
Open to: persons of all levels of experience
Meets: June 9, 30, July 21, August 11
Session cost: $155 ($145 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 10 of 11
Required texts (purchase on your own or obtain a library copy): Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago; This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes. Other texts available free online.
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Crafting a Plot
Every story, whatever its genre, must engage its listeners through a sense of forward movement, of taking a journey. Readers require complications, reversals, intriguing turns of events. Sometimes writers get so caught up in their messages or their characters that they overlook the lack of a driving force. In this 2 meeting seminar, we will explore techniques for developing dramatic obstacles to create a dynamic narrative arc.
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 2 meeting seminar beginning June 15
Instructor: Jean Klein
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: June 15 & 29
Session cost: $80 ($75 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 10 of 11
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Beginnings and Endings
Sometimes the hardest thing about writing is coming up with that first line! In this class we will look at the successful beginnings of short stories and novels and discuss how and why they work. We will work on writing our own beginnings and finish the class by looking at story endings. We will discuss where to find inspiration and how this can translate into beautiful, attention-grabbing first and last lines.
Saturday, June 22, 1-3:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Victoria Kelly
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 11 of 11
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X-Ray Your Characters: What Makes Them Tick?
People—and characters—have basic inner drives that define the core of who they are and help determine how they solve problems, interact with others, respond to pleasure or pain, or overcome obstacles. Using the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory as a guide, we will use the eight basic personality types as a foundation for building consistent characters, for allowing them to grow beyond our initial attempts at defining them, and for using our own profiles as a way of understanding the driving forces of our characters. Before the course, you will receive, via email, an abbreviated version of the MBTI to complete.
Saturday, July 6, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Jean Klein
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 11 of 11
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Crafting a Scene
Whether you are writing fiction, screenplays, or plays, their success will depend on the strength and continuity of their individual scenes. Each scene, even one which is primarily descriptive (or without dialogue) has to have a beginning, middle, and end. In this interactive class, we will work both from prompts and from your own work-in-progress to develop scenes that propel your stories forward and make your readers want to turn the page or stay in their seats. Prepare to be creative, to think out of the box, to trust the bungee cord of your imagination.
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
a 2 meeting seminar beginning July 13
Instructor: Jean Klein
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: July 13 & 20
Session cost: $80 ($75 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 11 of 11
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Behind Closed Doors: Writing the Love Scene
This two-session workshop will focus on writing about sex in a believable, authentic way that is true to your characters and your writing voice. We will talk about what makes a good (and bad) love scene, how to write convincingly outside your comfort zone, the difference between genre and literary love scenes and why sex (in fiction) matters. An extensive reading list will be provided and students will have a chance to have their work critiqued.
Saturdays, 1-3:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 2 week session beginning July 20
Instructor: Kristina Wright
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Meets: July 20, August 3
Session cost: $80 ($75 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 11 of 11
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Writing Dialogue
Dialogue in both fiction and personal narrative must be carefully crafted to sound "natural." What is not said can be as important as what is said. In this one session seminar, we will listen for the silence between the words as well as the words themselves, exploring ways to be true to your characters' voices as well as your own to create dynamic, believable dialogue.
Saturday, July 27, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Jean Klein
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 11 of 11
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Psychological Autopsies: Exploring Characters' Inner Dimensions
The most interesting characters we can write are those who show rather than tell readers about their inner lives, their "underbellies." But how do writers uncover the depth of their characters? Then, how do they reveal that to their readers without an "infodump" of information. Using the concept of the Johari Window, a psychological take on profiling human consciousness, we will explore how to find our characters’ hidden facets and how to reveal them to our readers.
Saturday, August 3, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Jean Klein
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 11 of 11
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Revisiting Point of View
In his essay, "From Long Shots to X-Rays: Distance & Point of View in Fiction Writing," by David Jauss, he re-defines the meaning of point of view in fiction. "To say that a story is told in the first or third person will tell of nothing of importance..." In this course, we will examine how Jauss uses the concept of point of view in a way more helpful to the aspiring writer. See how his definitions of Outside (Dramatic). Outside and Inside, and Direct Interior Monologue can help you be more skillful in weaving your way through the story your characters are telling. We will examine each of these and do writing exercises from prompts to put his concepts into practice.
Saturday, August 10, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Jean Klein
Open to: writers with some workshop experience
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 11 of 11
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Reading for Writers: Shine, Shine, Shine
Reading for Writers gives you an opportunity to read and discuss works of literature with a focus on reading from a writer’s perspective. This session, our choice is local author Lydia Netzer’s debut novel, Shine, Shine, Shine. In the New York Times Sunday Book Review, Liesl Schillinger wrote: "Netzer’s storytelling method is as poetic as her language. She slowly assembles a multitude of pinpoint insights that converge to form a glimmering constellation: the singularity of the miraculous machinery of the human organism." Alicia Dekker, longtime Muse writer, will lead the discussion for the first hour and a half. We'll then be joined by author Lydia Netzer for an informal Q&A about her novel. A New York Times Notable Book for 2012, an Amazon Spotlight Book of the Month, shortlisted for the LA Times Book Prize in Fiction; the paperback edition is due out mid-July.
Saturday, August 24, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Facilitators: Alicia Dekker & Lydia Netzer
Open to: writers (and readers) of all levels of experience (mature teens, 15 and older accepted)
This meeting is free and open to the public, but you must pre-register to participate. Donations to the Muse General Fund will be gratefully accepted!
Seats Remaining: 10 of 10
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Preparing for Your Reading
Learn to bring your writing to life at public readings and open mics. This interactive, small-group workshop is designed for first-time and newer reading participants. We will focus on simple oral and physical techniques to teach you the skills to read like a pro. You’ll practice reading your own writing—with constructive feedback—to help you become an effective, engaging reader.
Saturday, August 31, 1-3:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Linda Carol Cobb
Open to: writers (and non-writers) of all levels of experience (mature teens, 15 and older accepted)
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 3 of 4
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The Creativity Lab
In this fun and intensive one-day workshop, we'll explore the creativity gene, how creativity works, why we get blocks, and discover some methods of breaking through the blocks. We'll move quickly through five or six experiments in creativity, followed by discussions and debriefings. Everyone is creative. There are tools that can help us be more creative, find our projects and knock down our inner walls. Experiment in a place where success and failure are both part of the learning process. Bring with you a willingness to try some new processes and a readiness to discover that you have a wealth of creativity energy just waiting to be mined.
Saturday, August 31, 10 a.m-12:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Susie Pedigo
Open to: writers (and non-writers) of all levels of experience (mature teens, 15 and older accepted)
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 11 of 11
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A Grammar Refresher
(Who, whom) do you think should take this workshop? Each of the writers who (has, have) problems with grammar. Everyone who writes should know (his/her, their) grammar rules. This session will help you refresh your grammar knowledge and polish your writing skills, so you will make (less, fewer) mistakes. (Answers: who, has, his/her, fewer)
Saturday, September 7, 1-4:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Linda Carol Cobb
Open to: writers (and non-writers) of all levels of experience (mature teens, 15 and older accepted)
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 11 of 11
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Calligraphy: The Art of Elegant Handwriting
Explore calligraphy, the art of elegant handwriting. Students will be introduced to italic letterforms using square-nibbed felt tip pens as writing tools. This two meeting workshop will provide a foundation for developing your own personal style of italic handwriting. A materials list and suggested places to purchase materials will be provided upon registration.
Sundays, 1-3:30 pm
a 2 week session beginning July 7
Instructor: Catherine Malley
Open to: writers (and non-writers) of all levels of experience (mature teens, 15 and older accepted)
Meets: July 7, 14
Session cost: $80 ($75 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 4
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Collage: Word and Image
In this workshop writers will discover a whole new world of artistic possibility while enjoying the traditional method of cut and glue. We will create a palette composed of a variety of materials including your own writing and others: prose, poems, newspapers, old books, song lyrics, as well as artistic papers, photographs, magazine images, fabric and found material. We will release our "creative spirit" while ripping and tearing paper, using a repeated process of arranging, rearranging, adhering materials. Michal will guide you through the process and you will leave with a finished one-of-a-kind collage for yourself or as a gift. If you are "not artistic" this workshop is for you. Some materials provided. A additional materials list will be provided at registration.
Sunday, June 2, 1-3:30 p.m.
a 1 meeting seminar
Instructor: Michal Mahgerefteh
Open to: writers (and non-writers) of all levels of experience (mature teens, 15 and older accepted)
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 7 of 10
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Songwriting
Before the invention of the printing press—and even before the invention of writing—men and women told stories, created community, probed existence, and proclaimed love through song. Join noted songwriter and performer, Skye Zentz, as she introduces songwriting in a fun and enriching course. Students will learn the basics of composition with the goal of creating original lyrics that can be set to music, both individually and in collaboration with other students, with the goal of performance. While basic instrument/musical proficiency is helpful, the course is also open to those who wish to compose songs for others to perform.
Saturdays, 1-3:30 p.m. (mostly bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 15
Instructor: Skye Zentz
Open to: writers of all levels of experience (mature teens, 13 and older accepted)
Meets: June 15, 29, July 6, 27, August 10, 24
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 6
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Ukulele for Beginners
NEW Class!
In this class, we'll learn all about Hawaii's famous stringed instrument, the Ukulele or "dancing flea." A perfect beginner's instrument, Its easy to learn and lends itself well to just about any style of music. Join local songwriter and Ukulele player, Skye Zentz, as we explore the chord shapes and strumming patterns that will prepare you for a world of tropical fun on just 4 strings! Ukulele and Digital Tuner required.
Fridays, 1-2 p.m.
a 4 week session beginning July 19
Instructor: Skye Zentz
Open to: writers of all levels of experience (mature teens, 13 and older accepted)
Meets: July 19, 26, August 2, 9
Session cost: $100 ($95 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 7
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Standup Comedy 101
Learn the secrets of being a Standup Comic from one of the top professionals in the business. Learn the art of writing Standup, performing, and everything you have always wanted to know about Standup Comedy. Hone your comedic writing skills and develop your standup routine. At the end of the 8 week course you will perform a 5 minute standup comedy routine, at a comedy venue in Hampton Roads.
Wednesdays, 7-9:30 p.m.
an 8 week session beginning June 19
Instructor: Ken Phillips
Open to: persons of all levels of experience
Meets: June 19, 26, July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, August 7
Session cost: $215 ($200 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 7 of 12
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Standup Comedy Coaching
Polish your existing material and develop your comedic writing and performance skills in a 1-meeting session with Ken Phillips. Open to standups who want to refine their routines with professional guidance.
Available Wednesdays, 7-9:30 p.m.
an 8 week session beginning June 19
Instructor: Ken Phillips
Open to: persons of all levels of experience
On: June 19, 26, July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, August 7
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students) per 1-meeting session
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Improv Comedy 101
Introduction to Improv: Learn the basics of Chicago-based, long form improv. Students will learn how to create scenes from audience suggestions. They will learn the fundamentals of "yes and," supporting your scene partner's ideas and energy, and how to make strong character choices. In addition to being a fun class and great training for aspiring comedians, long-form improvisation enhances the creation of dramatic or comedic prose, screenplays, and plays, helping writers flesh out character and motivation, dialogue and plot, setting and place—all essential elements of well-crafted storytelling.
Saturdays 1-3:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 15
Instructors: Sean Devereux & Brad McMurran
Open to: persons of all levels of experience
Meets: June 15, 29, July 13, 27, August 10, 24
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 8 of 16
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Improv Comedy 202
Game of the Scene: Improv 202 builds upon the fundamentals and skills learned in 101. Students will learn the beginnings of the Harold. They will start to learn how to identify the game of the scene and how to heighten and develop second beats.
Saturdays 4-6:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 7 week session beginning June 8
Instructors: Sean Devereux & Brad McMurran
Open to: persons who have completed "Improv Comedy 101" or have instructor approval to register
Meets: June 8, 22, July 6, August 3, 17, 31, September 7
Session cost: $200 ($185 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 5 of 16
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Improv Comedy 303
Harold Structure: This course introduces students to the long form improvisation structure known as "The Harold," developed by Del Close. Students will begin by learning "Group Games" and a variety of "Openings," which are stylized methods of using an audience's suggestion to generate enough content to support a half hour long improvised performance piece. From there we will focus on third beats, finally putting all the pieces together for a fully formed Harold.
Saturdays 4-6:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 7 week session beginning June 1
Instructors: Sean Devereux & Brad McMurran
Open to: persons who have completed "Improv Comedy 202" or have instructor approval to register
Meets: June 1, 15, 29, July 13, 27, August 10, 24
Session cost: $200 ($185 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 6 of 12
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Improv Comedy Studio: Advanced Scene Work
In this continuing class, students will use all the skills they have acquired thus far in order to create the Harold, the signature long-form structure. In addition we will probe even deeper into the form, focusing intensely on acting, editing, and group commitment, as well as creating stronger 2-person, 3-person, and group scenes. Students will also be given individual coaching throughout the session.
Saturdays, 4-6:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 7 week session beginning June 1
Instructor: Sean Devereux & Brad McMurran
Open to: continuing members, persons who have completed "Improv Comedy 303," "Improv Comedy 404," or have instructor approval to register
Meets: June 1, 15, 29, July 13, 27, August 10, 24
Session cost: $200 ($185 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 5 of 16
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Improv Comedy Studio: New Forms
In this special studio, improvisers will examine and probe deeply both long- and short-form improv. Each week, students will be introduced to a brand new improv style.
Thursdays, 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 7 week session beginning June 13
Instructors: Sean Devereux & Brad McMurran
Open to: acceptance into this studio is by audition or instructor approval only
Meets: June 13, 27, July 11, 25, August 8, 22, September 5
Session cost: $200 ($185 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 7 of 12
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Sketch Comedy Writing 101
Students will learn to write a variety of common sketch formats, how to develop ideas and how to collaborate with other writers. We'll learn how to create characters and how to heighten situations. At the end of this course, students will be able to see their sketches performed by some of Hampton Road's finest actors and comedians.
Mondays, 7-9:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 17
Instructors: Ed Carden, Sean Devereux, & Brad McMurran
Open to: writers of all levels and experience
Meets: June 17, July 1, 15, 29, August 12, 26
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 4
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Sketch Comedy Writing Studio
The studio is an opportunity for students to continue to hone their sketch writing skills. Students will be encouraged to find their own individual voice as a writer. They will receive feedback from both their instructor and fellow sketch writers. There will be multiple opportunities throughout the session for students to see their work performed- both in stage readings and full sketch show.
Sundays, 4-6:30 p.m. (monthly)
a 4 week session beginning June 2
Instructors: Ed Carden & Brad McMurran
Open to: persons who have completed "Sketch Comedy Writing 101" or have instructor approval to register
Meets: June 2, June 30, July 28, August 25
Session cost: $155 ($145 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 12 of 12
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Using Environment to Bring Improv Scenes to Life
This workshop will focus on adding depth to scenes by creating realistic environments for characters to play in. We will work on specificity in use of props and visualizing the setting of the scenes. Exploring these layers will help improvisers relax into scenes and play more instinctively. Also, this is going to be a whole lot of fun!
Sunday, May 19, 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
a 1 session seminar
Instructor: Alba Woolard
Open to: intermediate to advanced improv students/students who have completed "Improv Comedy 101"
Session cost: $45 ($40 returning students)
THIS CLASS IS FULL AND CLOSED TO REGISTRATION
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Teen Writers Workshop: Section B
In this workshop, young writers will explore multiple genres: fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. Through writing prompts, readings, creative exercises and the sharing and commenting on one another's work, teen writers will learn the fundamentals of the craft in a supportive atmosphere designed to help them find their unique writing voices.
Saturdays 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 8
Instructor: Lucian Mattison
Open to: writers ages 12-17 of all levels and experience
Meets: June 8, 22, July 6, 20, August 3, 17
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 4
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Teen Writers Workshop: Section A
In this workshop, young writers will explore multiple genres: fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. Through writing prompts, readings, creative exercises and the sharing and commenting on one another's work, teen writers will learn the fundamentals of the craft in a supportive atmosphere designed to help them find their unique writing voices.
Saturdays 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 8
Instructor: Tara Shea Burke
Open to: writers ages 12-17 of all levels and experience
Meets: June 8, 22, July 6, 20, August 3, 17
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 1
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Improv and Sketch Comedy Workshop for Teens
Discover the fundamentals of improvisational and sketch comedy! We'll play numerous games to help sharpen your mind and quicken how fast you think on your toes. We'll explore the key tools behind long and short form improvisation. Learn how to be a hilarious improviser, not only on stage, but in your everyday life. We'll use improv as a springboard for writing basic comedy sketches—like those seen on Saturday Night Live. There will be a graduation show at the end of the semester where the students will showcase their work.
Saturdays 1-3:30 p.m. (bi-weekly)
a 6 week session beginning June 8
Instructors: Sean Devereux & Brad McMurran
Open to: persons ages 12-17 of all levels and experience
Meets: June 8, 22, July 6, August 3, 17, 31
Session cost: $185 ($170 returning students)
Seats Remaining: 2 of 16
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