Have you always wanted to write a picture book? This introductory workshop will briefly cover some topics to get you started: identifying your story idea, creating memorable characters, picture books structures and plotting, lyrical language, the current market and submission process, and further resources. We will also do a writing exercise or two. This is an introductory version of the 6-week class, Writing Children's Picture Books.

Though we yearn for intimate connection--physical and emotional--romantic relationships are both a source of deep delight as well as a cause for grave anxiety and sorrow. In this workshop, we will write about the complexities of the heart using personal experience as fuel. Using humor or pathos or various combinations of both, the goal is to develop a greater comfort with our emotional-relational lives. This will easily transfer to writing about other aspects of experience because what grips us is…

In this class we will explore both contemporary and ancient poets with origins outside of the United States. We’ll explore their culture, customs, history, trauma and touch on the immigrant experience. Each session will explore a different part of the world and we’ll incorporate food, music, and the poetic forms of that country into our lessons. Poetry is the language of seeing beneath the surface. We will explore: Haiku, Haibun, Tanka/Renga, Pantoum, Sijo, Landay, Sestina and Sevenling as we connect…

In this 3-meeting seminar we will find the stories that live inside us all. We will examine the ingredients needed to tell a personal story in such a way as to make it leap off our tongues and into the mind of a listener. Together, we’ll explore the various types of storytelling and gain insight into the growing professional community of storytellers. Join us for this interactive and participatory class. No previous storytelling experience is needed. Even if you aren’t…

In this workshop, you can explore multiple genres: fiction, creative nonfiction, and/or poetry. We’ll get started with creative exercises, prompts, and readings, and have ample time to share and comment on each other’s work. You can learn a new genre or sharpen your skills while working on something you are already writing. Come hone your unique writing voice in a creative and fun atmosphere.    

In this workshop, creative nonfiction and memoir writers will explore the genre of flash creative nonfiction (between 500 and 1,000 words). We will discuss and discover the many craft elements that make flash nonfiction an engaging, experimental and exciting genre! Every session we will generate and critique our small memoir and nonfiction stories and essays and focus on the unique opportunities that flash gives every creative nonfiction writer. Working in a shorter form allows you take a fresh look at…

Throughout the ages writers have used the sea as metaphor for their thoughts and feelings to great effect. This class will teach you how to enhance the power of your work. It’s been said that local poets learn rhythmic structures by listening to the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. Together, we will read and learn from the greats and make their techniques your own.

This class, for anyone interested in writing poetry, is designed to help you write and respond to poems through creative exercises, readings and discussions. Each member of the group will compose and revise original poems. Together we’ll explore voice, imagery, structure, word choice, line, and other elements of poetry in a stimulating and supportive environment.

Memoir and all creative nonfiction is the work of memory and craft, style and substance. In this class, we will move toward uncovering the true stories about ourselves and the world and telling them well. We will learn, through published texts and writing exercises and assignments, how creative nonfiction writers include vivid characterization, narrative structure, dialogue, imagery, and voice to a wide range of stories, including memoir, personal essays, profile pieces, travelogues, literary journalism, and more. Each member of the…

This general creative writing class is an invitation to hone your unique writing voice in a creative and open atmosphere. You will have the unique opportunity to explore what you enjoy, be it fiction, creative nonfiction, and/or poetry. This multi genre workshop is an excellent first writing class as well as a place for seasoned writers to explore a different forms and techniques or work in whichever style of writing seems most appropriate for each inspiration. We’ll move through creative…