Your novel draft is complete. Now what? Move from draft to focused revision through craft instruction, practical exercises, and guided workshop time. Explore genre, story structure, character arcs, pacing, and point of view while learning techniques to identify structural challenges, build on your narrative strengths, and refine your manuscript. You’ll create a personalized editing plan tailored to your goals and genre, giving you the tools to evaluate your revisions and take the next step toward publication—whether querying agents, self-publishing, or working with an editor.Prerequisite: a completed or near-complete novel or novella draft for whatever your target audience is.Please note: Due to circumstances our of our control, the instructor is no longer able to teach the class in person and it will now be held on Zoom.

Looking for a fun way to jumpstart your writing? Whether you’re interested in getting published or simply playing with words, flash fiction offers a low-pressure, high-reward outlet for creativity. These ultra-short jewels range from pithy 6-word stories to 4-page tales. Together, we’ll read standout examples and write a slew of our own, with friendly group discussions along the way. Experts and newbies alike are welcome.

You have writing you’re proud of—now how do you share it with readers? Learn the essentials of getting your work published in magazines and journals, including how to find publications that are looking for new work, understand submission guidelines, format your manuscript, and navigate the publishing process. You’ll also create a cover letter bio, explore tools like Submittable, and discuss how to approach rejections. Leave with the knowledge and materials you need to start sending your work out into the world. For writers submitting short stories, essays, poetry, creative nonfiction, and other genres that do not require a query or pitch letter.

Craving something more from your lunch hour? Gather with us in the middle of the day for this supportive and generative writing class. Each week, we’ll focus on a different writing theme or structure and use writing prompts to generate new work. Writers of all genres are welcome. Feel free to bring your lunch!

Claire Messud’s The Woman Upstairs (2013) is a riveting, disquieting novel about a lonely woman whose carefully contained life is transformed by an intense friendship with a couple and their young son, whose lives appear flawless. What could go wrong? Readers who want to look more closely at how great fiction works will deepen their appreciation of the novelist’s art through discussion of the novel’s narrators, dialogue, characters, details, and gestures. We’ll examine the choices that shape a powerful story and explore how writers create meaning on the page.

As Richard’s inept rule chips away at the divine right he claims to possess, Shakespeare’s Richard II raises questions that still cut deep: When is it justified to remove an unjust ruler? Does a self exist apart from the roles we’re given? One of the most influential literary critics of the modern era, Harold Bloom, described the character of Richard as a “bad king but an interesting metaphysical poet.” Join fellow readers for lively discussion and in-class reading of this strange, luminous tragedy that invites us to consider questions of power, identity, and selfhood. Required Reading: Required Text: Richard II: Folger Shakespeare Library edition

How do writers draw readers in from the very first line? Explore openings in fiction and creative nonfiction, studying published examples to see what makes them compelling. Then experiment with different ways to start your own story or essay. Whether generating new work or revising a draft, you’ll leave with fresh ideas to hook readers from the first sentence.

Please note: Due to an instructor conflict, the dates of this class have changed slightly and one or two of the sessions may be held on Zoom.Celebrate the enduring brilliance of literary icon Jane Austen as we mark the 250th anniversary of her birth. Together, we’ll dive into the worlds of Sense & Sensibility and Mansfield Park, meet unforgettable characters, and explore the themes that continue to resonate today. We’ll also discover Austen’s life in the Georgian era and how her times shaped the stories we still love. Readers should arrive to the first class having read up to chapter 6 of Sense & Sensibility.

Have you always wanted to try fiction writing but haven’t put pen to paper yet? Or maybe you’ve put down your pen for a while and need a creative spark to pick it back up. This low-pressure, generative class is the perfect space to experiment and ignite your imagination. Kindle your creativity with fun prompts—like music, sounds, and images—to get your ideas flowing. If you’d like, you can share your work in a supportive environment and receive encouraging feedback. Each week, you’ll walk away with a new piece of writing—maybe even one you’ll want to build on.

Turn your life experiences into compelling creative nonfiction. This welcoming, inclusive class invites you to explore the art of essay writing through thought-provoking prompts, inspiring readings, and longer generative sessions centered around specific themes. You’ll craft new pieces, develop your writing skills, support one another, and strengthen your revision abilities. Writers at all levels and past participants are welcome.

Wuthering Heights is many things—a ghost story, a mystery, a multi-generational epic, a revenge tragedy—but it sure isn’t a love story. Through close reading and discussion, we’ll explore how the novel’s intense emotions often lead to control, cruelty, and harm rather than connection. We’ll consider its unusual structure, wild setting, and troubling depictions of childhood, class, and inheritance. Along the way, we’ll ask why the book is so often romanticized and what gets lost when obsession is celebrated as love. Required Reading: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë