Upcoming Classses
In Person
Generating Fiction with Family Dynamics
Class offered through Grub Street Center for Creative Writing.
Leo Tolstoy once wrote that all happy families are alike, but unhappy families are unhappy in their own ways. In this class we’ll examine compelling families (happy and unhappy) in literature, and use them as inspiration for beginning new fiction of our own. Along the way we’ll discuss common tropes of family dynamics and how to portray them realistically without falling into cliche (“the bumbling dad,” “overworked mom,” “type A oldest sibling,” “spoiled only child”). Students will leave class with the start of a new short story or novel, and a brainstormed list of new characters to continue working with.
Meets Saturday, May 25 | 10:30–1:30 pm EDT | Grub Street, Boston Seaport | $85 ($75 members) | Register at https://grubstreet.org/seminar/generating-fiction-with-family-dynamics-undefined
Zero to Submitting: Fiction
Class offered through Grub Street Center for Creative Writing.
Sending creative work out on submission can be intimidating. How do you choose where to send your work? How do you know if it’s ready? Are simultaneous submissions expected, or the way to get yourself blacklisted? And what should your cover letter say, especially if you don’t have any published stories yet?
In this course, students will go from step one (including producing new work from writing prompts) to sending work out on submission. You’ll get practical advice, deadlines, lists of target publications, and feedback at every step in the process as you prepare your work and send it out. Workshops with classmates help you revise either new work or work you created before class began. This class is designed for writers who are new to sending work out, but open to anyone looking to boost their fiction submission output.
Meets Wednesdays, Jun 26 – Jul 31 | 6–9 pm ET | Grub Street Seaport Writing Center | $375 ($360 members) | Register at: https://grubstreet.org/workshop/zero-to-submitting-fiction-su24
Virtual
Novelist Writing Group
Class offered through Grub Street Center for Creative Writing.
IThis is a facilitated writing group designed for accountability and community building. An instructor will be present to facilitate and offer general guidance, but this is not a writing class, and it won’t involve craft lessons or in-depth feedback on your writing. These groups are a great option for anyone who’s at work on a project and looking to set aside some time each week to make progress on their writing and connect with others.
This writing group is a great option if you’re working on a novel and looking to set aside some time each week for writing and connecting with others committed to the same months-long (or years-long!) process. In our first meeting, we’ll do introductions and get a feel for everyone’s projects, then dive straight into uninterrupted writing time for your work-in-progress. The last fifteen minutes of every other meeting (weeks 2, 4 and 6) will be set aside for conversation and questions around the novel-writing process, publishing and how to sustain a writing practice after the group ends.
Depending on the group’s interests, there may be opportunities for in-class writing exercises and on-the-spot feedback. The instructor will be available for questions and discussions during writing time. The main objective is to get the words down – let's do it together!
Meets Thursdays, Jun 13 – Jul 25 (skips Jul 4) | 6–7:30 pm EDT | meets Online | $170 ($150 members) | Register at: https://grubstreet.org/workshop/novelist-writing-group-su24-01
Jumpstart Your Newsletter
Class offered through Grub Street Center for Creative Writing.
In 2024, newsletters are the new podcasts; it seems everyone’s got one. But if you’re thinking of starting your own newsletter, you need to make the right decisions now to ensure your project lasts into 2025 and beyond. In this interactive class, we’ll break down the decisions beginning newsletter writers face including: choosing a hosting platform; narrowing in on a topic, audience, and cadence; writing forms like welcome emails and unsubscribe forms; and creating a template format for your newsletter entries. Writers will leave with a month of upcoming topics for your newsletter, and a draft first entry.
Meets Saturday, Jun. 15 | 10:30–1:30 pm EDT | Online | $85 ($75 members) | Register at: https://grubstreet.org/seminar/jumpstart-your-newsletter-undefined
Advanced Revision and Submission Strategies: Fiction
Class offered through Grub Street Center for Creative Writing.
IRevision means exactly that: Re. Visioning. In this class, we'll dive deep into the process of taking apart a draft: figuring out what exactly is at the heart of your story; how to deepen characters and tighten narrative; how to distinguish between necessary and unnecessary detail. Just finished a story you're proud of, but not sure you got the ending right? In love with your characters, but don't know, exactly, what your story is about? Terrified to cut a pretty sentence, or rewrite a scene, or add a new ending,
for fear the whole story might fall to pieces? This is the class for you.
In Advanced Revision and Submission Strategies, each writer will submit to workshop two or three times (depending on class enrollment). Your first submission will be a first draft, and your second will be a revision of that story, after you've gotten feedback from the workshop. Along the way, we will do in-class revision exercises, discuss various aspects of craft based on model short stories, and demystify the process of submitting your work for publication. Authors whose writing we may discuss include Rebecca Makkai, Grace Paley, Ottessa Moshfegh, Matt Bell, and others. It is recommended that you have some workshop experience prior to applying for this course.
Meets Tuesdays, Jun 18 – Aug 6 | Applications due May 20 | 6–9 pm ET | meets Online | $585 ($560 members) | Register at: https://grubstreet.org/workshop/advanced-revision-and-submission-strategies-fiction-su24