Tag: Writing Education

“Lyric” essays are often poetic and personal—but they can do so much more! Extend the reach of your lyric essays with accurate, effective research.

Open to 15 writers in creative nonfiction, nonfiction and lyric essay

Live On Zoom | Sundays, September 20 – October 4, 2026 | 3-5 pm Eastern

From hermit crab to braided, collage to fragmented, lyric essays are having a big moment. They offer innovative and unexpected routes into the familiar territory of personal stories and reported essays. In this workshop, we’ll look at several common essay forms and explore ways that research—including interviews and fieldwork—can enrich and invigorate your own lyric essays.

In the three weeks of this course we will talk, read, and write, with multiple opportunities to share your progress and drafts for feedback. We’ll also discuss how veteran and emerging essayists can best work professionally with editors and fact-checkers, plus tips and tricks on documenting sources.

This course will offer writers with a bit of experience in (or who are eager to explore) nonfiction or journalism a fun and engaging chance to experiment and add new tools to their practice, all while drafting a flash lyric essay. There will be an opportunity to get written comments from the instructor, and all participants will get a list of resources and further reading.

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Over these three weeks, you will …

• EXPLORE a range of lyric essay styles
• DEVELOP your own list of possible essay topics
• PRACTICE effective techniques for incorporating researched elements
• GENERATE two drafts of a researched, flash lyric essay
• PROVIDE & RECEIVE peer feedback, and optional instructor-written comments
• LEARN tips and tricks for documenting sources and working with fact-checkers

Schedule

• Week 1 – Intros, notable examples, idea-generating prompt, sourcing discussion, homework overview
• Week 2 – Check-in, feedback-generating prompt, workshop of participant essay drafts,, assignment review, Q&A
• Week 3 – Check-in, workshop of participant essay drafts, fact-checking discussion, open Q&A, next steps in your researched lyric essay journeys
• Optional office hours 3–4pm EDT on Tues and 8–9pm EDT Thurs

This course is for writers who …

• with some experience in one or more: reporting, researching or essay writing; or who have a desire to explore these skills
• who want to add compelling facts & reported elements to their flash, lyric, or experimental essays
• who want to add lyric, poetic, or experimental elements to their reported essays
• who enjoy experimenting with prompts and shorter essays
• looking for brainstorming, researching, and fact-checking tools to add to their essay or reporting practice

Closed captioning is available. ✔
Think you might miss a class? No worries, replays will be available. ✔

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Known for packing her courses with deep knowledge, actionable information, and fun facts, Chelsea Biondolillo is a collage artist and the author of The Skinned Bird: Essays and two prose chapbooks, Ologies and #Lovesong.

Her essays have been collected in Best American Science and Nature Writing 2016, The Lyric Essay as Resistance, and How We Talk to One Another: An Essay Daily Reader and is forthcoming in The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing the Lyric Essay.

Chelsea’s paper and mixed media collages have been shown in Oregon, Washington, and New York. Her image and text essay, “Weeds” was the winner of CRAFT Literary’s inaugural hybrid writing contest. She has a BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and an MFA from the University of Wyoming. She currently lives in Eugene, Oregon.

Testimonials from past students

“I took an online workshop with Chelsea two years ago. As a fiction writer venturing into nonfiction, I needed a lot of guidance, and I got it. Chelsea’s lessons and feedback were immensely helpful to me. An essay I began in that class was later accepted by a well-known online magazine. I still go back to the material Chelsea provided as support when starting new projects. I can wholeheartedly recommend Chelsea as a mentor and teacher.” ~ L Doyle

“I took Chelsea’s intensive flash nonfiction class and was deeply impressed by her commitment, feedback, and warm teaching style. The class was online, but Chelsea managed to create a respectful and intellectually stimulating sense of community.” ~ J Zarankin

“Chelsea Biondolillo is an incredibly talented teacher. I learned more from a 1-month intensive workshop with her than I did in semester-long courses with many of my MFA professors. From her close attention to my verbs to her insights on pacing to her overall reflections on the themes of my essays, Chelsea really got what I was trying to do, and then made it better. Chelsea is also a cheerleader, and will go to the mat for you and your work. I can’t recommend her enough.” ~ B Johnston

THE FINE PRINT

We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.

Before the first class, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).

After class begins, you may request a refund for the remaining value of the course (less a $25 processing fee). No credits or refunds will be available after the 1st class.

Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com

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Turn the overlooked corners of your everyday world into vivid and compelling writing.

Open to 20 writers only, working in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

Live On Zoom | Sundays, August 23 – September 6, 2026 | 5-6:30 pm Eastern

You don’t have to travel far to find inspiration. This workshop explores how paying close attention to the natural world around us—whether in a backyard, neighborhood park, or along a familiar walking route—can lead to engaging, thoughtful writing. Through readings, lectures, and guided assignments, we’ll discover how ordinary places can reveal extraordinary stories.

The course includes three live sessions featuring discussions, short lectures, readings, and workshops. Between meetings, you’ll complete weekly writing assignments that encourage you to write where you are, spend time outdoors, and practice observing the living world with fresh eyes.

You’ll also receive written instructor feedback on one piece you write during the course.

Whether you’re new to nature writing or looking to deepen your practice, you’ll leave with new ways of seeing the places you know best and the confidence to turn those observations into compelling pieces of prose or poetry. All you need is curiosity and a willingness to step outside.

Students should set aside at least 4 hours a week for the course.

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Over these three weeks, you will …

• SOW a nature writing practice through close observation, weekly writing prompts, and time spent outdoors in the landscapes you know best
• TEND your craft through readings, discussions, mini-lectures, and workshops during three live class sessions
• ROOT your writing in place through sensory detail, observation, and personal experience
• GATHER insights through personalized written instructor feedback and workshop notes

Schedule

• Week 1 – Intros, lecture, readings, homework overview
• Week 2 – Check-in, workshop, homework overview
• Week 3 – Check-in, workshop, homework overview
• Feedback Submission Due – September 6th by 9pm EDT
• Instructor Feedback Returned – September 13th
  

This course is for writers who …

• want to generate new material in a supportive environment
• would like to train their observational skills
• want to strengthen their use of setting and description
• desire to get outside and soak up the season

Closed captioning is available. ✔
Think you might miss a class? No worries, replays will be available. ✔

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

A high-energy teacher noted for deep historical dives and technical side quests that always bring more understanding, Megan Baxter has won numerous national awards, including a Pushcart Prize. Her essay collection, Twenty Square Feet of Skin, was longlisted for the 2024 PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. 

Megan has published three books of creative nonfiction and is currently writing short stories and novels. Her short story collection ‘The Off-Season’ debuts in Spring 2027 from Jada Ibis Press. She lives in New Hampshire, where she runs her own small farm and teaches creative writing through online courses and lessons.

Testimonials from past students

“Megan’s belief in my viability as a writer never waned! Our discussions on craft and the works of other writers fueled my faith and love for language and the publishing process.” – Yossi R.

“I enjoyed the class because of Megan’s energy and the well-organized, immense amount of information shared.” – Daniel L.

“I am a perpetual student, taking multiple classes and workshops, and Megan ranks among the top instructors I have met. She meets writers where they are and helps them discover, develop, and hone their writing voice as they move toward their goals.” – Lisa C.

“Megan is that rare blend of insightful critique and genuine encouragement. I always leave our meetings feeling energized, with a clear path forward and a stronger piece of work thanks to her guidance.” – Anne B.

THE FINE PRINT

We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.

Before the first class, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).

After class begins, you may request a refund for the remaining value of the course (less a $25 processing fee). No credits or refunds will be available after the 1st class.

Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com

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Words have the power to inform, move, and mobilize. Learn to craft essays that mine your experience while speaking out on important issues, challenging injustice, and calling on readers to act.

Open to 10 writers only, working in Creative Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, or Personal Essay

Live On Zoom | Thursdays, July 23 – August 6, 2026 | 5-8 pm Eastern

In this generative writing workshop, we’ll explore how the creative nonfiction essay conveys important themes and messages and questions the status quo, bends a critical eye to social norms, and brings to light a range of issues that need addressing, from the small to the big.

We’ll explore a variety of essay styles and stories, from thoughtful commentary to powerfully emotional pieces, many of which explore difficult, political, and important contemporary issues: works rooted in truth but done so with the creative flair of artful formatting and prose. Most importantly, we’ll practice and write our own advocacy essays.

If you’re passionate about speaking out against injustice, expressing dissent, and stimulating imagination of a better world, join us to refine your skills and build your publication record with essays that make a difference.

Includes the instructor’s written feedback on your work.

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Over these three weeks, you will …

• QUESTION creative nonfiction essays to understand how they can convey important themes and messages
• PRACTICE employing craft elements to successfully advocate for issues in a way that emotionally connects with readers
• WORKSHOP one another’s work to provide diverse feedback, perspectives, and reactions
• EXPLORE a variety of essay styles and stories featuring difficult, political, and important contemporary issues
• GENERATE new writing to develop into powerful essays

Schedule

• Week 1: Short writing practice to get into the writing zone; discussion of essay examples distributed and read before class; longer writing sprint with brief on-the-spot reading/feedback
• Weeks 2 and 3: A workshop of up to 1,000 words for each student; discussion of essay examples distributed and read before class; end with short writing practice to send us off with more idea
  
  Following the final session, the instructor will send written feedback to each student

This course is for beginning and intermediate writers who …

• want to learn how craft elements create effective messaging
• desire to use their craft for advocacy purposes
• have stories to tell or want to speak out on issues they are passionate about
• want to explore more experimental styles of essay writing

Closed captioning is available. ✔
Think you might miss a class? No worries, replays will be available. ✔

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Amy Shea is an essayist with an MFA and a doctorate in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow and is the author of Too Poor to Die: The Hidden Realities of Dying in the Margins. 

An energetic and encouraging teacher, Amy focuses on practice-based instruction with time to write, play, and close-read examples to stretch your writing skills. Always inclusive, she loves to provide lots of examples, so students end up with lots of SWAG (Stories We All Get [to read])!

Amy Shea’s work has appeared in The Missouri Review, Portland Review, The Massachusetts Review,  the Journal of Sociology of Health & Illness, among others. She works as the Writing Program Director for Mount Tamalpais College, a free community college for the incarcerated people of San Quentin. Learn more about her work at https://amysshea.com.

Testimonials from past students:

“Amy Shea’s classroom presentations to my college writing classes were excellent and informative. She was a guest writer in both introductory and advanced writing classes, and in both cases the students raved afterwards about how helpful her presentations were for them. Her focus on different kinds of research, writing, and editing in the context of writing creative nonfiction is useful for writers at all levels. Highly recommended!” –David Buuck, Academic Director, Oakland Clemente Course in the Humanities & Assistant Adjunct Professor of English, Mills College

“Amy is a wonderful lecturer and educator! She asks great questions that always stimulate lots of discussion and creates a great learning environment for the attendees with her warmth and creativity.” –Justine Juson

“Amy presented her research and writing practices to my students, who mostly saw research and writing as exacting hard work that was beyond them but not beyond others. Amy’s descriptions, sometimes humorous and always instructive, encouraged my students to think differently, and by the end of class, my students felt empowered to explore creativity and research in their own writing practices.” –Jeff Magnin

THE FINE PRINT

We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.

Before the first class, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).

After class begins, you may request a refund for the remaining value of the course (less a $25 processing fee). No credits or refunds will be available after the 1st class.

Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com

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Event Organizer

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Location

Photographs are a powerful source for creative nonfiction. Learn practical approaches to bring them to life as scenes, draft an essay, and get personal feedback. 

Limited to 12 memoirists, essayists, and creative nonfiction writers

Live On Zoom | Sundays, June 14 – July 5, 2026 | 3-4:30 pm eastern

Starting a nonfiction piece can often feel daunting, despite having stories and experiences you wish to tell. Memories may feel incomplete—and can be inaccurate. But photographs can inspire your process and provide a starting point for our writing, serving as an object, an image, and a memory touchstone. When used as prompts for our writing, pictures can become rich reservoirs of personal and cultural history. Drawing on photographs that intrigue, haunt, or conjure forgotten memories, this four-week course explores the rich possibilities that photographs can serve in prompting your nonfiction writing and developing your craft.

You’ll work with your own photographs, inspiring your writing with concrete moments to describe, reflect, and expand on. At the end of the four weeks, you’ll have a short essay or the start of a longer piece.

This small-group, workshop-format course will include instructor feedback on 1,000 words.

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Over these four weeks, you will …

• LEARN techniques of nonfiction narrative, including writerly presence, details and description, and the art of scene-making
• DISCOVER how to use photographs to create richly imagined narrative nonfiction stories
•  EXPLORE the possibilities of your own photographs as prompts for expressive essays and scenes 
• EXPERIMENT with crafting and refining narrative nonfiction both individually and with guided workshopping

Schedule

• Week 1. Photographs and Stories
  We will look at how writers find stories in photographs and consider the different approaches a photograph can prompt. Then we’ll experiment with low-stakes writing inspired by your own photographs.
• Week 2: Incomplete Photographs
  Explore how to turn a photograph into a scene, filling what is outside the frame and delving into memory and experience in the process. We will consider ways of crafting compelling descriptions and writerly presence. 
• Week 3. Expanding the Writing
  Expanding on the work from Week 2, this week will focus on refining a draft of an essay. We will uncover ways of giving focus and depth to the developing piece towards a more richly textured draft. 
• Week 4. Revision and Critique
  The final week offers guided group feedback, helping each other in thinking about directions for giving the writing a more solid frame and focus. 

This course is for beginning and intermediate writers who want to

• explore elements of creative nonfiction that draw on memory and experience 
• experiment with how photographs can prompt stories 
• refine their prose style and techniques
• learn practical approaches to nonfiction storytelling 
• have a pile of photographs to inform their memoir…but aren’t sure how to use them

Closed captioning is available. ✔
Think you might miss a class? No worries, replays will be available. ✔

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

James Polchin is a writer and cultural historian, and a clinical professor at New York University. He is the author of Indecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewall, a finalist for an Edgar Award, and Shadow Men: The Tangled Story of Murder, Media, and Privilege That Scandalized Jazz Age America. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Slate, TIME, Huffington Post, CrimeReads, Paris Review, Rolling Stone, The New Inquiry, Brevity, and the Gay and Lesbian Review. He has been interviewed about his work by BBC4 Radio, NPR, Advocate, The American Scholar, CrimeReads, Bookforum, and Publishers Weekly, among others.

Testimonials from past students:

“He really created a transformative course. His insightful comments on everyone’s writing were really superb, encouraging revision while also providing inspiration and direction.” 

“I appreciated the thoughtful feedback and helpful questions.”

“I was surprised by how much I was able to generate in a short time and in a way that felt fresh to me. The course opened up new pathways to consider.”

“Big thanks to James for a class that fed my writing and my heart.” 

THE FINE PRINT

We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.

Before the first class, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).

After class begins, you may request a refund for the remaining value of the course (less a $25 processing fee).

No credits or refunds will be available after the 1st class.

Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com

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Registration Info

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Event Organizer

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Flash nonfiction is a powerful form for personal stories. Learn how to write punchy, poetic flash essays that make a lasting impact on readers. 

Regular tickets are sold out, but seats without instructor feedback are still available.

For Creative Nonfiction, Flash Nonfiction, Literary Nonfiction

Live On Zoom | Thursdays, April 23 – May 7, 2026 | 7-9 pm eastern

Flash nonfiction is the art of telling true stories from one’s life with power and brevity (in 1,000 words or less). During this three-week generative workshop, participants will learn the craft of writing flash nonfiction narratives, write new drafts, and receive feedback to practice what they’re learning. 

Together, we’ll explore examples of expertly crafted flash nonfiction narratives and define what makes them effective. You’ll learn how to make your personal stories connect with readers by using theme and plot, compression and layering, and images and lyricism. Discover what editors look for when selecting flash nonfiction pieces for publication, and write your own powerful pieces. 

This course will include readings, writing prompts, in-class writing time, writing homework, and Q&A. You’ll receive instructor feedback on two flash-length narratives. 

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Over these three weeks, you will …

• EXPLORE the key elements of flash nonfiction and how they work together to create powerful essays
• LEARN to create emotional resonance so that readers will be thinking about your piece long after they read it
• EXPLORE tips for writing engaging and powerful flash nonfiction that literary magazine editors will love
• DISCOVER how to use compression, layering, and lyricism to make each sentence pop
• WRITE flash nonfiction that’s powerful, punchy, personal, and poetic

Schedule

• Week 1. Make it Powerful: Theme, Plot, & Research 
• Week 2. Make it Personal: Voice, Vulnerability & Emotional Intensity
• Week 3. Make it Punchy: Compression, Lyricism, & Form 

This course is for intermediate writers who 

• Want to generate new flash nonfiction work 
• Want their flash nonfiction pieces to grab the attention of editors and readers
• Want to write more powerfully when writing short
• Seek to increase the impact of their prose
• Hope to publish flash nonfiction pieces in literary magazines

Closed captioning is available. ✔
Think you might miss a class? No worries, replays will be available. ✔

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Bethany Jarmul is an Appalachian writer, poet, writing coach, and workshop instructor. She’s the author of a poetry collection, Lightning Is a Mother, and a mini-memoir of flash nonfiction pieces, Take Me Home. Her work has been published in more than 100 literary magazines, including Brevity, River Teeth, and Chestnut Review. Her writing was selected for Best Spiritual Literature and Best Small Fictions, and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, The Best of the Net, and Best Microfiction. Twice, she earned first place in Women On Writing’s quarterly flash essay contest. Connect with her at bethanyjarmul.com or on social media: @BethanyJarmul.

Testimonials from past students:

“I love taking webinars taught by Bethany Jarmul and always get so much out of them. Bethany has a strong record of publication success and is skilled at sharing her techniques. In her webinars, which are both affordable and easy to sign up for, Bethany provides a huge amount of valuable information and writing strategies in clear, concise, easy-to-follow presentations.” – Beth Mulcahy 

“Bethany’s workshops are helpful, worthwhile, and enjoyable. She is well organized and her workshops include step-by-step, actionable strategies that help writers take their craft to another level. The techniques I learned in her workshops helped to generate more writing in different genres and improved the quality of my writing overall. I’m always happy to attend one of her classes.”  – Angelle McDougall

“Bethany is prepared, specific, and encourages questions. I’ve attended several of her webinars, even in a genre I don’t normally work in, and found myself stretching into this new area. Highly recommend her work and her webinars.” – Mare Biddle 

“Bethany is a wonderful presenter. So grateful for how generous she was with examples, her own writing, suggestions for submissions, suggestions for continued diving into the craft…all in.” – Robin Perry

“Bethany is a wonderful presenter, speaks clearly and with enthusiasm. VERY present.” – Winnie Ganshaw

THE FINE PRINT

We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.

Before the first class, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).

After class begins, you may request a refund for the remaining value of the course (less a $25 processing fee).

No credits or refunds will be available after the 1st class.

Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com

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Registration Info

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Event Organizer

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Location