Bring your novel to life with best-selling author Susan Coll! Whether you have been thinking about writing a novel for years but are not sure how to get started, or are already published but embarking on a new project, this year-long workshop is intended to help get the next book off the ground. Watch the […]
Through reflection, community, and practice, you’ll awaken the artist within and build a creative life that feels aligned and alive. This year-long journey through The Artist’s Way offers a sustained path for creative reawakening and artistic growth. Writers, artists, and creative seekers will move chapter by chapter through Julia Cameron’s classic text, reconnecting with their […]
Jumpstart your novel and writing practice in this ten-month intensive! If you're wondering how to write a novel and sustain a writing practice in the midst of everything, Novel Club is for you. Together, with the guidance of an experienced mentor and author and the camaraderie of your Novel Club cohort, this is the year […]
Write your YA novel over the course of a school year with bestselling author Betsy Cornwell! In this intensive ten-month course, you'll take your young adult novel from concept to complete manuscript with guidance from New York Times bestselling author Betsy Cornwell, as well as mutual support from fellow participants. Watch the Virtual Info Session […]
Whether you have just started your manuscript, or have made significant progress, this course will help you get over the finish line. We'll learn how to structure the book in a way that adds layers of meaning to the poems within, generate new work to fill in the structure, and hone poems until they are book-ready. To finish, students will revise the book as a whole and make a publication plan.
Write your memoir with award-winning author Edgar Gomez! In this intensive ten-month course, you will learn about the art of creative nonfiction and be given the tools to ready your memoir or memoir-in-essays for publication. Watch the Virtual Info Session Meet Edgar Gomez, instructor for our yearlong memoir workshop, and have all your questions about […]
Each week, participants will focus on a different stage of the revision and publishing process, including structural and line-level revision strategies, identifying common problems in manuscripts, understanding the role of agents and editors, and exploring different paths to publication. The workshop will combine discussion of craft principles, practical publishing guidance, and analysis of participant work in a supportive, workshop-based setting. By the end of the course, participants will have a clearer, more polished manuscript excerpt, a realistic understanding of its readiness for submission, and a practical toolkit for querying agents and navigating publication options with greater confidence. Participants should submit a draft of a short story or novel excerpt up to 3000 words to the first class.
Each session of Boot Camp for Writers will begin with a prompt followed by writing time. Participants will have the opportunity to share and discuss their work as well as receive in-class feedback. The workshop is designed so that participants will have the start of six new pieces by the end of class. Former Boot Camp participants are always (and happily) welcome. Note: No meeting November 3 and 24.
Write new short stories with award-winning author and editor Rita Bullwinkel! Writing is a unique art medium in that it is both made and, generally, consumed in isolation. Through the space of the writers' workshop, an author can escape the isolation in which they made their work, understand their work from a consciousness other than […]
Are you serious about writing a novel but struggling? This intermediate course will examine the eight fundamental elements of the novel to help you find the strengths and weaknesses of your work-in-progress. From Concept to Conclusion, we will study the key components of a novel, with generative and evaluative exercises along the way. Written lessons, curated online resources, and targeted exercises (along with instructor and peer feedback) will help guide you as you continue to draft your novel. (Note: This course is a good follow-up to Tammy Greenwood’s Intro to the Novel workshop.)
“Whole-Brain Poetry” is an opportunity to explore some of the many ways poetry interacts with the brain, and to enrich your writing with that knowledge. This includes but goes beyond the use of metaphor. Through writing exercises, close examination of time-honored and recent poems, workshopping of participant poems, and brief reading assignments, we will examine the neurology and psychology of poetry, the relationship between time and memory, how science has influenced well-known poets, how poetry can help to heal trauma and prevent PTSD, and more.
This workshop will offer a lecture each week, followed by workshoping participants’ poems. The class will focus on the elements of story, musicality, figuration, and most of all feeling. Open to all poets at all levels, who are curious about poetry and its craft and tools for revision.
This course focuses on writing and reading *very* short fiction. Together, we’ll investigate the following questions: what can a story accomplish in a single page? In a single paragraph? How can we, as writers, create character, place, plot, or voice in such a compressed form? What techniques are helpful for drafting and revising a super-short story? How does contemporary “flash fiction” or "micro fiction" relate to older forms—like the fable—and other genres, like poetry? What makes a piece of very short prose a "story" at all? Each week, we will workshop participants' fiction and do writing exercises to learn about this form. We’ll also read a range of published flash fiction from a craft perspective. By the end of the workshop, each participant will have written and received feedback on at least one very short story (under 2,000 words). The course will conclude with a discussion of strategies for submitting very short fiction to literary magazines.
Do you have a finished draft of a novel but don’t know what to do next? This workshop will take you through the revision and editing process step-by-step. From large-picture issues like plot and structure, characterization, etc… to line editing, we will look at what it takes to revise your own novel without the assistance of a professional editor.
This workshop is a two-hour seminar for those who want to better understand the genre of memoir and the craft elements required to write it well. In this course we will: Explore the tensions inherent in being author, narrator, and subject all at once; Unpack the subjectivity of truth; Commit to treat all characters fairly; […]
Writing a novel takes commitment, but it doesn’t need to be daunting. Learn how to generate a handful of plots to choose from, methods for effectively planning your story, and simple hacks for fine tuning your basic fiction skills. Students will initiate a flexible writing plan that will keep their writing flowing. This is a great half-day session for the beginning long-form fiction writer, or for the more experienced author in need of a quick strategy brush-up.
The Writer’s Center welcomes James Jay Dudley Luce Poet Laureate, Manav Sachdeva, for a reading from his collection, Sufi's Garland. Manav is joined in conversation by writer Sonja Horgen. FREE […]
How poets handle syntax—the arrangement of words in a sentence—is crucial to everything from establishing the voice of a poem to evoking a particular response from the reader. In this workshop, we will take a close look at how sentences are put together and how changing their structure can send a poem off in a new direction. We will also examine the relationship between the sentence and the line and how to control the tension between them.
The Writer’s Center welcomes the Café Muse Literary Salon for a reading featuring writers from Washington Writer's Publishing House reading from the America’s Future Anthology. The evening begins at 7 […]
Meet Susan Coll, instructor for our Novel Year workshop, and have all your questions about the program answered! The Writer’s Center staff will be on hand, too, to address any logistical questions. Register below! About the Program Application Deadline: January 12th, 2027 Workshop Dates: Begins January 26th, meeting biweekly for ~10 months Cost: $5,400 | Members $5,300 Write your novel in a year with bestselling novelist Susan Coll! Whether you have been thinking about writing a novel for years but are not sure how to get started or are already published but embarking on a new project, this year-long workshop is intended […]
Prose, poetry, and spoken word Open Mic @ The Writer’s Center! All writers are welcome to come and share 4-5 minutes of their latest work. Sign-up starts at 6:45pm, and readings begin promptly at 7pm. Limited to 20 readers, so arrive early if you plan to read. Sponsored by Poet Lore, America’s oldest poetry magazine. FREE and open to the public. Please note that we no longer offer advance sign-up. If you need an accommodation for this event, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services. Enjoying […]
Lead with the future — not background — for lead-ership, especially in a crisis. That’s the most important of eight journalism skills that will transform your writing. The others: write your readers’ language, be positive (to be both clear and upbeat), lay out logically, be consistent, be precise, be concise and choose strong verbs. (Plus a Speak Like the News skill: avoid “uptalk?”) Emulate the vivid news examples you’ll see in this workshop, and you’ll strengthen your writing voice with lively, engaging news style. At 7 sharp, we’ll critique TheWallStreetJournal.com, seeing how to communicate your main point in just a few words. To cover as much ground as possible, we’ll have just a few writing exercises and most of them will take less than a minute each.
Poet Lore, America’s oldest poetry journal and The Writer’s Center welcomes poet Kelly Grace Thomas to our monthly Virtual Poetry Book Club for a discussion of her collection, Future Tense. Kelly is joined by Book Club Host, Hannah Grieco. We encourage you to order a copy of the book from your local, independent bookseller or online » directly from the publisher, Alice James Books. FREE & open to the public. RSVP below. Kelly Grace Thomas, poet, writer, and coach, is the author of Future Tense (Alice James Books, 2026) and Boat Burned (YesYes Books, 2020). She’s the winner of the Neil Postman […]
You may think you don't have the time, energy, or inspiration to write because of your hectic lifestyle. Wrong! We'll share methods many professional writers use to complete their books in months instead of years, their short stories in mere weeks. Become the dedicated author you've always dreamed of being. (Ideal for writers who don’t have 8 weeks to dedicate to the Extreme Novelist course.)
Guided by an award-winning and internationally published author of sonnets, villanelles, and other metrical poems, you’ll first read time-honored sonnets to see how and why they work. Next the class will write a group sonnet, and then -- with or without shortcuts -- you’ll start one of your own. You’ll leave with at least one new (draft) or improved sonnet, as well as insights about how writing poems in form can unlock deeper meaning and enhance everything you write.
Meet Lindsey Van Wagner, instructor for The Artist's Way: A Year of Creative Reawakening, and have all your questions about the program answered! The Writer’s Center staff will be on hand, too, to address any logistical questions. Register below! About the Program Application Deadline: January 25th, 2027 Workshop Dates: Begins February 6, 2027, one Saturday a month with self-paced work in between meetings Cost: $2000 | Members $1900 This year-long journey through The Artist’s Way offers a sustained path for creative reawakening and artistic growth. Writers, artists, and creative seekers will move chapter by chapter through Julia Cameron’s classic text, reconnecting […]
The Writer’s Center welcomes author Diana Rojas to our monthly Fiction Book Club for a discussion of her most recent novel, They Hold Grudges, at The Writer's Center! Diana is joined by Book Club Host, Hannah Grieco. We encourage you to order a copy of the book from your local, independent bookseller or online » FREE & open to the public. RSVP below. Diana Rojas is the author of the novel They Hold Grudges (Arte Público Press), the novella collection Litany of Saints: A Triptych (Arte Público Press), and the forthcoming children’s book, Clara’s Big Green Coat (Piñata Books, 2027). Her […]
The Writer’s Center welcomes graduate students of the American University MFA Program for a reading and discussion of their findings this semester. These graduate students are joined by poet and […]
Meet Nicole Chung, instructor for our Memoir Year workshop, and have all your questions about the program answered! The Writer’s Center staff will be on hand, too, to address any logistical questions. Register below! About the Program Application Deadline: January 30th, 2027 Workshop Dates: Begins February 9th, meeting biweekly for 10 months Cost: $5,400 | Members $5,300 Work on your memoir or collection of essays with bestselling author Nicole Chung! This intensive workshop is open to writers working on a memoir, memoir-in-essays, or essay collection. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in lively craft discussions, reflection/writing exercises, and in-depth workshops designed to […]
Everyone has stories worth telling, they just don't always recognize them. This interactive workshop helps participants uncover meaningful moments from their everyday lives and transform them into engaging pieces of writing. Through guided reflection, creative prompts, and interactive writing exercises, participants will explore memory, emotion, and observation to discover the stories hiding in ordinary experiences. Rather than focusing on perfect prose, this workshop encourages curiosity, authenticity, and play. Writers will experiment with different ways of approaching personal storytelling while gaining practical tools they can use long after the workshop ends. Participants will leave with new writing, a collection of prompts to inspire future work, and greater confidence in their ability to find stories wherever they go.
