Literary Academy: Finding Workshops

You've got class!

Nearly fifteen years ago, I decided I wanted to write creatively. I lived in the DC suburbs while teaching at a community college and feeling unfulfilled. My education in literature had been from a critical perspective—I wrote about books, but I didn’t write the books. I felt so indulgent in taking a course at the The Writer’s Center at the time, but in taking that course, I found a space to explore my creative side. I shared work, got new reading lists, and discovered that I wanted to write for the sake of writing.

Since the pandemic, many writing workshops offer classes both in-person and online. When I started to be the instructor, I would get students from as far as Australia participating in Zoom classes. Not all of us have the luxury of being located in a place that has creative writing workshops available to the public, which is why I’m grateful these spaces exist.

Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash

I have curated this list with several items in mind. First, these places are not contingent on completing an application to get in. Nothing like Tin House or Kenyon Writers Workshop. These are available to everyone. Some offer partial scholarships if you can demonstrate need. The other part of my curation comes from the fact that I have either taught at some of these places or I know people who have either taught or taken classes at these places and have had great experiences. I once came across a Tweet saying that every published author she knew consistently takes writing classes. Even after I got my MFA, I enrolled in the year-long novel class at Pioneer Valley and it helped me write a whole book along with connecting to wonderful writing partners.

East Coast

Gotham Writers Workshop (New York, NY)

Pioneer Valley Writers’ Workshop (Northampton, MA)

Grub Street (Boston, MA)

The Writer’s Center (Bethesda, MD)

Middle America

The Porch (Nashville, TN)

The Loft (Minneapolis, MN)

Dallas Writers Workshop (Dallas, TX)

West Coast

UCLA Extension (Los Angeles, CA)

The Writers Grotto (San Francisco, CA)

Hugo House (Seattle, WA)

Everywhere

Creative Nonfiction (Online)

If there are more that you recommend, please comment and I’ll add them!