In this class, you will have the opportunity to complete an essay that you can submit for consideration in the New York Times Modern Love column. Through prompts and exercises, supportive feedback, a study of published essays, and discussions on tips and pitfalls, you will be able to sculpt and hone the story that you need to tell and the world needs to read.

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Class limited to ten students. 

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Class Fee: $125 | REGISTER HERE

You have a great idea - for a story, an essay, a book. Now what?

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 It seems daunting at first to imagine an amorphous thought becoming a finished work in front of readers. Everything that’s published, whether fiction or nonfiction or any genre in between, goes through the same essential process. And every step engenders new questions. In this intensive we’ll demystify the process. Among the steps from idea to publication we will explore:

- Narrowing down/identifying the kind of idea that will sell or become your work’s heart;

- Making notes/conducting and corralling research/outlining structure;

- Writing a proposal or pitch letter;

- Looking for an agent, editor, or literary publication to which to submit - and what to expect during this phase of the process. 

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Bring your ideas and questions, half-formed plans, and dilemmas. We’ll discuss the two parts of the writing journey: the one between you and the page, and the one between your finished work and the audience you want to reach. No matter where you are - or where you feel stuck - there’s a way to take the next step.

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Class Fee: $45 | REGISTER HERE

As poets, we have many craft tools and skills available to us. Some of these tools may not come immediately to mind when writing a poem. Each week we will look at some different skills that can be used to enhance our poems. We will look at form, music, composition, rhetoric and style. Your mission will be to study one or two skills from the list—ones you feel drawn to, and use that skill in writing a new poem. Each week, you will receive a letter describing various craft tools. Links to descriptions of the skills and poems demonstrating them will be provided. Students may send the instructor their weekly poem. She will then collect poems into one document to be sent to the participants. We will discuss each poem in class, and you will be able to share your insights. The instructor, in addition will send short observational notes to each student. By being aware and practicing the elements from the toolbox, we explore an array of craft skills that can be used in the future to create dynamic and varied poems.

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Class limited to ten students. 

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Class Fee: $125 | REGISTER HERE

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This workshop is an opportunity to learn about and review the major forms of poetry and includes a discussion of how forms came into being and why they continue to hold an important place in contemporary poetry. Syllabic forms: haiku, tanka, and cinquains are shown as well as the major metric forms: sonnets, villanelles and sestinas. Concrete poems and free verse are also discussed. The end of the workshop is collaborative writing exercise where the group writes its own villanelle. Day Two (Sunday) is an opportunity to share any individual poems worked on over night.  

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Class Fee: $45 | REGISTER HERE

Modern Love II is open to students who have taken a Modern Love course. In this class, participants will continue to study published essays and work weekly on sculpting and refining work to submit to The New York Times Modern Love column, and other publications. 

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Class limited to ten students. 

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Class Fee: $100 | REGISTER HERE

An often asked question of poets is where do you get your ideas. Frequently the incentive to write may be found in the the works of others. Here are a few examples. Consider the paintings of Kara Walker, Klimt, or Gauguin. Peruse your family album or enjoy the majesty of Ansel Adam’s photographs. Read the work of other poets from John Donne to Major Jackson. What film left you thinking for several days after its viewing? Explore the personal meaning of a beloved object, such as a coffee mug or Roseville vase, for inspiration. During the first session we will look at samples and discuss how to begin our first piece. We will share our efforts throughout. The last session will be a presentation of our best work and a discussion of what we have learned from our classmates.

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Class limited to ten students. 

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Class Fee: $125 | REGISTER HERE

Vladimir Nabokov told his students: “Caress the detail, the divine detail." In this class, through a combination of workshop and generative exercises, you will learn self-editing techniques to improve the musicality, specificity, and power of your (short) prose. Learn how to shape your stories, elevate your language, punctuate for emphasis, pare down sentences, and kill those darlings. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you will come away with polished work and a greater sense of how to trust yourself and make your words sing. 

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Class limited to ten students. 

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Class Fee: $125 | FULL CLASS. REGISTRATION CLOSED.

So you’ve written some stories and / or poems and have revised them until you can no longer look at them. What now? How do you get your words into the world? In this six-week workshop, you’ll learn  the ins and outs of submitting your fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction to literary journals for publication. 

We’ll explore:

• How to know when your work is ready to submit

• How to research prospective journals

• How to write a cover letter and bio

• How to format your submissions

• What the readers/editors look for (and their biggest pet peeve)

• How to keep track of your submissions

• How to handle acceptance and rejection

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During each online Zoom session, the instructor will share best practices and answer questions. Assignments will be given over the course of the workshop so that each participant will be ready to submit one story by the end of week 5. The goal of the workshop is to have each participant submit at least one piece of writing to a literary journal, and have the knowledge to submit in the future on their own.

This workshop is open to all writers who wish to begin submitting their work for publication.

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Class Fee: $125 | REGISTER HERE

Since the advent of TED, storytelling has become a buzzword. But it's a trick speechwriters have been using for centuries to help speakers connect with audiences and persuade them of their message. In this intensive two-day course you will: learn the basics of speechwriting and how to use it to tell your story; learn how to take your story, structure it into something that works for an audience, and use language to make it more compelling; connect your story to a broader message that moves hearts and minds; practice telling your story to an audience. Join Felicity for this interactive session where you'll learn the tricks of the speechwriting trade, tell some epic stories that share something important about who you are, and have some fun along the way.  

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Class Fee: $100 | REGISTER HERE

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