Hi Jane,
I took the personal essay class taught by Jenny Pritchett, and I just HAVE to tell you what a fabulous experience it was. Jenny is, quite simply, a fantastic teacher. Each session was stimulating, challenging, and rich in content. I couldn’t wait to get up on a Saturday morning and head off to class!
Jenny’s perceptiveness, and intelligence are very evident in her teaching, and those qualities of hers work to stretch us as students. By the end end of session 5, every one of us had a solid foundation in the elements of a strong personal essay, and that is thanks to Jenny’s high-quality instruction. She’s very organized, and obviously puts thought and energy into planning cohesive instruction. Plus, she’s funny! We laughed a lot in class, learning all the while.
I was sad when the class ended! A few times, while sitting in that room and looking around the circle, I actually teared up a little with happiness at how right it felt to be there. I’m just so happy to have found the Writing Salon, and yet another great teacher in Jenny. Thank you!
Sue Granzella
Re: “Intro to Creative Writing” and also “Get Your Work into Print: Submit!”
I just finished taking Intro to Creative Writing with Jenny Pritchett and I am truly thrilled to have been part of this class. Jenny is a gem of a person – passionate, supportive, funny and downright smart – not to mention an excellent instructor.
The course fully met my expectations. When I signed up I was a little concerned that I would be in over my head (I haven’t written anything since college), but after the first class that worry left me. Not only is the course broken down into manageable discussion pieces – concrete detail, dialogue, metaphor, etc – which I found very helpful in dealing with the unknown of writing, but Jenny is also very capable of guiding and providing feedback to a group of students with different backgrounds, styles and wants. The class immediately felt like a community rather than a classroom and that goes a long way to fostering comfort and confidence.
I particularly enjoyed the homework and Jenny’s mini-lectures. Having a homework assignment quite simply forced me to sit down and write, which I very likely would have put off on my own. But even more enjoyable was to hear Jenny talk about writing – she has an ability to express an abstract idea clearly that I’ve only seen a few times before in a few of my favorite professors in college.
Jenny is a rare talent, capable of providing for the students’ wide range of needs, from giving positive feedback and support, remembering the tiniest details of her student’s writing, to elucidating some very abstract concepts.
Aside from the obvious increase in knowledge about the various aspects of creative writing, writing simply seems less daunting now. This is my biggest takeaway. Before taking the course, I thought that writing was about the end product, which was a limiting way to think. I feel fully capable of writing on my own and for myself now. –John Carney
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Hello Jane,
I am writing to let you know how much I enjoyed yesterday’s class “Submit! Get Your Work into Print” with Jenny Pritchett. Jenny’s knowledge about the subject matter, from the perspective of both a writer and a journal editor is invaluable. Her patience in answering all our questions was infinite and sincerely appreciated. The handout she prepares for the class is full of precious information and remains with students as a valuable reminder of all the topics covered in class.
Now, the day after the class, I feel substantially more confident in taking my next steps. In short — and you can share and quote my words — I am very happy to have chosen to spend my Saturday at the Writing Salon with Jenny.
Regards,
Simona
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I really enjoyed jenny’s class. my expectations were to get writing assignments and homework that utilized my creativity and that certainly happened. I also wanted to do it in a class where we share and learn ‘tricks’ from a teacher. That all happened.
Jenny is very friendly and very knowledgeable with a great sense of humor.
Ben Eiseman
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This course met all of my expectations. I particularly enjoyed the writing exercises that we did involving photos (from a magazine or something that other people had brought) It really helped spark creativity by involving the senses. We had to write a memoi in 500 words or less, and I felt that stretched a lot of people’s abilities and challenged them.
I felt that Jenny made the class feel comfortable in writing and sharing by pointing out the positive aspects of each short piece. I would have liked a little more criticism or perhaps more ways for the writers to explore their writing in the future. It’s an introductory class though, so I know it can’t be too harsh or people will be uncomfortable.
I have more confidence in my writing ability and feel motivated to write more on my own. The ideas I got from the writing exercises will help me continue to practice.
It was really easy to sign up for the class, and I love the classroom in SF.
Faye Wong
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The class was great and Jenny Pritchett was so supportive of us. I would definitely take another class with her.
Carmen LeFranc
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Since I have no experience submitting to literary journals, all the information was useful in Jenny’s “Submit!” workshop. Her first-hand experience on both sides of the table, working as author and at a journal, meant she could answer questions from both perspectives. The how-to parts of the course (like how to find journal to submit to, how to write a cover letter, how to track submissions) was good practical information.
Steven Damron
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Re: Get Your Work into Print: Submit!
Thumbs up for Jenny! — Casey Fitzsimmons
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I found Jenny’s “Submit!” course extremely helpful and feel confident now in submitting my work to literary journals. Jenny was very positive about the whole process: because she has worked as an editor, she can offer particular insight into the world of literary journals and demystify the selection process….And it was also encouraging to hear a published author read her rejection slips! . . . . I came to the class really not knowing anything about how to get published, and now have a clear idea of how to figure out where to send my work, how to package it – and how to feel confident doing so.
Elizabeth Judge