“In my years as a writer and teacher but especially as director of The Writing Salon, I’ve wondered how other writers build and sustain their writing practice," says Ben Jackson. "While there’s no one magic formula that works for everyone, I’ve found there are particular components that lead to ongoing passion, productivity, and purpose
“What gnaws at you about the times we’re living in? What enrages, confuses and saddens you?” asks instructor Katharine Harer. “This class will provide a safe and encouraging space where we can write creatively about what is happening in our communities, our country, and the world
If you’ve been writing for a while, especially if you’ve participated in Round Robin classes, you’ve likely amassed bits of stories, essays, and poems, promising pieces that you haven’t developed further or don’t quite know how to expand. In this 6-week class, we’ll build from those starts, fragments, and sketches to create more fully realized works of art
Your life is full of stories worth telling—moments that shimmer with meaning, people who've left their mark, experiences that won't let you go. In Discover Creative Nonfiction, you’ll learn how to turn those stories into engaging narratives that come alive on the page
Come on out to our San Francisco location on May 16 to hear Writing Salon instructors, Katharine Harer and Lauren Krauze, read with their two students, David Mealy and Charnay Augustin
In the Writing Salon’s Feedback Circle classes, students will gain a vision and vocabulary to make craft decisions in creative pieces, for both early drafts and developed work, and to guide classmates through their own process. While there will be some generative writing activities in class, the bulk of time will be spent sharing creative pieces and giving and receiving feedback
“Big Secret Number One to writing fiction is that you have to make a mess. Many messes,” says instructor Steve Mitchel. “You have to throw truckloads of words down onto the page knowing full well that most of them will end up in the compost
In this online class we'll look at examples of short pieces from practitioners such as Lydia Davis and Russell Edson, and we’ll explore how to incorporate techniques like free association and juxtaposition into our work. Then we'll write, share, and write some more
In this 3-hour class, through writing prompts carefully chosen by David, you’ll pinpoint the memories that drive you to the page, ones that thrill, haunt, and comfort you. You’ll write, reflect, and write some more
For 25 years, The Writing Salon has used the power of writing prompts to coax out writers’ work in its raw form—work that would later become novels, personal essays, poems. Write Now! will showcase a Writing Salon teacher’s favorite paths to the source of inspiration