JUNE
June Intro to Poetry
(Worldwide Edition)
w/Paul Corman-Roberts
Poetry knows no border and is only interested in what can be divined on the other side of any arbitrary “line in the sand.” In this 4-week course we will develop a small portfolio inspired by forms of poetry that come to us from different parts of the globe. Forms such as haibun, eintou and the abecederian will not be dogma, but encouraged to be used in the creation of inspired poems and even inventive new forms!
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Wednesdays, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm PST / 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm EST
6/4, 6/11, 6/18, 6/25
Who Is This Guy?
Crash Course in Character
w/marya hornbacher
Every literary genre lives and dies by the presence and vitality of its character. This crash course will explore the function of character in our chosen genre, then move into discovering who our characters are, developing their dimensions, motives, tensions, and quirks, and ultimately creating vibrant, realistic characters with whom readers will resonate and connect.
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Mondays, 4 pm–6 pm PST / 7 pm–9 pm EST
6/9, 6/16, 6/23, 6/30
Threads and Breaks: 
Flash Fiction vs. Narrative Poetry
w/Paul Corman-Roberts
What is the difference between so called “flash fiction” and a “narrative poem?” This 8-week course will generate flash writing/narrative portfolios and/or WIP’s from a close study of the fine line between flash fiction and narrative poetry, and the ways in which style can subvert and inform substance into an entirely new way of writing and thinking about writing.  Includes a free one-hour, one-on-one consultation with the facilitator if desired.​
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Saturdays, 11:00 am – 1:30 pm PST / 1 pm – 3 pm EST  
6/7, 6/21, 6/28 , 7/5, 7/12, 7/19
Why Not This?
When Revision Is Play
w/Holly Starley
A weekend of writing and playing and experimenting with form—speculative, hermit crab, romance, and more. Giving ourselves freedom to explore can open up work we may not have imagined. Bring a WIP to play with or play with the pieces generated in session. Mostly, enjoy.​
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Weekend Boot Camp
Friday 6/27, 4-6 pm PDT / 7-9 pm EDT
Saturday & Sunday 6/28 & 6/29 12-2 pm PDT / 3-5 pm EDT
JULY
Deep dive:
There Are Three Rules for Writing a Novel
w/marya hornbacher
“Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.” —W. Sommerset Maugham
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About 50 pages into a novel when you found yourself running out of know-how and steam? This class moves participants past inspiration into the real work of writing a novel. Participants leave with a significant sample, a synopsis, a detailed outline, and a concrete, achievable completion strategy.
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Mondays 4 pm – 6 pm PST / 7 pm – 9 pm EST
7/7, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4, 8/11
Summer Workshop
One-Hitter—
Finding Home:
Poetry of Place
w/Matt Smythe
Young and enthusiastic? Seasoned and gritty? No matter. If poetry is your wheelhouse, you're welcome here. We'll focus on generative poetry exercises meant to capture a sense of place — as rich in its economy of words as any long narrative would be in paragraphs or pages. Great for prose writers, too.
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Wednesday, July 9 — 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm EST
July Intro to Poetry
(Worldwide Edition)
w/paul corman-roberts
Poetry knows no border and is only interested in what can be divined on the other side of any arbitrary “line in the sand.” In this 4-week course we will develop a small portfolio inspired by forms of poetry that come to us from different parts of the globe.​​
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Wednesdays​​​, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm PST / 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm EST
7/9, 7/16, 7/23, 7/30
An Editor by Any Other Name: What the Job Is & Why & How You Should Hire You
w/Holly Starley
You have writing dreams: A byline in your fav lit mag. A Substack post people can’t stop restacking. An essay that hits a reader straight in the heart. Work that wows an agent. Whatever the aim, learning the roles of an editor and how to apply professional editing tools to your own work will get you there faster! Bring a work in progress or work with the drafts we’ll develop in session.​
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Sunday, July 13, 11 am–2 pm PDT / 2 pm–5 pm EDT
Three Gifts Doubled: Three for Your Readers, Three for You
w/Holly Starley
To write is to revise. To do so well is to give both ourselves and those who read our work a whole lot. This generative workshop focuses on six of those gifts and how we can learn to regularly share them.
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Weekend Boot Camp
Friday 7/25, 4 pm – 6 pm PST / 7 pm – 9 pm EST
Saturday 7/26 & Sunday 7/27 — 12 pm - 2 pm PST / 3 pm - 5 pm EST
No, You Are Not a Mad Genius: Mental Wellbeing for Creative Folks
w/marya hornbacher
The creative process has a lot of highs and lows. This bootcamp isn't therapy - it's a practical approach to balancing creative work with day-to-day life. We'll tackle core practices of self-care, pinpoint go-to habits where we can make changes, and develop strategic responses to issues with attention, anxiety, disappointment, inspiration, and stress.​​
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Friday 6/27, 4 pm–6 pm PST / 7 pm–9 pm EST
Saturday 6/28, 12 pm–2 pm PST / 3 pm–5 pm EST
Sunday 6/29, 12 pm–2 pm PST / 3 pm–5 pm EST
Summer Workshop
One-Hitter—
Warts & All: Creative Nonfiction Workshop
w/Matt Smythe
It's one thing to tell a story. It's another to tell a story that leaves a mark on your readers. We'll focus on the elements of good storytelling by mining as many of your life experiences as possible. Come ready to tell the truth — warts and all.
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Wednesday, July 23 — 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm EST
Summer Workshop
One-Hitter—
Diamonds from Coal: Pressure of Form
in Poetry
w/Matt smythe
We won’t be delving into Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetics, but we will cover how applying pressure of form on your work — i.e. line breaks, enjambment, stanzaic structure, punctuation (or lack thereof), and more — can deepen meaning, soften edges, pack a punch, and lead readers where you want. Hey, fiction and nonfiction peeps — there are a ton of form considerations in prose, too.
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Saturday, July 19 — 5 pm – 8 pm EST
Deeply Question to Ensure the Bones of Your Work Are in Place
w/Holly Starley
What makes “good art”? Knowing how to develop our work is key. Let’s explore how to step back and see our early drafts with a developmental eye and why that leads to a greater understanding of what we mean to say and a firmer foundation. Then we’ll apply deep questioning exercises to open up and transform our work. Bring a work in progress or work with drafts we’ll develop in session.​
Thursday, July 24 — 3–6 pm PDT / 6–9 pm EDT
Map Your Curiosity, Reach New Writing Heights
w/Holly starley
Annie Dillard says structural mysteries can seize our work if we don’t carve out structure. One tool I’ve applied to every developmental editing project I’ve had works wonders for shaping up structure. Let’s practice applying that tool to early drafts (plus explore how that may be just the way to appease the inner critic). Bring a work in progress or work with drafts we’ll develop in session.
Thursday, July 31 — 3–6 pm PDT / 6–9 pm EDT
August
Summer Workshop
One-Hitter—
Be the Jedi:
The Subtle Art
of Rhetoric
w/Matt smythe
Rhetoric gets a bad rap. But it’s not all about being divisive or undermining democracy. More often than it seems, successful rhetoric tells stories that inspire positive change without the reader necessarily knowing why. Understanding how writers use rhetoric — the moves they make — is a vital part of improving your writing. We’ll hit the rhetorical high points and generate some writing that moves people with subtle deliberateness. All genres welcome.
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Saturday, August 2 — 5 pm – 8 pm EST
Build an Essay
w/The Caravan Team
Learn to create an essay in four weeks. A different Caravan instructor each week will walk you through the fundamentals. Jumpstart your work with generative prompts, tools, and guidance. Leave with a full-length piece. New to the form? (Poets?) Want to reboot your practice and sharpen your skills? This course is for you.​
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Sundays, 11 am – 1 pm (PDT)
8/3, 8/10, 8/17, 8/24
Braid It! How to Weave Seemingly Unconnected Strands into Your Writing
w/holly starley
Love a good braided essay or story? How it can weave topics that don’t seem linked? Connect memories from disparate times or places? Make a beautiful tapestry? In this one-hitter intensive, we’ll explore how braided essays are created and what makes them work. Then we’ll get into the practice and, with some guided prompts, draft some of our own.
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Tuesday, August 5 — 3–6 pm PDT / 6–9 pm EDT
August Intro to Poetry
(Worldwide Edition)
w/paul corman-roberts
Poetry knows no border and is only interested in what can be divined on the other side of any arbitrary “line in the sand.” In this 4-week course we will develop a small portfolio inspired by forms of poetry that come to us from different parts of the globe.​​
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Wednesdays​​​, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm PST / 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm EST
8/6, 8/13, 8/20, 8/27
Summer Workshop
One-Hitter—
The 16-Week Monkey: Prompted Freewriting to Build a Writing Habit
w/Matt Smythe
Writer’s block is a myth. It doesn’t exist. You’ve been bamboozled. If you’re willing to carry the monkey — the habit of writing without constraints (AKA low or no-stakes writing) — you will never be without words. A good writing habit side-steps self-criticism and second-guessing, embraces uncharted exploration, and teaches you there are no mistakes. We’ll discuss and practice effective freewriting strategies for generating that good habit and everyone will leave with a 16-week guide to make sure it sticks.​ All genres welcome.
Wednesday, August 6 — 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm EST
The 'Give a Shit' Factor: Crash Course in Making Your
Writing Matter
w/marya hornbacher
Everybody's got a story to tell. But the best stories, the ones that matter, aren't actually 'about' the author or the author's personal concerns.This class digs into the practical ways in which writers can connect our individual creative work to the reader, the culture, the era, and the world about which, and for which, we write.
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Thursdays 4 pm – 6 pm PST / 7 pm – 9 pm EST
8/7, 8/14, 8/21, 8/28
The Art of the
Chapbook
w/paul corman-roberts
Chapbooks are miniature portals into the wild frontier of the creative mind. This 8-week crash course in chapbook building will have writers developing completed “market ready” manuscripts in prose, poetry and/or flash fiction/CNF, complete with group feedback and platform options for their books, including viable leads for third party publishers, self-publishing, a free one-hour consultation with the facilitator and even (if desired) chap assembly.
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Saturdays, 11 am – 1 pm PST / 2 pm – 4 pm EST
8/9, 8/16, 8/23, 8/30, 9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27
Do the Damn Thing: Strategic Planning for Creative People
Who Can't Plan for Sh*t
w/marya hornbacher
Everybody has a great idea. But most of us could use some help creating a strategy for turning it into a finished work. Do the Damn Thing weekend intensives provide real-time exercises, time management tips, and creative tools so participants leave with an effective, achievable strategic plan for their creative project.​​
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Weekend Boot Camp
Friday 8/8 — 4 pm – 6 pm PST / 7 pm – 9 pm EST
Sa–Su 8/9, 8/10 — 12 pm – 2 pm PST / 3 pm – 5 pm EST
Be Stunningly Concise
w/holly starley
Does killing those darlings hurt? If you were told: Shave 200 words, cut this back to half, lose xx paragraphs, would your breath catch? Cutting work you’ve labored over can be hard. In this class, learn not just to cut but also to love it! Bring a work in progress or work with the drafts we’ll develop in session. Leave with less—in the best way.
Tuesday, August 19 — 3–6 pm PDT / 6–9 pm EDT
Summer Workshop
One-Hitter—
One Start, Three Genres
w/Matt smythe
Sometimes you get a brilliant idea and set off to spill your guts on the page but whatever form you’ve chosen feels like a square peg in a round hole. Building on the good writing habits formed in “The 16-Week Monkey,” we’ll try our hands at micro-stories, prose poetry, and “traditional” stanzas and line breaks, all generated from a single piece of uninhibited writing. Don’t worry, if you didn’t take the “Monkey” workshop, you’ll be just fine.​
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Saturday, August 16 — 5 pm – 8 pm EST
From the Road:
Writing about Travel
w/Holly, Marya
+special guest Karen Babine, author of the forthcoming
The Allure of Elsewhere
Join veteran travel writers Holly & Marya to hone your skills, sharpen your focus, and amplify your voice. 'The road,' as we define it, is wide: Think your own travel or that of others. Think past or present. Think inner journeys and outer quests. Featuring special guest award-winning author of The Allure of Elsewhere and professor Karen Babine.
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Weekend Boot Camp
Friday 8/22, 4pm – 6pm
Saturday 8/23, 12pm – 2pm
Sunday 8/24, 12pm – 2pm