Learn foundational reading and writing techniques that will help you start, continue, or finish a piece of short fiction or nonfiction. Every week, we’ll discuss a different essay or short story that exemplifies a particular craft element, and then we’ll complete a writing exercise that will allow you to practice that element. I’ll provide all the reading materials, so there’s no need for you to purchase a book. The last two weeks will be dedicated to workshopping the stories you’ve written. We’ll also talk about our ideas, the writing process itself, and the writers we love. You’ll have the opportunity to work with me one-on-one, during conferences we’ll set up outside of class.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARNBecause you can’t be a writer without being a reader, we’ll focus first on analyzing exemplary pieces of writing. You’ll learn how to distinguish between a story’s plot and its theme (what I like to call “the thing” and “the other thing”), how to identify a story’s patterns, and how to recognize what the poet Ezra Pound called “luminous details.” In doing so, you’ll also learn how to use these techniques in your own writing. Beyond that, you’ll learn how to critique a piece of writing in progress, and how to use feedback to revise what you’ve written.
WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSEAnyone with a story to tell, regardless of skill level or experience.
Classes start Saturday, October 13 and meet once a week until Saturday, December 08. Eight student limit per section.
Cost: $350
MEETS SATURDAYS 2PM — 4PM LOCATION: CAFE ARTISTA
Build on foundational elements of writing and focus on workshopping existing stories. During our first meeting, you’ll distribute to the workshop group copies of an existing piece of short fiction or nonfiction (20 double-spaced pages maximum). You’ll read these stories and provide feedback based on workshop guidelines you’ll find in your orientation materials. Every week, we’ll discuss one student’s manuscript. You’ll also have the opportunity to discuss your work with me one-on-one, during conferences we’ll set up outside of class.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARNThis course is designed to deepen an existing understanding of the craft of fiction and nonfiction. We will focus on craft elements such as characterization, detail, patterns, build-up and release of tension, dialogue, and point-of-view in an effort to build up a store of techniques to adapt and apply in our own writing.
WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSEAnyone with a foundational understanding of the craft of fiction or nonfiction. In other words, you should have some experience writing creatively. You must have a completed piece of either fiction or nonfiction (20 double-spaced pages maximum) to enroll.
Classes start Thursday, October 11 and meet once a week until Thursday, December 06. Seven student limit per section.
Cost: $350
MEETS THURSDAYS 6PM — 8PM LOCATION TBA
"Jamie presided over two of my workshops in my undergraduate career, and I can honestly say they were two of the best classes I have ever taken. Jamie's encyclopedic knowledge of literature and literary conventions reaches through all genres, and her critiques were thorough and exceedingly helpful. She was supportive but firm, and the questions that she posed to the workshop were insightful and illuminating. I credit Jamie first and foremost for inspiring me to become a better writer and making me one, too."
— Anthony Jay Lothspiech, student since 2016