Spring Class Schedule

3-Hour Creative Writing Exercise Sessions
$25 per student

There are four sessions to choose from.

On Saturday, 3/26, from 10 am to 1 pm
-Nonfiction Writing with Chris Daley in Los Feliz
-Fiction Writing with Leslie Parry in Pasadena
-Fiction Writing with Edan Lepucki in the Pico-Fairfax area

On Sunday, 3/27, from 10 am to 1 pm
-Fiction Writing with Mary Guterson in the Melrose-Highland area

In this 3-hour class, we will do a series of short in-class writing exercises that will give you new ideas and/or help you further develop projects you’ve already begun.  Some of the exercises will be favorites from previous courses, and some will be new.  We’ll go from one exercise to the next fairly quickly, and by the end of the session you’ll have pages upon pages of new material.  Those who are interested may stay for 15-20 minutes after the session to share one exercise with your fellow writers.

Enrollment is limited to 8 students per session.  Coffee, juice and sparkling water will be served!
If you’re interested, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com

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Mixed Levels Creative Nonfiction: Personal Essay & Memoir (with Chris Daley in Los Feliz)
Tuesdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
April 19, 2011 to June 7, 2011

In this mixed-levels course, students will read, discuss, and write essays (or chapters) that will explore the genre(s) of personal narrative and memoir. The readings will be selected to stimulate thinking, exemplify different techniques and styles, and suggest techniques for engaging personal and creative expression. There will be in-class and homework exercises that address topics such as persona, audience, story, description, memory and truth, and ethical considerations specific to the genre. Students will have the chance to workshop their writing in a serious environment meant to challenge and inspire each member of the class.

This course will take place in the instructor’s home in Los Feliz, where wine and sparkling water—and the occasional delicious snack—will be served.

Enrollment limit: 8 students
Course fee: $380 for new students; $340 for returning students (Payment plans available!)
If you’re interested in signing up, email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com

Mixed Levels Fiction Writing Workshop (with Mary Guterson in the Melrose-Highland area) **CLASS FULL; EMAIL TO GET ON WAIT LIST**

Tuesdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
April 12, 2011 to May 31, 2011

This 8-week class is designed for both short story writers and those just embarking on their novels. For the first four weeks, we will do in-class writing exercises and discuss published short fiction and novel excerpts from a craft perspective. We will cover such topics as characterization, pacing, point of view, structure, voice, and scene, and there will be short take-home writing assignments designed to help you progress with your manuscript.   For the final four weeks of the course, we will workshop student work in a serious environment meant to challenge and inspire every member of the class. Each student will have the opportunity to workshop either one short story manuscript or one novel excerpt (maximum 25 pages).

This course will take place in the instructor’s home in the Melrose area, where wine and sparkling water—and the occasional gourmet cheese—will be served.

Enrollment limit: 8 students
$380 for new students; $340 for returning students.  (Payment plans available!)
If you’re interested in signing up, email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com

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Intermediate/Advanced Creative Nonfiction: Personal Essay and Memoir (with Chris Daley in Los Feliz)
**CLASS FULL; EMAIL TO GET ON THE WAIT LIST**
Thursdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
April 21, 2011 to June 9, 2011

This advanced level course is designed for writers who have started a memoir or essay collection and have some idea of the persona, audience, and purpose driving their work. There will be some assigned readings, but the focus will be on developing projects through a process of drafting, feedback, and revision in a challenging but supportive environment. Weekly in-class and homework exercises will help establish and refine structure, style, voice, and texture. Students will discuss the particular generic concerns of personal narrative and memoir, and they will have the opportunity to submit work for review every other week. An advanced project or previous enrollment in the Introduction/Mixed Level course strongly suggested.

This course will take place in the instructor’s home in Los Feliz, where wine and sparkling water—and the occasional delicious snack—will be served.

Enrollment limit: 8 students
Course fee: $380 for new students; $340 for returning students (Payment plans available!)
If you’re interested in signing up, email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com

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The Poetry Master Class with Sarah Manguso on April 9, 2011 is sold out–but we’ve opened a second session!  This one will take place on Saturday, May 7, 2011 from 3 to 6 pm.  (The class structure, and the price ($120), is the same as the one on April 9th.)  Email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com to sign up.

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Do you have a book club or writing group? If so, and you’d like to discuss my novella, If You’re Not Yet Like Me, I will not only attend your gathering, I will also promise to bring:
-A bottle of wine and/or a delicious non-alcoholic beverage
-A willingness to answer any and all questions about the book, writing, the mysteries of love and so on.
-And, if you want me to: a couple of fiction writing exercises that address some of the formal elements of either my novella or the short story contained in the second edition.  A free creative writing session!  Wowza!

If you’re interested, email me at writingworkshopsla@gmail.com.