Here they are! New classes!
You must receive a confirmation before enrolling in a class. Please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com if you’re interested in a course. Thanks!
FICTION
Fiction I (taught by Shannan Rouss in West Hollywood)
Thursdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
January 24, 2022 to March 14, 2022
SOLD OUT
This 8-week course will introduce beginning writers to the basic techniques of fiction writing such as characterization, dramatization, dialogue, point of view, and so on. In class, students will discuss published fiction from a craft perspective and do writing exercises designed to tackle particular techniques. Each week students will have short writing assignments to do outside of class, which will be turned in for feedback from the instructor. As this course is designed for beginning writers, there won’t be any formal workshopping. The class is also open to more experienced writers who simply want to brush up on the basics.
This course will take place in the instructor’s home in West Hollywood, 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, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com.
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Fiction II (taught by Adam Cushman in Beachwood Canyon)
Tuesdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
January 22, 2022 to March 19, 2022 (no class 3/5)
SOLD OUT
This 8-week intermediate-level class is designed for both short story writers and novelists. For the first four weeks, students will do in-class writing exercises and discuss published short fiction and novel excerpts from a craft perspective. The class 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 students progress with their manuscripts. For the final four weeks of the course, students will be workshopped 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 Beachwood Canyon 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, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com.
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Fiction III (taught by Margaret Wappler in Mount Washington)
Wednesdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
January 23, 2022 to March 27, 2021
SOLD OUT
This 10-week course is designed for experienced students who are interested in deepening their understanding of fiction writing craft and technique.
For the first few weeks, the class will discuss published fiction and do in-class writing exercises. Students will be given optional out-of-class writing assignments, and there will be short critiques of students’ work-in-progress and revisions. Each student will write two pieces of fiction (short stories or novel excerpts); one of those manuscripts will be workshopped by the class, and the other will be given to the instructor for feedback.
This course will take place in the instructor’s home in Mount Washington, where wine and sparkling water—and an occasional assortment of cheese and chocolates—will be served.
Enrollment limit: 8 students.
$410 for new students; $380 for returning students. (Payment plans available!)
If you’re interested in signing up, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com.
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Fiction IV (taught by Adam Cushman in Beachwood Canyon)
Wednesdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
January 16, 2022 to March 27, 2021 (no class 3/6)
SOLD OUT
This 10-week course is designed for advanced writers with extensive workshop experience who are interested in deepening their understanding of fiction writing craft and technique. This course is by application only.
For the first few weeks, the class will discuss published fiction and do in-class writing exercises. Students will be given optional out-of-class writing assignments, and there will be short critiques of students’ work-in-progress and revisions. Each student will write two pieces of fiction (short stories or novel excerpts); one of those manuscripts will be workshopped by the class, and the other will be given to the instructor for feedback.
This course will take place in the instructor’s home in Beachwood Canyon, where wine and sparkling water—and an occasional gourmet cheese—will be served.
Enrollment limit: 8 students.
$410 for new students; $380 for returning students. (Payment plans available!)
For more information about the application process, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com.
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Novel Writing II (taught by Ivy Pochoda in Downtown L.A.)
Wednesdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
January 23, 2022 to April 10, 2021 (no class 3/6 and 3/13)
SOLD OUT
In this 10-week course, students will continue working on newly-conceived novels. The first few weeks of class will be devoted to writing exercises and discussing craft and technique from a novelist’s perspective. All assignments, both in- and out-of-class, will ask students to think deeply about their projects and their aesthetic goals. There will be a weekly page-count requirement to keep students on task, and there will even be time set aside in class to write. The final weeks of the course will be devoted to workshopping student novel excerpts (40 pages maximum) in an intense yet compassionate environment designed to challenge and inspire all members of the class.
This course is designed as a continuation of the Fall 2012 Novel Writing I class. Students who haven’t taken the previous class are welcome to apply, but please note that the course is open to experienced writers only. Students must have at least 40 pages of a manuscript to be eligible for the course.
This class will take place in the instructor’s home in downtown L.A., where wine and sparkling water–and the occasional gourmet cheese–will be served.
Enrollment limit: 8 students
Course fee: $400 for all students (Payment plans available!)
To apply for entry, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com for more information.
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8-Week Fiction Writing Group (taught by Amelia Morris in Echo Park)
Tuesdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
January 22, 2022 to March 19, 2022 (no class 2/19)
SOLD OUT
In this course, students will have the opportunity to be a part of a fiction writers’ group facilitated by a published writer. Within a supportive environment, students will share new and in-process work, write from prompts, take home ideas for new stories, talk about writing, and ask questions about craft, creation and process. We will form our own writing community, giving and receiving feedback from one another, all the while having a good time. This is not a lecture class, nor will there be class assignments.
This course will take place in the instructor’s home in Echo Park, where wine, sparkling water, and the occasional snack, will be served.
Enrollment Limit: 8 students
Price: $250 (students must pay the full amount up front; no payment plans available for this course)
If you’re interested in signing up, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com.
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NONFICTION
Food Writing: 2-Day Seminar (taught by Amelia Morris by Echo Park)
2 Saturdays, 12:00 to 3:00 pm
February 9, 2022 and February 23, 2022
SOLD OUT
This two-day seminar will examine the breadth and depth of food writing, from memoir to essays, and even a bit of fiction. Students will read and analyze various examples of published food writing, and they will also complete a number of exercises designed to help them describe, capture and interpret the sensory and communal aspects of eating. For the first class meeting, students will arrive with a 3-page response assignment (to be assigned to you once you’ve registered for the course), which will be critiqued by the class. Two weeks later, for the second meeting, there will be a more formal workshop of student work based on a separate, much more open-ended writing assignment.
This seminar will be held in the instructor’s home in Echo Park. For sustenance and inspiration, small bites, prepared by the instructor, will be provided.
Enrollment Limit: 8 students.
Price: $150 for new students; $130 for returning students (students must pay the full amount up front; no payment plans available for this course
If you’re interested in signing up, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com.
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Nonfiction I (taught by Chris Daley in Los Feliz)
Thursdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
January 24, 2022 to March 14, 2022
SOLD OUT
In this 8-week 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 gourmet cheese—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, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com.
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Nonfiction II (taught by Seth Fischer in Echo Park)
Wednesdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
January 9, 2022 to February 27, 2022
SOLD OUT
This 8-week intermediate course is designed for writers who are looking to continue their exploration of the memoir or personal essay genre. The students will already be familiar with most of the particular generic concerns of personal narrative (hybridity of form, the importance of scene, retrospective versus immediate point of view, authenticity of voice, memory, ethics). Students will read a broad array of published memoir and personal essays, and develop their own work 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. Writers will have the opportunity to submit work for review every other week.
Since this course is designed for more experienced writers, previous enrollment in WWLA’s Mixed Level Nonfiction course is suggested but not required.
This course will take place in the instructor’s home in Echo Park, where wine and sparkling water—and the occasional gourmet cheese—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, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com.
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POETRY
Mixed Levels Poetry Writing Workshop (with Elline Lipkin in the Fairfax District)
Tuesdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
January 22, 2022 to March 12, 2022
SOLD OUT
This 8-week mixed-levels class is designed to immerse students in the power and pleasure of poetry. Each week students will consider a particular theme through an in-class writing exercise, read examples of other poems, and be given an assignment sheet of poetry prompts to use during the week. Students will explore different types of poetic forms, practice using a variety of writing techniques, and offer feedback on each other’s work. This class is an opportunity for students to explore the art and craft of poetry at any level with the chance to experiment with words and feel inspired.
This course will take place in the Fairfax District, 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, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com.
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