Creative Writing Classes

I offer generative classes that help writers tap into the liberating power of constraints, the complexities of aliveness, and creative practices that encourage lifelong learning, risk-taking, and artistic expression. My classes are always convened live and mainly offered online, which allows us to gather from around the world in a common space.

My upcoming classes and workshops include:

• Thanatopoeisis: Generative Poetics of Death | Tuesdays, May 19 to June 16 ~ 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET | Online via Morbid Anatomy - seats open!
  “The duty of the writer is to remind us that we will die—and that we aren’t dead yet,” notes poet Solmaz Sharif. This generative class is a mix of close reading, in-class writing, and critical conversation. Together, we will explore a range of literary forms, constraints, and creative approaches inspired by and related to death, including narrative, lyric, and hybrid works by Joyelle McSweeney, Victoria Chang, Denise Riley, Martha Silano, and Elias Canetti. Attendees will leave each session with new writing starts, a sense of self-exploration, and artistic experimentation on and off the page with this greatest of mysteries.

• Oulipian Experiments in Generative Writing | June 29 to 30 | In Person at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology
  Formed in France in 1960 by poet Raymond Queneau and mathematician François Le Lionnais, the members of OuLiPo (Ouvroir de Littérature Potentielle / Workshop for Potential Literature) found inspiration at the intersection of creative constraints and the freedom to break form. We’ll explore the history of Oulipo and a range of constraints and nontraditional forms with a spirit of experimentation through readings and generative prompts. Attendees will leave this hands-on workshop with a portfolio of new starts that include lipograms, palindromes, anaphora, erasure, “found” texts, intaglio portraits, sestinas, and other constraint-based writing. Together we will become, as Queneau described, “rats who construct the labyrinth from which they plan to escape.”

• Summer Writing Circle: Victoria Chang: Ekphrasis, Epistolary, Elegy | Saturdays, June 6, 13, and 20, 10 a.m. to noon PT| Online
  Writing circles are intimate creative cohorts designed to spark new writing and convivial critical discussion. This summer, we’ll take inspiration from one of my favorite writers, Victoria Chang. An imaginative craftsperson of constraint-based forms, Chang’s writing is often inspired by the work of visual artists, from Agnes Martin to Pablo Picasso and Hilma af Klint to Alice Neel. This circle will focus on three literary approaches common to Chang’s body of work: ekphrasis, epistolary, and elegies. We’ll read and discuss excerpts from her newest books, then write into forms our own. Registration opens in May.

• Finishing School: Writing in Community | Online
  Sometimes, to get writing done, we need camaraderie—and a calendar appointment. Finishing School is a space to work on individual projects in community. Think of it as a supportive virtual cafe or an accountability date. We show up, say a warm hello, share what we’re working on, and get crackin’. Finishing School is my gratis offering to the community of writers who participate in my writing circles each year.
  
  

• Sales tax for Washington residents: Beginning October 1, 2025, Washington state law (ESSB 5814) requires sales tax to be collected on live and recorded classes and workshops taught by cultural organizations and freelance educators. Sales tax for online classes hosted by me will be calculated based on the student’s billing location. (If you live outside of Washington state, no sales tax is applied.) This sales tax does not apply to one-on-one coaching or editorial consulting services.