Class Catalog

There’s a class for everyone.

Long-time writer or just getting started? Writing an epic poem or a short story? Whoever you are and wherever your passions lie—if you want to write, there’s a Hugo House class for you. Explore our catalog and find yours.

When we say we want our classes to be for everyone, we mean it.

Fiction, Reading, Novel

Reading the Craft of Toni Morrison in “Beloved”

Instructor: Michele Simms-Burton. This class will delve deep into the structure of Toni Morrison's masterpiece, Beloved, focusing on themes of loss, violence, memory, and healing.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 2 sessions
Start: June 7, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Essay, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life, Memoir, Novel, Short Story

Your Playful Inner Child: A Muse for Creative Writing

Instructor: Kimberly Lee. Invite play into your writing! Through unusual and imaginative writing exercises, we'll engage all of our senses, experiencing a shift in perspective that will open doorways of inspiration. 

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Level: Introductory, Intermediate
Length: 1 session
Start: June 7, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction, The Writing Life

Organizational Storytelling

Instructor: Rachel Werner. For writers who also work as arts administrators, copywriters, or digital content creators, this workshop will develop creative communication strategies utilizing fiction techniques and elements of storytelling.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: June 8, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Novel, Short Story

Help! I Have a Fear of Fiction!

Instructor: Stephanie Hammer. This class is a three-hour playground of generative writing geared toward poets and nonfiction writers who want to tell a story but are terrified of things like "plot," "action," and something called "raising the stakes." 

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Level: Introductory, Intermediate
Length: 1 session
Start: June 8, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Reading

GRATIS | La metáfora, crear nuestra propia metáfora

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Level: Intermediate
Length: 1 session
Start: June 10, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Ancestors Calling: Divining the Family Narrative

Instructor: Darien Hsu Gee. As writers, our ancestral history breathes through our bodies and appears on the written page; this class will explore ancestors both known and unknown through micro narratives and prose poems.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: June 11, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Poetry, Memoir, Short Story, Fiction

Creative Writing Scribes for 7-8th Grade

In this exploratory camp, students will engage with artistic activities, embark on field trips in-person and virtually, and write to creative prompts all designed to ignite their imaginations. The week will culminate with a reading and/or presentation of student work.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 5 sessions
Start: June 26, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: In Person
Nonfiction, The Writing Life, Essay

Freelance Going Pro

Through guided and practical exercises, this course will give you the confidence to turn your art into a long-term, successful business.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 12 sessions
Start: July 2, 2023 , 12:00am PT
Format: Online Asynchronous
Short Story, Essay, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life, Memoir, Novel

Writer’s Welcome Kit

This asynchronous course features online workbooks, including ten essential templates in Word and Excel to kickstart your writing life, and resources professional writers use to get published.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length:
Start: July 2, 2023 , 12:00am PT
Format: Online Asynchronous
Fiction

Learning from the Masters (Old and New)

Instructor: Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum. This generative class will explore the techniques and stylistic choices of both old and new masters of craft.

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Level: Intermediate
Length: 4 sessions
Start: July 3, 2023 , 6:00pm PT
Format: Online
Poetry

Poetry I

Instructor: Bill Carty. Designed for poets of all experience levels, this class combines writing prompts and readings as well as an introduction to the workshop model.

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Level: Introductory
Length: 4 sessions
Start: July 3, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Another Summer Fling

Instructor: Gabriela Denise Frank. Celebrate summer and the chance to experiment with guided prompts sampling short forms such as flash prose, hermit crabs, "found" pieces, and more.

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Level: Intermediate
Length: 6 sessions
Start: July 5, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction, Reading, The Writing Life

The First Fifty Pages of Your Memoir

Instructor: Katherine E. Standefer. This class will excavate the ways authors set up their primary tensions, structures, voice, and more, coming to understand the craft choices that propel a narrative.

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Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Length: 6 sessions
Start: July 5, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Poetry

Feast of Forms: Three-Day Intensive on Poetic Forms

Instructor: Dilruba Ahmed. Re-energize your writing with a three-day intensive on forms such as epistolary poems, elegy, villanelle, pastoral/ecopoetry, and odes.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 3 sessions
Start: July 5, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Poetry

Six Poems Six Ways

Instructor: Carolyne Wright. Write six poems in six weeks, focusing on poetic types such as elegy, epistle, imitation, ode, panegyric, duplex, and golden shovel.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 6 sessions
Start: July 6, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction, Essay

The Terribly Personal Political Essay

Instructor: Sonora Jha. Craft that chapter in your memoir where the personal meets the political, that op-ed you have the authority to write, or that cultural critique for a literary journal. 

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Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Length: 6 sessions
Start: July 6, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction

Balancing Humor and Pathos in Prose Writing

Instructor: Beth Slattery. Through analysis of texts, discussion, and writing exercises, this one-day class will guide students through finding the equilibrium between amusing and emotional prose.

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Level: Introductory, Intermediate
Length: 1 session
Start: July 8, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Reading, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Wild Flowers: Exploding Summer Clichés

Instructor: Shelby Handler. In this generative class, we'll befriend summer flowers and experiment with floral prompts that channel unexpected imagery, taking inspiration from Ada Limón, Paisley Rekdal, Ross Gay, and more.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: July 8, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: In Person
Nonfiction, Poetry, Fiction

Go I Know Not Where: Writing with Slavic Magic Tales

Instructor: Shankar Narayan. In this part-generative, part-analytic class, we'll examine classic Slavic fairytales, discuss their meaning, and create our own fiery pieces.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 2 sessions
Start: July 8, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Editing Out Loud

Instructor: Grace Bialecki. Designed for writers of all genres who want to hone their editing skills and find musicality in their work; we will read our writing aloud, crafting techniques for both developmental and line edits.

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Level: Advanced, Intermediate
Length: 1 session
Start: July 8, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction

Tarot for Writers

Instructor: Kris Waldherr. Learn an overview of the Tarot, easily accessible ways to understand card symbolism, and techniques for utilizing the Tarot for storytelling, insight, and inspiration.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: July 8, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction, Memoir

Making Meaning in Memoir

Instructor: Kimberly Dark. This generative workshop will open a number of creative doorways to mine meaning from memories, connecting students' unique perspectives to culture, history, and zeitgeist.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: July 8, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction

Claire Keegan and the Art of Brevity in Prose

Instructor: Beth Slattery. Study the work of award-winning Irish writer Claire Keegan's concise language and rich storytelling, exploring her style and efficiency using her novella Foster and other stories. 

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Level: Introductory, Intermediate
Length: 2 sessions
Start: July 9, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction

Wounded Little Liars

Instructor: Sonora Jha. In this one-day deep-dive into your characters' truths and lies, we will read and write layers and nuances into your characters and render them fragile, funny, fallible, and ultimately unforgettable. 

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: July 9, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online