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Class Catalog
Heroine Course Catalog

Compelling Character Lab

with Stephanie Dethlefs

Build unforgettable characters from the inside out. Through discussion, craft lessons, and generative writing, you’ll learn to create emotionally resonant protagonists whose journeys drive your story forward.

generative, craft

6 Sessions
Mondays, November 23, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT Online Fiction Intermediate

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How to Make Plot Your Friend

with Steve Almond

A great premise and interesting characters won’t save a snoozefest. In this 3-hour intensive, learn what actually makes a story feel urgent and alive. We’ll study great works that do it well and borrow their lessons in rising action, pacing, suspense, and character decision-making.

generative, craft, close reading

1 Session
Thursday, October 22, 2026
5:00-8:00 pm PT Online Fiction

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The Craft and Business of Blogging

with Rachel Werner

Ready to start a blog or make more of the one you have? Learn how to find your niche, reach your audience, create engaging content, and grow your readership while exploring ways blogging can lead to paid writing and new professional opportunities.

generative, workshop, professional development

4 Sessions
Thursdays, October 22 - November 12, 2026
10:00-12:00 pm PT Online Fiction Intermediate

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Place, Presence, Pen: Embodied Nature Writing

with Jessica Gigot

Explore your connection to the natural world through writing rooted in presence and sensory experience. This generative class invites you to slow down, pay attention, and shape what you notice into language that blooms on the page.

generative, personal growth

4 Sessions
Mondays, October 26 - November 23, 2026
7:10-9:10 pm PT Online Fiction Intermediate

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Reading Across Cultures: Many Stories: Reading Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

with Michele Simms-Burton

History is never a single story. Through Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s critically acclaimed novel Half of a Yellow Sun, we’ll explore African storytelling traditions in which understanding, meaning, and narrative emerge from the accumulation of many lives and perspectives.

close reading

6 Sessions
Tuesdays, October 27 - November 17, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT Online Fiction

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Publishing Fundamentals I: Pathways for Your Book

with Elise McHugh

Curious about how publishing works and what path is right for you? Explore your options, clarify your goals, and build a strategy that supports your creative vision in this five-week introduction to the publishing industry.

professional development, publishing

6 Sessions
Tuesdays, October 27 - December 8, 2026
7:10-9:10 pm PT In Person Fiction

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How to Write Riveting Scenes

with Steve Almond

What does it take to keep readers on the edges of their seats? We’ll dissect some of the best scenes ever written and look at how master writers raise stakes, calibrate tension, and keep their readers thinking, “Just one more page…”

craft, close reading

1 Session
Thursday, October 29, 2026
5:00-8:00 pm PT Online Fiction

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SLIDING SCALE: The Perpetual Prose Generator: Ideas for Fiction and Nonfiction Writers

with Beth Slattery

Never stare at a blank page the same way again. Learn to find promising material in memory, observation, conversation, place, character, and curiosity while building a personalized idea bank you can return to whenever the well runs dry.

generative

1 Session
Saturday, October 31, 2026
10:00-1:00 pm PT Online Fiction

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Fiction I

with Anca Szilágyi

Every story starts with a few essential questions: Who is here? Where are they? What are they up against? Explore character, setting, and plot as you learn to build fiction from the inside out—and leave this beginner-friendly class with a solid short story draft of your own.

generative, craft, close reading

6 Sessions
Mondays, November 2 - December 7, 2026
10:00-12:00 pm PT Online Fiction Introductory

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Talking Points: Dialogue That Drives Story & Character

with Evan Ramzipoor

Great dialogue sounds natural, even as it’s doing more than you think. Learn to write conversations that reveal character, move the story forward, and feel alive on the page, then put those techniques to work in a dialogue-driven scene of your own.

craft, close reading

1 Session
Thursday, November 5, 2026
5:00-8:00 pm PT Online Fiction Advanced

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Go Ahead, Get Weird: Experimenting with Form and Structure

with Kate Carmody

What can your writing be? What lies beyond the familiar? Whether you’re a lifelong weirdo or itching to break the rules and surprise yourself, this class invites you to experiment with form, structure, and genre in pursuit of your most authentic writing.

generative, craft

6 Sessions
Mondays, November 9 - December 14, 2026
5:00-7:30 pm PT Online Fiction

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Prose Style: The Art of the Sentence

with Priscilla Long

Discover how sentences really work. Explore how syntax, style, and rhythm help you say what you mean while expanding your range as a writer through weekly practice and playful experimentation.

generative, craft, close reading

4 Sessions
Wednesdays, November 11 - December 9, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT In Person Fiction

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The Craft of Character Psychology

with Andrea Nelson

Approach character writing through the lens of human behavior. We’ll talk psychology, human complexity, and our own lived experiences and observations as we practice writing action that reveals motivation, emotion, relationships, and subtext.

generative, craft

2 Sessions
Saturdays, November 14-21, 2026
10:00-1:00 pm PT In Person Fiction

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What We Really Mean to Say: Using Poetic Techniques in Prose

with Joe Wilkins

Give your prose its music by borrowing from poetry. We’ll explore rhythm, tone, and sonic texture—and learn concrete techniques to make your sentences not only look good, but sound incredible on the page.

generative, craft, close reading

1 Session
Saturday, December 12, 2026
1:10-4:10 pm PT Online Fiction Advanced

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Fiction II

with Alma Garcia

Go beyond the fundamentals and explore the subtler craft choices that give fiction depth and resonance. Dig into structure, subtext, psychic distance, pacing, and implication while experimenting with new approaches and sharpening your creative instincts. Leave with a stronger sense of your storytelling voice.

craft, close reading, workshop

8 Sessions
Thursdays, January 14 - March 11, 2027
7:10-9:10 pm PT In Person Fiction Intermediate

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Fiction II

with Anca Szilágyi

In this intermediate fiction class, you’ll expand your storytelling toolkit, digging deeper into point of view, scene construction, dialogue, narrative voice, and structure. You’ll write, workshop, and revise a new story of your own in a low-pressure, supportive space.

craft, close reading, workshop

8 Sessions
Mondays, January 25 - March 22, 2027
10:00-12:00 pm PT Online Fiction Intermediate

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Fiction III

with Alma Garcia

Dig into what makes your fiction distinctly yours: your obsessions, instincts, strengths, and the patterns that shape your voice. Study bold, rule-breaking stories, then workshop and substantially revise a story or novel chapter while exploring practical next steps toward publication.

craft, close reading, workshop

10 Sessions
Thursdays, April 1 - June 10, 2027
7:10-9:10 pm PT In Person Fiction Advanced

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Fiction III

with Anca Szilágyi

Take your fiction further by focusing on the choices that give your work its distinct texture and emotional weight. Deepen your command of voice, style, and structure; revise a complete story or chapter with intention and precision; and leave with practical next steps toward publication.

craft, close reading, workshop

10 Sessions
Mondays, April 5 - June 14, 2027
10:00-12:00 pm PT Online Fiction Advanced

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Writer’s Welcome Kit

with Paulette Perhach

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.

November 20, 2029
 Online Asynchronous Fiction

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