Know your characters more deeply to write them more vividly. We’ll explore desire, wound, voice, body language, relationships, and more through a variety of exercises designed to tap into who your characters really are—even if they never say it out loud.
craft
8
Sessions
July 15 - September 2, 2026
7:10-9:10 pm PT
In Person
Fiction
Some poems stay with us for a lifetime. But what makes a poem unforgettable, even life-changing? We’ll dissect eight great poems that have stood the test of time, learn their techniques, and apply their approaches to our own work.
generative, craft, close reading
4
Sessions
July 15 - August 5, 2026
10:00-12:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Intermediate
Turn personal experience into fiction in this generative autofiction class. You’ll learn how to fictionalize real events; decide what to keep, change, or exaggerate; blur what happened into genre; and reveal emotional truth. Real life is the stuff of great stories.
generative, craft
4
Sessions
July 16 - August 6, 2026
7:10-9:10 pm PT
In Person
Fiction
Summer is for creative renewal. This joyful generative writing camp for adults invites you to embrace surprise, shake off perfectionism, and reconnect with your artistic self through prompts that draw on music, collage, ritual, and the senses. Writers, artists, and makers of all levels welcome.
generative, cohort, personal growth
6
Sessions
July 16 - July 30, 2026
7:10-9:10 pm PT
In Person
Fiction
How do you write characters who differ from you and still grant them depth and agency? In this class, we’ll explore techniques for writing across difference while creating characters who feel vivid, complex, and emotionally alive on the page.
generative, craft, close reading
1
Session
July 18 - July 18, 2026
10:00-1:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Intermediate
Curious about creative writing but not sure where to begin? In this supportive, low-pressure class, you’ll experiment with fiction, poetry, humor, essay, and more while getting to know your writerly voice and interests.
generative, creative practice
4
Sessions
July 20 - August 10, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Language is the poet’s instrument. Learn to play it with intention, using its music to make your poetry more lyrically exciting, beautiful, powerful, and emotionally affecting. Come away with a stronger ear for poetry.
generative, close reading
1
Session
July 21 - July 21, 2026
10:00-1:00 pm PT
Online
Poetry
In this generative fiction class, you’ll explore how to write about uncertain times. Learn to use voice, structure, and storytelling to hold emotional weight, reflect rupture, and carry meaning. Craft fiction from inside the crisis—personal or global—that fits the truth you need to tell.
generative, craft, close reading
8
Sessions
July 21 - September 8, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Advanced
Mine your life for material in this supportive, low-pressure writing class. We’ll experiment with approaches to memoir writing, play with prompts and exercises, and do plenty of relaxed in-class writing together. For writers who could use a gentle entry or return to the page.
generative, personal growth
4
Sessions
July 22 - August 12, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Explore how personal narratives take shape through voice, memory, and emotional resonance in this six-week class. We’ll study master works for craft, then put our own stories down on the page.
generative, craft
6
Sessions
July 22 - September 2, 2026
5:00-7:30 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Write into the layered, contradictory nature of memory and life experience through poetry. You’ll keep a journal and practice pulling from the raw material of your life to write poems that are surreal, musical, complex, and true to life.
generative, cohort, creative practice
8
Sessions
July 22 - September 9, 2026
7:10-9:10 pm PT
Online
Poetry
Introductory
Nervous about sharing your work in a writing workshop? In this warm, supportive class, you’ll learn to exchange thoughtful, writing-centered feedback with other writers and what to do with the feedback you get as you share your work-in-progress.
craft, workshop
8
Sessions
July 23 - September 10, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Introductory
Love is all and all is love. Deepen the romantic threads in your own work by borrowing craft from contemporary romance: emotional fluency, self-knowledge and growth, longing, chemistry, and hard-won partnership.
generative, craft, workshop
6
Sessions
July 23 - August 27, 2026
10:00-12:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Join other movie lovers as we watch and discuss the art of summer movies: Jaws, Dazed and Confused, Stand By Me, Call Me By Your Name, Do the Right Thing, Y Tu Mamá También, and more. So much can happen in a single season.
close reading, cohort
6
Sessions
July 23 - August 27, 2026
7:10-8:10 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Build creative momentum through fast-paced writing bursts in this energizing fiction class. You’ll generate fresh material, quiet your inner critic, and leave with story starts—and the exhilaration of finally getting words on the page.
generative
1
Session
July 25 - July 25, 2026
1:10-4:10 pm PT
In Person
Fiction
Advanced
It turns out the antidote to writer’s block is being annoyed. Bring your grumbles and unpopular opinions—they’re going to fuel fun new humor pieces, poems, micro fiction and nonfiction. Get something off your chest and get some great writing from it, too.
generative
1
Session
July 25 - July 25, 2026
10:00-1:00 pm PT
Online
The Writing Life
More than just a daily record, a writer’s journal is a source of creative material. In this class, you’ll learn to journal like a writer, adding observation, reflection, and lived experience to your entries. And you’ll practice expanding that writing into new fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
generative, personal growth
6
Sessions
July 25 - August 29, 2026
11:00-1:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Sometimes, love hurts. We’ve all had family members, friends, or lovers who were painful to be around. For better or worse, these relationships shaped who we are today. And they gave us lots to write about.
generative, craft, personal growth
1
Session
July 27 - July 27, 2026
5:00-8:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Obsessed with a niche topic? There’s a story in there and research can help you unearth it. Learn to dive deeper into your interests and turn what you find into compelling literary nonfiction.
craft, workshop
6
Sessions
July 28 - September 1, 2026
7:10-9:10 pm PT
In Person
Fiction
Intermediate
New to poetry or just finding your way back? This beginner-friendly class explores craft through playful prompts, readings, and reflection. Leave with a few new poems—and the confidence to keep going.
generative, craft
6
Sessions
July 30 - September 3, 2026
7:10-9:10 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Let the cards guide your creative work. In this generative class, we’ll use tarot and oracle decks to spark new writing, surprise your imagination, and quiet your inner critic.
generative
6
Sessions
July 30 - August 20, 2026
7:10-9:10 pm PT
In Person
The Writing Life
Learn to make comics that are seriously funny. Bring your gags, niche jokes, silly premises, and biting satire to life on the page as you study the mechanics of comedy, draw solo and collaborative comics, and work toward a class anthology. Absolutely no drawing skills required.
generative
6
Sessions
August 1 - September 5, 2026
10:00-12:00 pm PT
In Person
The Writing Life
Setting can be more than just the stage for your story. Turn it into a living environment that interacts with character, drives action, carries meaning, and transforms your storytelling. For fiction and nonfiction writers.
generative, craft
6
Sessions
August 1 - September 5, 2026
10:00-12:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Revision can feel overwhelming, but it’s often where a piece truly begins to take shape. In this intensive, we’ll demystify the process by breaking it into clear steps and exploring techniques for strengthening and refining a work-in-progress.
craft, creative practice
1
Session
August 8 - August 8, 2026
10:00-1:00 pm PT
In Person
Fiction
Introductory
© 2022 Hugo House
8
Sessions 
In Person
Fiction
Intermediate