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, Nonfiction

Mastering the Scene

Instructor: Katherine E. Standefer. Through writing exercises and readings, we'll explore how scenes develop characters, seed tension, build deeper themes in a story/essay, and more!

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 8 sessions
Start: July 10, 2023 , 12:00am PT
Format: Online Asynchronous
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life

Get Invited to Read Your Work at Literary Conferences

Instructor: Lyzette Wanzer. This workshop offers information, guidance, and strategies for writers ready to present their work at a professional writers' conference.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Intermediate
Length: 4 sessions
Start: July 12, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Essay

Carry On: A Post-Yearlong Workshop Craft Studio

Instructor: Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum. For writers who have completed a yearlong workshop in prose and are developing manuscripts, with focused discussions on issues of craft and a casual tour through Charles Baxter's Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Advanced
Length: 4 sessions
Start: July 12, 2023 , 6:00pm PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction

Creative Nonfiction I

Using generative writing, reading, and an introduction to the workshop model, we will investigate our own personal stories. We examine and explore the true topics of our pieces through points of view, scene, reflection, and form.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Introductory
Length: 6 sessions
Start: July 12, 2023 , 7:10pm PT
Format: Online
Short Story, Essay, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoir, Novel

Faves & Frenemies: Learning from Books You Love & Hate

Instructor: Rachel Sobel. In this workshop, we'll discuss how to learn from books you love, books you hate, and everything in between, with close attention to the technique on the page.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Length: 4 sessions
Start: July 13, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: In Person
Fiction, Nonfiction

Sentences ARE the Story

Instructor: Mary Lane Potter. Learn to build sentences that grip the reader, evoke tone, deepen mood, reveal character, advance plot, and help a narrative breathe.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: July 15, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: In Person
The Writing Life, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

What Happens After You Write? Understanding Your Publishing Choices

Instructor: Beth Jusino. Take an unbiased, unvarnished look at current publishing options and how to approach them, examining the pros and cons of each choice, realistic costs, income potential and more.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Introductory, Intermediate
Length: 1 session
Start: July 15, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: In Person
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Short Story

FLASH! Writing Short Forms

Instructor: Sally Ashton. This generative workshop takes a comparative look at the prose poem, brief essay, and flash fiction, with writing prompts to experiment in each genre.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Length: 1 session
Start: July 16, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Memoir, Nonfiction

Memoir Techniques: Traveling Through Time

Instructor: Nicole Hardy. Through readings and discussions, explore how various authors effectively travel through time in memoir.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: July 16, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Short Story

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.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 5 sessions
Start: July 17, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: In Person
Nonfiction, The Writing Life, Novel, Fiction

Finishing Your Book

Instructor: Peter Mountford. For anyone struggling to finish their book, with discussions on revision, productivity, and the business of finding an agent/publisher.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 8 sessions
Start: July 17, 2023 , 12:00am PT
Format: Online Asynchronous
Nonfiction, The Writing Life, Memoir, Essay

Personal Essay Writing for Non-Writers & Newbies

Instructor: Natalie Serianni. In this introductory class, students will read and discuss personal essays, write to small prompts, and share their work in a supportive workshop environment.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Introductory
Length: 4 sessions
Start: July 18, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction, The Writing Life, Memoir

How to Write an Overview of Your Memoir

Instructor: Theo Nestor. Learn how to craft spectacular overviews that can be adapted for query letters, book proposals and more.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Length: 1 session
Start: July 18, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Worth 1,000 Words: Using Data to Create Narratives

Instructor: Kevin O'Rourke. Discuss and read data-centric writing and examine the storytelling possibilities that data offers.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 4 sessions
Start: July 20, 2023 , 7:10pm PT
Format: In Person
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Bring Your Writing to Life with Sensory Details

Instructor: April Dávila. This session will begin with a series of meditations on touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste, from which we will then practice integrating and workshopping our observations into our writing.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Introductory
Length: 1 session
Start: July 22, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction

Comics & Graphic Novels Scribes for 5-6th grade

Learn the fundamentals of making comics and graphic novels in this half-day, week-long camp, focusing on a different theme or genre each day. The week will culminate with a reading and/or presentation of student work.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 5 sessions
Start: July 24, 2023 , 1:00pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life

Narrative Reclamation for People of Color

Instructor: Zain Shamoon. This class is dedicated to the role of storytelling in finding relief from distress; students will learn how to use storytelling for personal and communal reclamation.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 2 sessions
Start: July 29, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Field Trips & Hidden Portals: Finding Inspiration in the Everyday

Instructor: Amy Bowers, Allison Elis. In this generative class, we will (re)learn to open our eyes, send you on local outings, and build a tool kit that turns the messy world into that dreamy writing office.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 4 sessions
Start: July 30, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction, Memoir

Memoir Techniques: Writing the Things I Don’t Remember

Instructor: Nicole Hardy. Discuss four specific techniques for writing the things you don't remember, and read published examples of how different authors handle this problem in their work. 

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: July 30, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoir

Unlocking the Vault: Using Our Personal Archive

Instructor: Molly Schaeffer. Mining our own notes and fragments for use in writing prompts, we'll recycle and experiment with our own words, utilizing techniques including collage, mapping, poetry, and memoir.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 4 sessions
Start: August 3, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction

Experiments with Point of View in Creative Nonfiction

Instructor: Sarah Dalton. This craft intensive will study contemporary creative nonfiction authors; students will generate new work that experiments with the nuances and possibilities of point of view.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Intermediate
Length: 3 sessions
Start: August 3, 2023 , 7:10pm PT
Format: In Person
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Writing with the Cascadia Field Guide

Instructor: Sierra Nelson. This generative writing class uses in-class prompts and naturalist insights inspired by Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry to reinvigorate students' wonder and creative processes.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 4 sessions
Start: August 5, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Poetry, Short Story, Fiction, Nonfiction

Creative Writing Scribes for 5-6th 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.

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 5 sessions
Start: August 7, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: In Person
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

I Ate That: Food as Personal History

Instructor: Darien Hsu Gee. This generative workshop explores the food of our lives as a way of mapping our personal history. 

Course Status: Seats left
View Details
Level: Open to all levels
Length: 4 sessions
Start: August 8, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online