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, Novel

Start Your Novel: Let’s Write Your First 10,000 Words

Instructor: Mary Adkins. This one-day workshop will cover the fundamentals of starting a novel and cover what makes an opening hook the reader.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: May 6, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life, Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Essay

The Writer’s Notebook

Instructor: Molly Schaeffer. Combining generative exercises, workshops, and notable examples, we’ll investigate the relationship between writers/artists and their notebooks, and ask how our notebooks can feed our creative work and even be the creative work itself. 

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 6 sessions
Start: May 9, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Young Adult/Children's Lit, Novel, Short Story

Writing for Kids: Polish That Prose

Instructor: Tina Tocco. This class is geared towards writing for ages 8–12 and offers opportunity for writers to workshop, analyze published work, delve into the revision process, and participate in in-class writing.

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Level: Intermediate
Length: 6 sessions
Start: May 10, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Essay, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Writing in Threes: The Triptych Essay

Instructor: Gail Folkins. Through readings, discussion, and writing practice, writers will explore the triptych or fragmented form as a new way to create meaning.

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Level: Introductory, Intermediate
Length: 1 session
Start: May 14, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Essay

The Hardest Parts: Writing Beginnings & Endings

Instructor: Joe Wilkins. In this generative lesson, we’ll read several examples from both fiction and nonfiction, and ultimately highlight four strategies for crafting strong beginnings and endings.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: May 14, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Essay, Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Novel, Short Story

Lauren Groff & Writing Complex Characters

Instructor: Alli Parrett. Each week, we will analyze a short story by Lauren Groff and examine how she's mastered writing complex, multi-dimensional characters, specifically women. 

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Level: Introductory, Intermediate
Length: 4 sessions
Start: May 20, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Essay

Seeing Beyond Stereotypes

Instructor: Michele Simms-Burton. In this course, we will examine portraiture of diverse people. We will use writing prompts to engage with the images in our attempt to write beyond stereotypes.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: May 31, 2023 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Poetry, The Writing Life, Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Essay, Fiction, Nonfiction

Writing Beyond the Five Senses

Instructor: Sarah Dalton. This two-class craft intensive will read and explore the complexity of human sense perception, with writing exercises that practice traditional senses and also explore beyond the big five.

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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 2 sessions
Start: June 3, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: In Person
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
Short Story, Essay, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life, Memoir, Novel

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
Short Story, Fiction, Novel

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