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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, October 19 - November 23, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT Online Fiction Intermediate

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Spells and Incantations: Building Poetry Ritual

with Tanya Young

Explore poetry as spellwork in this two-week class. Write incantatory poems, design personal rituals, and build a sacred, sustainable writing practice rooted in magic and self-trust.

generative, craft

2 Sessions
Wednesdays, October 21-28, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT Online Poetry Introductory

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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

A blog can be so much more than a personal journal. Learn how to build your audience, establish your online presence, and create new writing opportunities for yourself through blogging.

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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Real Life Humor Writing

with Kimberly Dark

Humor is one of a writer’s most powerful tools. Learn how it can create intimacy, reveal character, and invite readers into conversations they might otherwise avoid—all of which strengthen your storytelling craft.

generative, craft

1 Session
Saturday, October 24, 2026
10:00-1:00 pm PT Online Nonfiction

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Writing in Fragments

with Mayur Chauhan

Discover the craft of fragments: tiny scenes, flashes of memory, and stray sentences that carry emotional punch. This playful, generative workshop explores how fragmentation can spark surprising, powerful new work. 

generative

1 Session
Saturday, October 24, 2026
10:00-1:00 pm PT Online Nonfiction

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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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Poetry I (ASYNCHRONOUS)

with Michelle PeĂąaloza

A poem is made of many moving parts. Explore the essential elements of poetic craft—from image and metaphor to sound, syntax, and lineation—through weekly lessons, prompts, and feedback you can complete at your own pace.

generative, craft, close reading

6 Sessions
October 26 - December 11, 2026
 Online Asynchronous Poetry Introductory

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Memoir I

with Minda Honey

Ready to write your life story? Learn the fundamentals of memoir while exploring contemporary voices, generating fresh writing, and building the confidence to share your work.

generative, craft, close reading

6 Sessions
Tuesdays, October 27 - December 8, 2026
10:00-12:00 pm PT Online Nonfiction Introductory

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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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The Art of the Personal Essay

with Kate Carmody

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
Wednesdays, October 28 - December 9, 2026
5:00-7:30 pm PT Online Nonfiction

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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. Explore practical ways to generate ideas for your writing 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 SzilĂĄgyi

This warm, beginner-friendly course introduces the building blocks of fiction: character, plot, and setting. You’ll study short stories, write your own, and gain the tools and confidence to keep going—wherever your writing wants to go next.

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

Learn to write natural conversations that advance the plot and give us insight into your characters. We’ll read master works and write a short, dialogue-intensive scene in class.

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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SLIDING SCALE: Worth a Thousand Words: Writing Your Photo Album

with Sarah Campbell

Every photo captures a moment. Writing fills in everything the camera missed. Being a collection of photographs—prints or digital—and weave your images and words into a photobook that tells the whole story.

generative

1 Session
Saturday, December 5, 2026
10:00-12:00 pm PT Online Nonfiction

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Rebel Poetics: Breaking, Bending, and Inventing Form

with Anne Marie Wells

Forget everything you know about poetic form. In this fast and fun generative class, you’ll bend, glitch, and invent new forms—ones rooted in identity, resistance, and surprise. Arrive ready to write, and leave with tools no rulebook could’ve given you.

generative, craft, close reading

2 Sessions
Saturdays, December 5-12, 2026
10:00-12:00 pm PT Online Poetry Advanced

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Your Body is Made of Stories

with Arya Samuelson

The body remembers what the mind forgets. Learn how to tune into sensation to uncover stories that live beyond conscious memory and the analytical mind, then shape them into powerful, emotionally resonant writing.

generative, close reading

2 Sessions
Saturdays, December 5-12, 2026
10:00-1:00 pm PT Online Nonfiction

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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

This intermediate class dives into what makes fiction hit hard—structure, pacing, subtext, and more. Through readings, prompts, and workshopping, you’ll sharpen your craft and walk away with a polished story and clearer creative direction.

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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