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.
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.
Instructor: Jeff Bender. This class will take students through converting pet peeves and bizarre thoughts into short satire pieces like the ones seen in McSweeney’s.
Instructor: Beth Jusino. This class teaches how a professional developmental editor evaluates memoirs for readability and reach, with discussions around theme and concept, plot arc, relatability and more.
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!
Instructor: Bella Bravo. Unpack craft techniques key to the suspenseful delivery of information, and generate new work while we read from contemporary masters of mystery.
Instructor: Lindsay Newton. Appropriate for any writer with a complete manuscript or proposal, this course will examine successful letters and in-house acquisitions materials; students will walk away with a ready-to-send query letter.
Instructor: Theo Nestor. Learn the essentials of creating and sharing TikToks and explore the ways writers are connecting with readers on the app.
Instructor: Emily Sernaker. This class will demystify the idea that poetry is for the select few and explore the art form through the lens of legacy and community.
Instructor: Kate Raphael. Read and discuss crime fiction that challenges genre conventions to expand concepts of justice and embolden resistance.
Instructor: Lyzette Wanzer. This workshop offers information, guidance, and strategies for writers ready to present their work at a professional writers' conference.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Instructor: Andrew Zawacki. Dive into the work of radical midcentury Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector, widely recognized for the volatile strangeness of her writing, which pushes language, genre, sexuality, and the experience of self to their limits.
Instructor: Kris Waldherr. Learn Tarot-based techniques to develop backstory, character arcs, and more.
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.
Instructor: Tara Campbell. Suitable for a wide audience, this two-week generative course features readings and prompts for students to create four new speculative fiction stories.
Instructor: Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum. We'll examine short stories considering elements of craft, specifically how the stories "turn" rather than "close" to achieve complexity often attributed only to longer works.
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.
Instructor: Nicole Hardy. Through readings and discussions, explore how various authors effectively travel through time in memoir.
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.
Instructor: Peter Mountford. For anyone struggling to finish their book, with discussions on revision, productivity, and the business of finding an agent/publisher.
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.
Instructor: Theo Nestor. Learn how to craft spectacular overviews that can be adapted for query letters, book proposals and more.
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