Winter registration starts soon! Registration opens for members on Dec. 5 and for the general public on Dec. 12.

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, Short Story

Building Fictions: From Idea to Completed Short Story

Instructor: Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum. This generative class is a crash course on the elements of short fiction and the process of building a story from idea to finished draft, including craft discussion, writing prompts, and more.

Course Status: Full
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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 1 session
Start: December 2, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life

You’ve Been Rejected, Now What?

Instructor: Natasha Moni. Learn from a former editor and author how to examine and respond to rejections and strategize for publication success.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Intermediate
Length: 1 session
Start: December 2, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Poetry, Reading

Multi-Languaging Poetry

Instructor: Siwar Masannat. In this generative course, students will read and discuss poems in two or more languages, examining craft and poetic occasions, and practice poetic techniques.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 2 sessions
Start: December 2, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Short Story, Essay

Flash of Lightning: A Generative Flash Lab

Instructor: Ruth Joffre. This class will introduce students to flash fiction form, such as dribbles, drabbles, and hermit crab forms, and provide space to generate and share new work, with in-class writing prompts and exercises.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Introductory
Length: 2 sessions
Start: December 2, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Poetry

Sestinas!

Instructor: Melanie Figg. This session will introduce students to the sestina, examining "rules" and craft elements that create successful poems; with instructor insights and revision discussion, students will leave with a sestina start.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Intermediate
Length: 1 session
Start: December 2, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Poetry

The Poems Only You Can Write

Instructor: Lisa Gluskin Stonestreet. Explore and expand the terrain of our work through the lenses of our personal aesthetic(s) and obsessions to inspire new directions, generate new work, and offer more productive and authentic feedback.

Course Status: Full
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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 2 sessions
Start: December 3, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life, Writing for Performance

Expressive Writing for Creativity, Serenity, & Joy

Instructor: Kimberly Lee. In this workshop, we'll engage with structured journaling techniques to clarify and organize thoughts while inspiring ideas for writing projects and managing stress.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Introductory
Length: 1 session
Start: December 9, 2023 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction, Memoir

Making Meaning in Memoir

Instructor: Kimberly Dark. This generative workshop will open a number of creative doorways to mine meaning from memories, connecting students' unique perspectives to culture, history, and zeitgeist.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Introductory
Length: 1 session
Start: December 9, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Reading, Novel, Short Story, Essay

Layers of Landscape: Harnessing the Power of Place

Instructor: Joe Wilkins. From chain restaurants to cross-country travel, learn to harness the power of place, including its force on communities, in your writing.

Course Status: Full
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Level: Intermediate
Length: 1 session
Start: December 10, 2023 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Short Story

Fantastic & Realistic Tales About Animals

Instructor: Holly Day. This class will explore the basics of short story writing, focusing on how using an animal as a main character can influence perspective, setting, development, and more.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Introductory
Length: 4 sessions
Start: January 16, 2024 , 7:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Writing for Performance

Great Dialogue: Character, Voice, Rhythm

Instructor: Marissa Flaxbart. Learn to craft naturalistic dialogue in this workshop with creative listening and writing exercises.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Intermediate
Length: 8 sessions
Start: January 16, 2024 , 7:10pm PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction, Memoir, Essay

Writing About Other People

Instructor: Kristi Coulter. Learn to skillfully and ethically write about other people in this generative class with lectures, readings, and in-class practice and review.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Introductory, Intermediate
Length: 6 sessions
Start: January 16, 2024 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Novel

Advanced Historical Fiction Workshop

Instructor: Elise Hooper. Delve deep into your historical fiction manuscript and advance your understanding of craft through writing sprints, research exercises, class discussions and more.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Advanced
Length: 8 sessions
Start: January 17, 2024 , 1:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Reading

Boundary Breaker: Writing with Tricksters

Instructor: Shankar Narayan. Explore the role of tricksters across mythologies, including South Asian and North American Indigenous traditions, in this part-analytic, part-generative course.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 6 sessions
Start: January 17, 2024 , 7:10pm PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction

Creative Nonfiction III

Instructor: Gail Folkins. Explore craft elements such as structure and narrative in this discussion and workshop based class. Each student will have up to two of their essays workshopped.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Length: 10 sessions
Start: January 17, 2024 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction

The Art of Character Development

Instructor: Radhika Sharma. This generative class explores the craft of character development as it relates to plot and narrative, analyzing work of masters such as Dickens, Rushdie, etc.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Introductory, Intermediate
Length: 6 sessions
Start: January 17, 2024 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Short Story, Writing for Performance

Modern Monsters: A Cross-Genre Exploration

Instructor: Andrew Bell. Explore modern interpretations of "monsters" as they appear in novellas, short stories, film, TV and more, delving into contemporary horror.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Intermediate
Length: 8 sessions
Start: January 17, 2024 , 7:10pm PT
Format: Online
Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoir, Essay

Linger & Leap: Writing the Lyric Essay

Instructor: Alexandra Lytton Regalado. Explore the lyric essay across various forms, with class discussion and activities to generate new writing that is formulated and shaped like prose, but moves and sounds like poetry.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Introductory
Length: 4 sessions
Start: January 17, 2024 , 5:00pm PT
Format: Online
Poetry

Poetry II

Instructor: Jeanine Walker. Add to your growing skill set in a supportive workshop environment by closely reading and responding to mentor texts as well as each other's poems.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Intermediate
Length: 8 sessions
Start: January 17, 2024 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Poetry

Poetry III

Instructor: Ed Skoog. Deepen your engagement with writing and discussing poems, with in-class review of students' work.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Advanced
Length: 10 sessions
Start: January 17, 2024 , 7:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Novel, Short Story

Science & Science Fiction

Instructor: Noah Lemelson. Examine the genre of science fiction through scientific principles and speculative concepts, using Dan Koboldt's Putting the Science in Fiction as a guide.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Intermediate
Length: 6 sessions
Start: January 17, 2024 , 7:10pm PT
Format: Online
Poetry

Hysteria: Violent Women in Asian Poetry

Instructor: Christine Kwon. With a mix of close reading and generative workshop, this class will explore the violently modern, feminist, and political. poetry of Kim Hyesoon, Kim Yideum, and Masayo Koike.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Intermediate
Length: 6 sessions
Start: January 18, 2024 , 7:10pm PT
Format: Online
Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life, Writing for Performance

Writing for Procrastinators

Instructor: Beth Slattery. Establish a writing practice and break patterns of procrastination with weekly writing and reading assignments.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Open to all levels
Length: 8 sessions
Start: January 18, 2024 , 10:00am PT
Format: Online
Fiction, The Writing Life

Research & Imagination

Instructor: Rachel Sobel. This course will explore tactics for using research to hone imagination.

Course Status: Seats left
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Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Length: 6 sessions
Start: January 18, 2024 , 5:00pm PT
Format: In Person