Index
Writers' Classes
Classes and Conferences
for Writers
Short-Term OfferingsOngoing Workshops/Groups/Classes
Schools
for this category at this time.
Short-Term Offerings
Screenwriting: Second Draft & Beyond
Saturdays, May 13, 2006-January 13, 2007 (once a month)
(May 13, June 10, July 15, August 19, September 16, October 21, November 18, December 9, and January 13)
10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
You've finished, or nearly finished, a first draft of your screenplay. Now what? The real work begins once you have your first draft and are ready to dig deeper into your story line and characters to produce a memorable script.
This workshop is structured to give you an initial script evaluation, monthly critique sessions with a group of similarly dedicated writers, and an opportunity to hear actors read your work. Submit either a work-in-progress (plus an outline) of the third act or a completed script for a free evaluation before the course begins.
Lisa Rosenberg is an award-winning screenwriter and a seasoned story analyst with extensive experience reading scripts for Los Angeles studios and production companies, including TriStar Pictures and ITC Productions. She was also a reader for the 2003 and 2004 Zoetrope screenwriting contests. She currently teaches and consults for private clients on their screenplays.
REQUIREMENTS: You must have completed at least the second act of a screenplay; class size limited to 12.
COST: $395 for filmmaker-level members; $460 for others (price includes individual script reading and evaluation)
INSTRUCTOR: Lisa Rosenberg
LOCATION: 145 - 9th Street, #101, San Francisco (CA 94103)
TELEPHONE: (415) 552-8760
CLASS E-MAIL: education@filmarts.org
CONTACT: Eric Henry
CONTACT E-MAIL: erich@filmarts.org
WEB: http://www.filmarts.org
Getting Published Today
Saturday, August 5, 2006
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
It is not surprising to learn many writers, artists, and photographers are desperate to publish books. But did you know publishers are even more desperate to find them? Editors in the book business are under great pressure to produce scores of titles in the hope that one of them may actually turn a profit (making up for the 90 percent that lose money). Consequently, far too many books are published—175,000 new titles in 2004 alone.
The publishing business is changing and, with those changes, so is the role of the author. No longer an outlaw working without regard for the business, today's author is a central figure in all aspects of developing and producing a book, and a collaborator in crucial positioning, marketing, publicity, and sale of the work. It's more and more possible, moreover, for the author to establish a direct link to thousands of readers through Web-based marketing and ongoing communication among fans, special groups, and the larger community.
This is a conference for writers, artists, and photographers who seek insight into contemporary publishing practices so that they might best research, focus, structure, polish, and prepare a final manuscript or portfolio for consideration. It is an opportunity to better understand how industry works and to create a market for their ideas and creative efforts.
Alan Rinzler, Executive Editor at Jossey-Bass, the West Coast imprint of John Wiley & Sons, will explain the process from his perspective of 44 years in the publishing industry. He will present information on all aspects of the publishing process and offer specific suggestions for aspiring authors, including:
• Developing an original idea and researching the competition in the field
• Focusing the basic theme, point of view, and original hook
• Creating the best possible structure in a chapter-by-chapter outline for the book, whether fiction or nonfiction
• Seeking and using feedback from experts in the field: editors, teachers, and other objective professionals
• Revising the book in an average of one or two drafts
• Finding and selecting the right literary agent
• Building a platform of local, regional, and national visibility and name recognition—a crucial factor for all authors in today's world of commercial book publishing
• Whether or not to hire a publicist and, if so, when
• Working with a commercial book publisher: How they work, what they can do, and how to get the most out of them, but what you have to do for yourself
• When and how to self-publish, economically and efficiently
• How you can position a book within your life work, your profession, or career, as part of long-term career goals
Mr. Rinzler will present two guests, an agent and a published writer. The conference will also include a morning reception and catered lunch, allowing attendees ample time to exchange ideas and views with fellow authors and artists.
COST: $160 (course fee includes morning refreshments and lunch)
INSTRUCTOR: Alan Rinzler, Executive Editor, Jossey-Bass Publishers/John Wiley & Sons
LOCATION: TBA
CONTACT: Audrey Jones
TELEPHONE: (510) 642-3065
CONTACT E-MAIL: audge2242gmail.com
CLASS E-MAIL: asucartstudio@yahoo.com
WEB: www.asucartstudio.org/pages/masters/mc-rinzler.html
Skywriter Series: Level 1
Tuesdays, September 19 & 26 and October 3, 10, 17 & 24, 2006
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
What’s your story? Skywriter Series Fiction Workshops are six-week workshops that offer a life-enriching experience for people passionate about storytelling. Learn the process of fiction with an emphasis on the most overlooked elements of the craft—structure and design (which are necessary for both memoirs and nonfiction, too!).
Limited to eight (8) writers per group, the workshops are playful yet vigorous and ensure a safe, supportive environment to explore your voice.
INSTRUCTORS: Founded and taught by Holly Payne, acclaimed author of The Virgin’s Knot and The Sound of Blue
LOCATION: Fort Mason, San Francisco (free parking)
WEB (REGISTRATION): http://skywriter.holly-payne.com
Skywriter Series: Level 2
Tuesdays, November 7, 14, 21 & 28 and December 5 & 12, 2006
7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
What’s your story? Skywriter Series Fiction Workshops are six-week workshops that offer a life-enriching experience for people passionate about storytelling. Learn the process of fiction with an emphasis on the most overlooked elements of the craft—structure and design (which are necessary for both memoirs and nonfiction, too!).
Limited to eight (8) writers per group, the workshops are playful yet vigorous and ensure a safe, supportive environment to explore your voice.
INSTRUCTORS: Founded and taught by Holly Payne, acclaimed author of The Virgin’s Knot and The Sound of Blue
LOCATION: Fort Mason, San Francisco (free parking)
WEB (REGISTRATION): http://skywriter.holly-payne.com
Ongoing Workshops/Groups/Classes
Al Gordon's ComicBook Workshop
Popular ongoing workshop for artists. writers, and funnybook faithfuls. Covers everything from concept to character creation, development, basic writing elements, and storytelling to sequential illustration and pretty much all aspects of the art, including production.
INSTRUCTOR: Al Gordon has been writing and
drawing comic books for over 20 years.
COST: $50 per class session, or $175 per month (four classes) if preenrolled One-on-one consultation also available by arrangement.
LOCATION: San Francisco (call for details)
CONTACT: Al Gordon
TELEPHONE: (415) 957-1290
E-MAIL: alangordon@mindspring.com
WEB: www.comicon.com/gordon/gordon.htm
The Booksmith
Occasional lectures and workshops by authors.
LOCATION: 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
TELEPHONE: (415) 863-8688
E-MAIL: read@booksmith.com
WEB: The Booksmith
California Lawyers for the Arts
Frequent workshops on agents, copyright, etc.
LOCATIONS: 1212 Broadway, 9th Floor, Oakland; Fort Mason, San Francisco
WEB: California Lawyers for the Arts
Cantu's Humor Classes:
Are You Prepared to Profit from Your Sense of Humor?
Cantu's humor classes:
• Cantu's Humor Writing Workshop Drop-In Classes (two hours; every Monday)
• How to Be Funny Without Looking, Sounding, or Feeling Foolish
• How to Use Humor Like a Pro (three-hour seminar)
• Stop Boring Your Audiences to Death (three-hour seminar)
• Creativity. No Joke! You Too Can Be Creative (three-hour seminar)
• Get Paid to Make People Laugh (without Being a Comedian or a Clown). Imagine getting paid to make people laugh . . . even if you can't tell a joke. Work clean and get hired. Based on Cantu's bestselling e-book. Includes free download and three months' follow-up access by e-mail. (Six-hour seminar.)
INSTRUCTOR: JohnCantu
DETAILS/REGISTRATION: Review class descriptions, dates, and times and then register at http://humormall.com/seminars/befunny2.shtml.
WEB: http://www.JohnCantu.com, http://www.HumorMall.com
TOO MANY LARRYS! IMPROV TROUPE: (415) 820-3237 [24-hour Larry line/information hotline takes messages—press 1 (one) to skip outgoing message]; http://TooManyLarrys.com
The Cell—Freewriting
Mondays, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Check in, breathe, toss a topic/word/phrase/question, and then write nonstop for five to seven minutes. Share or not, without crosstalk or feedback, then write and write again.
COST: Donations collected to share the cost of the space.
LOCATION: In the loft at the Crucible Steel Gallery/The Cell, 2050 Bryant Street (at 18th Street), San Francisco
Creative Writing Workshops in Santa Cruz
Meet other writers. Share and develop your writing skills. Show your written work for group discussion. Swap publication tips. Learn about self-publishing. Become a
part of a community of writers. All genres and writing levels are welcome. "Making It Better" guidelines focus on understanding and supporting the intentions of the author.
INSTRUCTOR: Jack Garman is a freelance writer, poet, essayist, and fiction writer and has led writers' workshops locally for the past two years. He is the host of the biweekly open reading at Bookshop Santa Cruz and the author of the series of short stories entitled Tales from Santacruzopolis.
DETAILS: Workshops meet for six weeks, two hours per meeting. Cost is $85. Call Jack in Santa Cruz anytime to learn more.
TELEPHONE: (831) 471-2845
The Creativity Workshop—New York and Europe
This workshop will help you develop your creative process through memoir writing, creative writing, the visual arts, and storytelling exercises. It also helps you expand your perception and find ways of looking at your life and work as exciting and transformative.
LOCATION: 245 East 40th Street, Suite 25H, New York, NY 10016, USA
CONTACT: Karen Bell
E-MAIL: kbell@creativityworkshop.com
WEB: www.creativityworkshop.com
Fiction Workshops—South Bay
Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Ten-week fiction workshops for experienced writers.
LOCATION: Instructor's home in the Los Altos Hills
COST: $350
CONTACT: Ellen
TELEPHONE: (650) 559-9954
E-MAIL: esuss@aol.com
Gotham Writers' Workshop—Online
Serving more than 4,000 students a year, the largest private writing school in New York City. Online classes in writing fiction, memoirs, sitcoms, screenwriting, children's books, nonfiction, poetry, and plays. Also offers online classes for teens.
CONTACT: Jill Sverdlove
E-MAIL: office@write.org
WEB: http://www.writingclasses.com
TELEPHONE: (877) WRITERS [(877) 974-8377]
Honeymoon for Muses
Saturdays, 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Viewing creative work as an act of love, this workshop—for writers and artists in any medium—is an opportunity to fan the flames of romance in your creative life. It's also a chance to learn how to get out of stuck places in your art. We'll use erotic imagery, love songs, fantasy, and the latest research on what makes love relationships work—all to help you love your art the way it needs to be loved.
INSTRUCTOR: Robert Ressler, Ph.D., is a personal coach to artists and writers and has years of experience as a writer, musician, teacher, and couselor.
LOCATION: Noe Valley, San Francisco (address provided upon registration)
COST: $45
CONTACT: Robert Ressler
TELEPHONE: (415) 289-2212
E-MAIL: robertressler@creativitysupport.com
WEB: http://www.creativitysupport.com
Media Alliance
A media resource and advocacy center for media workers, nonprofit organizations, and social-justice activists.
LOCATION: 1904 Franklin Street, Suite 500, Oakland, CA 94612
TELEPHONE: (510) 832-9000x305
FAX: (510) 238-8557
E-MAIL: karoline@media-alliance.org
WEB: Media Alliance
Monterey Peninsula Carmel Writers Workshop—Carmel
Mondays, 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Poetry, nonfiction, and all styles of fiction.
WEEKLY FEE: $20
CONTACT: Tad Wojnicki
TELEPHONE: (831) 770-0107
Poetry Writing: An Introduction—Online
INSTRUCTOR: Catherine Daly
E-MAIL: http://embanet.com/~catherine_daly
CLASS E-MAIL: rmontalv@unex.ucla.edu
WEB: http://www.unex.ucla.edu/
The Red Room Writers Society
Ongoing monthly writing studio.
The Red Room Writers Society, a unique resource for writers in the San Francisco Bay Area, offers notoriously effective programs to blast through writer's block and produce real writers and finished manuscripts. Talking about writing is not writing; reading and critiquing other writers is not writing; and listening to a famous author speak is not writing. Unlike talking-oriented writing classes, writing groups, or writing workshops, at The Red Room you actually write.
Furthermore, throughout the process, we provide you with the personal attention and emotional support you need to complete that novel, memoir, or essay that means so much to you. And we do all this while serving you tea, chocolate, and hors d'oeuvres at our historic San Francisco mansion. Membership has its privileges, so join The Red Room Writers Society and enjoy being a writer.
INSTRUCTORS: Ivory Madison, Jen Dalton, and other talented instructors
LOCATION: The Red Room is located in an historic landmark San Francisco mansion. Address provided upon request.
SCHEDULE: The Red Room offers frequent evening and weekend programs to suit your schedule, including our signature Writers Studios and Writing Marathons.
CONTACT:
Venus Klinger, Executive Director
TELEPHONE: (415) 272-1922
E-MAIL: info@red-room.com
WEB: www.red-room.com
Robert Ressler, Ph.D.—San Francisco
Robert Ressler is a practicing prose and song writer with years of experience as a counselor,
group facilitator, and psychology professor. Join an ongoing support group,
receive a current schedule of workshops relating to creative process, or
request an individual consultation for artists, performers, and writers,
designed to help creative people overcome personal obstacles, meet the
challenges of the creative process, and invigorate and enhance their lives
as artists.
LOCATION: 3819 - 23rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94114
TELEPHONE: (415) 289-2212
Ripe Fruit School of Creative Writing
"Teaching Beginning and Experienced Writers for 10 Years"
The Ripe Fruit School of Creative Writing is a unique creative writing program in the San Francisco Bay Area which is committed to the development of writers at all levels.
Known as the Greenhouse of the Imagination, Ripe Fruit provides a fertile and fun atmosphere of support, encouragement, and stimulation to professional and aspiring writers with our effective and innovative curriculum.
Yearround courses in the art of languaging, the art of editing, and poetry, memoir, and fiction writing include ongoing writing classes, one-day intensive workshops, and weekend writing retreats in Sonoma. Each workshop brings together a community of 8-10 motivated students who arrive steadily from everywhere in the Bay Area.
"I did a weeklong intensive with a nationally known guru and a workshop that lasted about a year. Quite honestly, I feel that the material presented in Ripe Fruit (structure, content, exercises) was vastly better than anything I've experienced in any other writing class or workshop."—Shae Irving, writer
INSTRUCTOR: Master teacher Leslie Kirk Campbell
LOCATION: Classes and workshops take place in a cozy, turn-of-the-century Victorian in San Francisco's Noe Valley, with easy transportation and parking.
TELEPHONE: To register, call (415) 337-4369.
E-MAIL: info@ripefruitwriting.com
WEB: www.ripefruitwriting.com
Salinas Writers Workshop—Carmel
Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Fiction and poetry.
WEEKLY FEE: $20
CONTACT: Tad Wojnicki at (831) 770-0107 or Marilyn Gold at
(831) 754-2782
Write-On—Long Beach
Mondays, 8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Workshop focuses on getting to our authentic writing voices.
COST: $5 donation requested
LOCATION: Long Beach Gay and Lesbian Center, 4th Street, Long Beach
E-MAIL: Linda7855@aol.com
Writing Circles for Women
INSTRUCTOR: Anne B. McDonald
TELEPHONE: (510) 769-6284
E-MAIL: writeclass@aol.com
The Writing Salon
Yearround
The Writing Salon is a school of creative writing offering intimate classes of six to twelve students in a warm, informal setting, with fresh coffee, tea, and cookies. Our five- to nine-week courses and one-day workshops include poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and journalism.
If you're a beginning writer, we'll help you lay the groundwork in basic craft. If you're an intermediate to advanced writer, we'll help you move up to the next level. If you're feeling rusty or blocked, this is where you can come to oil your gears and unlock pent-up creativity.
Taking a creative writing class isn't just about learning the nuts and bolts of craft. It's also about renewing your motivation, your discipline, and your commitment to writing.
And, oh yeah, one more thing—it's about having fun! Our courses are hands-on, with lots of discussion, interaction, laughter, and GOOD ENERGY!
We encourage you to think of the Writing Salon as a resource for making connections, finding support, and building community with other writers.
INSTRUCTORS: Jane Underwood and a staff of other dedicated, experienced teachers
LOCATION: San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood (near Noe Valley and the Mission District)
CONTACT: Jane Underwood
TELEPHONE: (415) 642-9793
E-MAIL: info@writingsalons.com
WEB: http://www.writingsalons.com/
Schools
ASUC Art Studio
A public art center that includes courses in creative writing. Affordable ongoing instruction and open-studio facilities; for people of all ages and skill levels.
Lower Level, Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union (on the U.C. Berkeley campus, near the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Bancroft Way), Berkeley, CA 94720
(510) 642-6161
City College of San Francisco (CCSF)—Continuing Education
Inexpensive, varied classes. Preregistration is recommended to ensure a space in class.
(415) 561-1860
The Learning Annex
(415) 788-5500
Media Alliance
1904 Franklin Street, Suite 500, Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 832-9000x305 (tel) or (510) 238-8557 (fax)
Mills College
Art Department
(510) 430-2117
San Francisco State University (SFSU)
1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132
(415) 338-1111
San Jose State
One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192
Submissions
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