Classes and Workshops
Online via Zoom until further notice
For over 30 years, I have taught a wide variety of creative writing, composition, and literature classes to adults, children, college students, and incarcerated adults and teens.
I am an encouraging, practical, and inspiring teacher. I currently teach at The Writer's Center, The Writer's Passage, The Loft Literary Center, as well as in in private homes in Maryland and Washington, DC.
I am an encouraging, practical, and inspiring teacher. I currently teach at The Writer's Center, The Writer's Passage, The Loft Literary Center, as well as in in private homes in Maryland and Washington, DC.
Upcoming Online Classes
Submitting Your Stuff to Literary Magazines
Same class, offered at two different times on Zoom; $50
Wednesday, Oct. 6 on Zoom from 9-11am ET: Register for 10/6!
OR
Tuesday, October 12 on Zoom from 7-9pm ET: Register for 10/12!
Ready to start submitting your stuff to literary magazines, or just curious to find out more about how it's done? Join me to learn a ton of insider tips, demystify the process, and get your questions answered. Whether you write poems, essays, fiction, or hybrid stuff, this ZOOM class will be a goldmine of information.
Starting a Writing Project
Sponsored by The Writer's Center
Oct. 20 - Nov. 17, 2021
3 sessions; every other Wednesday on ZOOM, 11am-1pm ET
Register Now!
Wondering how to turn all those notes and fragments into something “real”? Do you have tons of “morning pages” that you think might be something bigger? This class is for writers ready to explore, organize, and start to develop their fragments into a personal essay, short story, or larger book idea (novel, memoir, hybrid, book of poems). We’ll meet on Zoom every other week (October 20, November 3, and November 17), to give you time to make good headway. Sessions include practical discussions, small group breakouts, and in-class exercises designed to offer clarity, direction, and inspiration. (Not intended for someone who’s already more than halfway through a project.) Bring your calendar to the first session.
Poetry II: Re-imagining Critique
Sponsored by The Writer's Center
Oct. 28 - Dec. 9, 2021
6 Thursdays on ZOOM, 6:30-9pm ET
Register Now!
Join a group of poets committed to building our skills at offering responsible feedback that also brings insight to our own critique process. The instructor will facilitate the class using a powerful workshop model based on Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process that creates a safe space, empowers the poet to gather useful information, and trains readers to provide helpful feedback rather than couched opinions. Especially helpful for those who’ve had bad workshop experiences, or want to radically improve their communication skills. With the literary journal Poet Lore as our text, each session will include guided readings of poems offered as prompts to generate new work or to inform revision. Participants each receive a free copy of Poet Lore. Participants will have the chance to have two poems workshopped by the group, with detailed written feedback from the instructor.
Exploring Memoir
Sponsored by The Writer's Center
Dec. 11, 2021
Saturday on ZOOM, 1-4pm ET
Register Now!
Thinking about writing a memoir? Writing a book is a big dream – so it’s important to start out on the right foot. In this class, you’ll get clear about what your memoir is really about. We’ll discuss intentions, optional structures, and goals for the finished project. Participants will leave this class with a clear roadmap for how to proceed. Learn to avoid some dead-end roads, and get practical tips to manage feeling overwhelmed and stay motivated as you set out on this creative journey.
Same class, offered at two different times on Zoom; $50
Wednesday, Oct. 6 on Zoom from 9-11am ET: Register for 10/6!
OR
Tuesday, October 12 on Zoom from 7-9pm ET: Register for 10/12!
Ready to start submitting your stuff to literary magazines, or just curious to find out more about how it's done? Join me to learn a ton of insider tips, demystify the process, and get your questions answered. Whether you write poems, essays, fiction, or hybrid stuff, this ZOOM class will be a goldmine of information.
Starting a Writing Project
Sponsored by The Writer's Center
Oct. 20 - Nov. 17, 2021
3 sessions; every other Wednesday on ZOOM, 11am-1pm ET
Register Now!
Wondering how to turn all those notes and fragments into something “real”? Do you have tons of “morning pages” that you think might be something bigger? This class is for writers ready to explore, organize, and start to develop their fragments into a personal essay, short story, or larger book idea (novel, memoir, hybrid, book of poems). We’ll meet on Zoom every other week (October 20, November 3, and November 17), to give you time to make good headway. Sessions include practical discussions, small group breakouts, and in-class exercises designed to offer clarity, direction, and inspiration. (Not intended for someone who’s already more than halfway through a project.) Bring your calendar to the first session.
Poetry II: Re-imagining Critique
Sponsored by The Writer's Center
Oct. 28 - Dec. 9, 2021
6 Thursdays on ZOOM, 6:30-9pm ET
Register Now!
Join a group of poets committed to building our skills at offering responsible feedback that also brings insight to our own critique process. The instructor will facilitate the class using a powerful workshop model based on Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process that creates a safe space, empowers the poet to gather useful information, and trains readers to provide helpful feedback rather than couched opinions. Especially helpful for those who’ve had bad workshop experiences, or want to radically improve their communication skills. With the literary journal Poet Lore as our text, each session will include guided readings of poems offered as prompts to generate new work or to inform revision. Participants each receive a free copy of Poet Lore. Participants will have the chance to have two poems workshopped by the group, with detailed written feedback from the instructor.
Exploring Memoir
Sponsored by The Writer's Center
Dec. 11, 2021
Saturday on ZOOM, 1-4pm ET
Register Now!
Thinking about writing a memoir? Writing a book is a big dream – so it’s important to start out on the right foot. In this class, you’ll get clear about what your memoir is really about. We’ll discuss intentions, optional structures, and goals for the finished project. Participants will leave this class with a clear roadmap for how to proceed. Learn to avoid some dead-end roads, and get practical tips to manage feeling overwhelmed and stay motivated as you set out on this creative journey.
Recent Offerings
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Building a Poetry Chapbook
Sponsored by The Loft Literary Center July 29 - Aug. 19, 2021 SOLD OUT! From participants: "Your class has been tremendously insightful to me and helped me think of my work differently already." "Thank you for the well structured and insightful course." |
Writing for Procrastinators
Sponsored by The Writer's Center June 24 - July 15, 2021 SOLD OUT! From participants: "I appreciate your judgment-free class." "You are a fantastic instructor! You are very creative in pulling the class together with small discussions and what not. And, I love the reading assignments." "Your course has helped me to get started with my writing again, every day, and revitalized my passion for my book. I'm very grateful for what you've given us." |
Reviving Stuck Poems
Sponsored by The Writer's Center March 6, 2021 SOLD OUT! From a participant: "Your workshop yesterday was fantastic. It has really opened up my thinking about the poems I revised during the session. A new direction in one and a connection I hadn't totally grasped in the other. I plan to use the activities in the future. Thank you for giving me these most helpful tools. I feel liberated." |
Praise
- "Thank you for your class on Submitting Your Poems. I followed your excellent advice and voila! I had 3 poems accepted. This is my first publication in over 10 years. Now I'm ready to keep trying to get my work out into the world - all thanks to you."
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- "Melanie is a treasure—a quirky, committed, talented treasure. She was/is as good or better than anyone I had at my Ivy League university. Most notable, she cares.”
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