College Courses for Adults
Dominican University of California’s Creative Writing MFA program (offers free public writing workshops via zoom)
Napa Valley College-St. Helena
Santa Rosa Junior College English Department
Santa Rosa Junior College Writing Scholarships and Awards
Santa Rosa Junior College Community Education Writing Courses
Sonoma State University Creative Writing Program
Sonoma State University Extended Education Program
Bay Area Writing Courses (non-college)
The Grotto, a San Francisco writing center and community workspace offers narrative arts workshops over several weeks or one day. Located in SOMA.
On-Line Writing Programs and Resources
University of California, Berkeley, Extension, Online Writing Certificates
Stanford University, Continuing Studies, Online Writers Certificates
Oxford University, Continued Education, short online courses
Online College Courses in Writing (database of free courses)
Visual Writers Workshops bring published authors together with writers for synergy and exchange one Sunday a month at 12 p.m. Eastern time, 9 a.m. Pacific time.
Christine Walker’s Self-paced Online Course, YouTube Channel and Read to Write Books blog are devoted to writing fiction and creative process. Details below under Ongoing Workshops.
Sit Down and Write Poetry. Here’s how to do it (six tips) plus a list of additional online resources for writing poetry.
School-Based Programs for Youth
California Poets in Schools
— Phyllis Meshulam, Area Coordinator
Sonoma State University EXCEL Program
Community Non-Credit Workshops
For a list of Sonoma County writers offering workshops and consultations, check the Local Workshop Leaders and Writing Consultants page. Below you’ll find a list of upcoming workshops in chronological order and following that, ongoing (undated) workshops in alphabetical order by the workshop leader’s last name.
NEW, UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
Upcoming workshops are in chronological order. See below for local ONGOING WORKSHOPS. FOR THE DURATION OF THE STAY-AT-HOME/COVID-19 CRISIS, WORKSHOPS ARE EITHER CANCELED, POSTPONED OR ONLINE. CONTACT FACILITATORS TO INQUIRE.
Look for online workshops highlighted in red under Ongoing Workshops.
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Write into Winter II
A three-session Zoom class for writers of all levels and styles.
Thursdays, January. January 7, 14, 21, 7:00-8:15 p.m. (pst)
Each three-session zoom class for writers of all levels and styles includes conversation about select winter-related poems, prose, images, and folklore, and a free-write period with an opportunity to voluntarily share that writing. Class size limited to 4. $48. Handouts provided.
Facilitator Karen Pierce Gonzalez has written and edited several eBooks including Family Folktales: What Are Yours? and LOVE Potions, Lotions, and Lore, and awaiting publication of Seaweed Song. She has also facilitated creative and folklore writing workshops at community colleges and centers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Her fiction, non-fiction, and poetry appear in Big Blend Magazine and Audio, Lagom Journal, Postcard Poems and Prose, Potato Soup Journal, San Francisco Magazine, Tiny Thimble Magazine, Twist in Time, Voice of Eve, and other publications.
Full details and to register: kpgfolkheart@gmail.com
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Deep Inquiry: Creative Writing As Spiritual Practice (with Clara Rosemarda)
6 Tuesday Mornings on Zoom, January 12, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Fee $210
For information or to register: 707-567-7117 or rosen@sonic.net
Once you start peeling away layers of memory, you not only access memories you thought you had forgotten but, as a writer, you discover broader truths than what you thought you knew. In this workshop you will write from the core. Through meditation, visualization and other exercises to quiet the mind and stimulate the imagination, you will discover and generate new material. Whether you’re starting out or trying to finish a project or a book, this is the place to do it. If you want to find out what you think and feel, this is the place to do it. As an intuition counselor and coach I provide individual feedback for each writer in my workshops. A safe environment is provided for the writer to emerge. Open to all skill levels and genres. SPACE IS LIMITED.
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Healing Through the Written Word: Discovering Our New Stories
(with Clara Rosemarda)
6 Thursday afternoons on Zoom, begins January 14, Noon to 2:00 p.m.
Fee $240
For information or to register: 707-567-7117 or rosen@sonic.net
Creating art—the written word–in exchange for old, tired beliefs can be a powerful way to re-enter life with joy. Whether you’re dealing with health issues, loss or wanting to reconnect with yourself in the time of Coronavirus, this class is for you. Writing our stories raw or polished, is a known way to clear our energy of negative beliefs. It’s a way to release self protective tensions in the body, traumas or old stories that no longer feed us. Open to beginning and seasoned writers
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Sunday Meditation Gathering
January 24, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. By Donation
Come join others for a group meditation on Zoom. Find that still place within, that place fueled by your life force. I will lead the meditation and follow with a discussion period. Feel free to come with questions. I encourage writers to develop a practice that serves the creative process.
Open to beginning and seasoned meditators. Bring your friends!
Clara Rosemarda: 707-567-7117 rosen@sonic.net
Please RSVP so I can send you the Zoom invitation.
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PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS AND COACHING SESSIONS FOR WRITERS: One-on-One sessions with Clara are available by phone. Please call or e-mail to set up an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions about the work I do. 707:567-7117 or rosen@sonic.net
Clara Rosemarda is a poet, memoirist, counselor, coach and workshop leader who teaches creative writing as spiritual practice. She has worked with beginning as well as nationally known writers for 30 years. Clara has published essays and poems in literary journals. She is co-editor and author of Steeped: In the World of Tea (Interlink Publishing 2004). Her poetry chapbooks are Doing Laundry (a letterpress limited edition, Iota Press, 2013) and Naked Branches (WordTemple Press, Small Change Series, 2014).
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Writing From Memory or Imagination: Amherst Writers & Artists Method (with Nicole Zimmerman)
8 Tuesday mornings on Zoom, begins January 19, 10 a.m. – noon
Fee $200
Each women’s writing workshop in this 8-week series follows the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method with prompts and supportive group feedback to bolster our creative practice. Participants find a safe environment in which to experiment, learn craft, and develop each unique voice. Self-identified women, including non-binary writers, with any level of experience are welcome. Space is limited; no drop-ins.
Nicole R. Zimmerman, MFA, is a 2019 recipient of Creative Sonoma’s Discovered Awards for Emerging Literary Artists. Her work is published widely, including in the Los Angeles Times, Creative Nonfiction, Sonora Review and The Rumpus. She is an AWA affiliate, certified to lead workshops.
For information: www.nicolerzimmerman.com/workshops
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Poetry Workshop at Napa Valley College with Iris Jamahl Dunkle
Tuesdays, January 26 through May 25, 2021, 6:00-8:50 p.m.
Are you ready to take your poetry to the next level? I’m writing to tell you about the poetry workshop I’m offering next spring. I would LOVE for you to join me in English 203: Poetry Workshop (3 credits) at Napa Valley College! We’ll be meeting via Zoom on Tuesday nights from 6-8:50 PM. Each week I’ll introduce a new poetic concept, we’ll write together, and we’ll workshop. By the end of the semester, you’ll have a chapbook (or small book) of poems that you’ve written and revised!
Sound fun?
So, you may be asking why should I take a class from her? Well, for starters, I LOVE POETRY (ask any of my students!) And the only thing I love more than poetry is teaching poetry and watching my students bloom into brilliant poets. I’ve also written four books of poetry, a biography, and I am the former Poet Laureate of Sonoma County. To learn more about me, and/or read some of my work, visit my website.
Come join us! Sign up here. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to send me an email: idunkle@napavalley.edu
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Writers Forum Online
6:30-8:00 p.m. Free
Wednesday, February 10
Kate Farrell, Lisa Alpine, & Mary Mackey will talk about Storytelling for the Armchair Traveler.
Thursday, February 18
Kate Farrell, Waights Taylor, Jr., and Bev Scott will talk about Family Storytelling
For details and Zoom link: https://www.thewritespot.us/forum.php
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The Creative Spark Workshop with Michael Shapiro
Wednesday, February 16, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
$25 for California Writers Club members, $35 for nonmembers
This is an online event.
Creative people have a certain spark: a brightness in their eyes, an inquisitive way of looking at the world, a desire to make things. But that spark doesn’t reside solely in people seen as creators. It’s in all of us, just waiting to break out. This workshop will talk about cultivating our creativity in whatever ways we choose to express ourselves.
Michael Shapiro is the author of The Creative Spark: How musicians, writers, explorers, and other artists found their inner fire and followed their dreams, published in late 2019. The book is a collection of interviews and biographical sketches that serve as inspiration for creative endeavors. Among those Shapiro interviewed: Smokey Robinson, Lucinda Williams, Francis Ford Coppola, Pico Iyer, Jane Goodall, Amy Tan, David Sedaris, and Barbara Kingsolver. A freelance journalist, Shapiro’s features have appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Los Angeles Times. He’s written for magazines including National Geographic, Saturday Evening Post, The Sun, and Alaska Beyond. He’s even profiled Jane Goodall for O the Oprah magazine.
Click for details and registration.
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ONGOING WORKSHOPS
These listings are alphabetical, either by name of organization or last name of facilitator.
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Book Arts: Sonoma County Book Arts Guild
If you make books, alter books, want to learn to make books please join us at the Sebastapol Center for the Arts. The intent is to create a group to share work, teach techniques, take field trips, invite guest artists to teach, and have a show.
15-Adult
Painting/Drawing Studio
Last Saturday of each month, 10 am-12 pm
Fee: $2-$5 donation to cover facility use
Location: Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Contact Dena Bliss 829-1732
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Margaret Caminsky-Shapiro’s Sonoma County Writing Practice
Margaret Caminsky-Shapiro teaches seasonally based eight-week long writing semesters out of her Santa Rosa downtown office. Four different class times are offered each week; Monday at 2.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. and Tuesday at 9.15 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. Margaret uses poetry and meditation for inspiration and writers are encouraged to read their work in a supportive atmosphere. The memoir is a valuable form for dropping deeper into the self allowing memories to come forth. This process allows space for self-knowledge to occur. Margaret was born and raised in South Africa and her love of memoir comes from her African storytelling background. For more information or to receive a flyer call (707) 484-7437 or email Margaret at harlmarg@sonic.net. The website for Sonoma County Writing Practice is www.handwritingonline.net. Margaret Caminsky-Shapiro and Sonoma County Writing Practice have published their 2nd Anthology, FOOT NOTES, which showcases the writing of 51 of Margaret’s students. Details on Sonoma County in Print (2014) page. Classes are being held via ZOOM. Contact Margaret for details. harlmarg@sonic.net
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Sher Christian’s Workshops and Intuitive Coaching
Fridays, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm: Weekly online literary open mic via Zoom. Share a short story or poetry. By donation. Email poetrysher@gmail.com for Zoom link. Hosted by Sher and John Christian http://flyingchairproductions.weebly.com
Mini workshops for your group and family: The Power of Poetry and Writing to Connect with Joy, Wisdom, and Healing. Sher Lianne Christian, author of Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry. Email voiceartistry@hughes.net for information. www.lusciouspoetry.typepad.com
Sher Christian offers intuitive coaching for writers, plus proofing, & editing. For books on audio: voiceover, recording, organ/accordion/keyboard tracks. Demos available. Sher Lianne Christian. voiceartistry@hughes.net, Star Kissed Shadows and CD Sweet Tongue available at www.lusciouspoetry.typepad.com
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Flash Friday
Fridays, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Deb Carlen
a weekly walk-in, one-hour class with a different topic every week about writing. A quick way to gain in-depth information about the elements of writing, genres, marketing, publishing and more. At Sonoma Community Center, 276 East Napa, Sonoma. Drop-ins, $10; members, $9. Details at: https://sonomacommunitycenter.org/flash-friday/
CANCELLED TILL FURTHER NOTICE.
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Jumpstart Writing Workshops
Updated 9/28/2020
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Susan Hagen’s Writing Circles and Retreats
Our Women’s Writing Community is a safe place for women to write, connect, heal, and grow. Whether you’re seeking tools for self-discovery, support for writing a book, or simply a place to connect with other women on a spiritual path, you’re sure to find something that’s right for you. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, you’ll benefit from the healing power of telling your stories and having them witnessed by others. There is no judgement here. We honor each voice as equal, and we write and speak from the heart. Beginning, experienced, and exploring writers are always welcome.
Virtual Writing Circles to Connect us During Coronavirus Isolation
Every Saturday morning via Zoom
(See website www.susanhagen.com for fees and more information)
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Pacific Time
One-Day Writing Workshops for Women
Susan offers monthly writing circles for women on alternating topics.
Visit www.susanhagen.com for ongoing writing practice and upcoming events.
Susan Hagen is an award-winning nonfiction writer, Vision Quest guide, and co-author of Women at Ground Zero: Stories of Courage and Compassion. She is a former news reporter, organizational journalist, firefighter and emergency medical technician. Her writing programs are inspired by the vision quest, a personal journey into the wilderness that clarifies and informs her life and work.
Mobile: 707-888-0849
Office: 707-874-9223
PO Box 443, Graton, CA 95444
suzhagen@sonic.net
www.susanhagen.com
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Lawrence Hart Poetry Seminar
The Lawrence Hart Seminar, the region’s longest-running intensive poetry workshop (with roots going back to the 1930s), meets monthly in San Rafael, second Saturdays, 1-4 (no meeting in August). All levels welcome; visitors encouraged (no obligation, but please contact first). $125 for five sessions thereafter. Contact John Hart, staff@lawrencehart.org, 415-507-9230. Next meeting March 10.
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Nancy Long: One-Person Shows
Dream of performing a one-person show of your writing or stories of your life?
Let experienced Bay Area Director and Producer, Nancy Long, edit, shape and produce that dream for you!
Services include:
- Editing of script (which you can read or memorize for stage).
- Four sessions of rehearsals with direction, props and music.
- Actual performance (15-30 minutes in length) set-up with lights, wireless microphones and staging at Aqus Café in Petaluma (or venue of choice).
- Publicity.
Fee: $250.00
Beginner and seasoned writers welcomed!
For more information and bio background:
Nancy Long, Producer of Petaluma Readers Theatre
nsasha@earthlink.net cell: 707-338-2489
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Clara Rosemarda offers on-going six-week writer’s workshops
WRITEMIND™ WORKSHOPS: Writing from the Core as well as Classes on the Enneagram of Personality, Private Coaching and Consultations. Clara can be reached to answer questions about her work or to sign up for classes and consultations at: 707-579-2081 or rosen@sonic.net.
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Jordan Rosenfeld—Free classes, writing groups & editing
Live instruction via zoom, with Powerpoint slides and chat-based Q & A. Totally free to you! You’ll need to be able to access the Zoom app from either your computer or phone. Please test the link about 5 minutes before class officially begins (dates, times, and zoom links below). Once the class starts, Jordan will be unable to help with technical difficulties.
You can access video recordings of there three classes already taught: How to Write with Page Turning Tension, How to Write Killer Scenes, and How to Evoke Emotion in Every Scene at her Facebook Author page under the videos tab.
Email Jordan with questions: jordanwritelife (at) gmail (dot) com
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Online Memoir Class with Suzanne Sherman
Learn the essentials and get a chance to practice them in my info-packed online memoir course. The course gives you structure for getting the writing done, a sense of accountability, and guidance as you create new material. By the end of the course you can have a book planned and a portion of your first draft written.
Week 1: Building the Foundation: Theme, Narrative Arc
Week 2: Convincing Characters
Week 3: Engaging Prose
Week 4: Writing Scenes
Week 5: Dialog
Week 6: Telling the Truth
Contact me to enroll: suzanne@suzannesherman.com, or visit https://suzannesherman.com/e-courses/writing-life-memoir-workshop/
Suzanne Sherman is a published author, book editor, and writing/publishing coach and consultant. She has taught memoir in the Bay Area and online since 1996. www.suzannesherman.com.
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Shut Up & Write!™ Wine Country: FREE writing sessions
Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you. No one will see what you’ve written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done.
Register at Meetup: www.meetup.com/shutupandwritewinecountry/
Updated 9/15/2020.
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Christine Walker’s Online Writing Courses and YouTube Videos
Writing Fiction: 9 Ways to Mastery is a self-paced, online course designed for writers who read, readers who write, and book lovers who want to read like a writer. Produced by author and artist Christine Walker, MFA, MA, the course contains videos and writing activities. It features Christine’s useful framework, Master Craft Juggling, for gaining greater ability and agility with the elements of fiction. The course will help you: (1) Develop masterful skills by learning valuable lessons that authors give readers on the page. (2) Improve your writing practice for success with strategies and tools for setting goals, taking on challenges, and fulfilling your intentions. (3) Find ongoing inspiration for your writing and book projects, while deepening reading enjoyment. For a free trial visit the course site at https://courses.christinewalker.net
Christine Walker’s YouTube Channel features short “Moments of Mastery” videos to inspire and inform your writing practice for greater enjoyment, productivity, and success. All writers start with a blank page every time. No matter the previous success, we all find ourselves again on the way to mastery. The videos, designed for fiction writers, memoirists, and other creative writers, focus not only on the “how” of writing, but also the “why.” Christine has an MFA in Writing and Literature in Fiction, an MA in Creative Arts Interdisciplinary, and is a published author. She posts new videos every Friday. Visit the channel at www.youtube.com/channel/UCXwbDiJWBHm0QOfnEEsZpYg
Read to Write Books blog: Christine Walker Explores Fiction Craft This blog distills “lessons” that masterful authors give us on the page. It supports Christine’s courses and is a useful resource for fiction writers, memoirists, books groups, and all writers who read, readers who write, and book lovers who want to read like a writer. She started the blog to supplement the workshops she taught at Copperfield’s several years ago and will be newly updating the blog to supplement her online course, Writing Fiction: 9 Ways to Mastery. Visit the blog at https://readtowritebooks.com
