Upcoming Classes
Whether this is your first writing class or you’re finishing your next book, The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College helps writers grow and connect with a community of passionate writers.
Our classes and workshops range from generative experiences to revision focused workshops, including one day craft intensives and seminars on publishing. Virtual writing workshops and in person classes are available.
All writers welcome!
Questions about which class is best for you? Contact the Writing Institute at writinginstitute@sarahlawrence.edu. We're here to help.
Start Writing Your Novel Now
A 10-week fiction workshop with Ines Rodrigues. Start your novel with an instructor who understands what it’s like to write a novel for the first time.
January 8 to March 11, 2024
Mondays 1:00pm to 3:00pm EST on Zoom
Writing Fiction for Young People: Generative Workshop
Join award winning children's author Padma Venkatraman for this generative 10-week workshop to unlock your creativity.
February 5th to May 6th, 2024
Mondays, 5:00pm-7:00pm EST, on Zoom
Facing The Blank Page: A Free Generative Session
Join us for a free generative writing session to kick off the new year!
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
6:00pm-8:00pm EST, on Zoom
Motherhood in Memoir
In this five-week nonfiction class with Terri Linton, students will examine works by writers that center motherhood as they explore the realities, revelations, and reckonings of our their own motherhood journeys.
February 20 to April 23rd, 2024
Tuesdays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST, on Zoom
Building Your Author Website
This is a one-session workshop with Chris Steib to help writers create their own professional and cost-effective website.
Saturday, February 24th, 2024
10:00am - 12:30pm, On Zoom
Spring 2022 Session One: February & March
Registration closes one week before each course begins. Please see safety guidelines for on campus classes in the course description for on campus courses.- Advanced Novel Writing Workshop with Marcia Bradley
November 1 to November 29, 2021 (sold out!)
Mondays, 1:00pm to 3:00pm - Intermediate 2.0: Novel & Memoir Workshop with Marcia Bradley
Saturday, November 6, 2021
10:00am to 2:00pm EST - Novel Writing Master Class with Caitlin Alexander (Session One)
November 9 to December 14, 2021
Tuesdays, 6:30pm to 8:30pm EST - (New!) A Beautiful Mess: Making Sense of Multiple Drafts with Elise Bradenburg
November 8 to December 6, 2021
Mondays, 6:30pm to 8:30pm EST - (New!) Revising Poems with Carla Carlson (Session One)
November 8 to December 17, 2021 (sold out!)
Asynchronous - Tap The Senses & Write The Scene with Kathy Curto (on campus)
November 8 to December 6, 2021
Mondays, 11:00am to 1:00pm EST - Magical Realism & Surrealism in Fiction with Serrana Gay
November 11 to December 16, 2021 (No class on November 25th)
Thursdays, 6:30pm to 9:00pm EST - Experiments in Form: Learning To Write From Art with Kristine Marx
November 9 to December 14, 2021 (No class November 23rd)
Tuesdays, 6:30pm to 8:30pm EST - (New!) Writing Home: Claiming & Reclaiming Our Past Through Nonfiction with Samantha Steiner
November 9 to December 14, 2021(No class on November 23rd)
Tuesdays, 6:30pm to 8:30pm EST (sold out!) - Stories That Stick with Rachel Aydt (10 weeks)
November 8 to December 6, 2021
Mondays, 5:30pm to 7:30pm EST - Life Stories: A Writing Workshop for Ages 50+ with Cindy Beer-Fouhy (10 weeks)
November 8 to December 17, 2021
Asynchronous - (New!) Creative Nonfiction Workshop with Vanessa Friedman (10 weeks)
November 9 to December 14, 2021 (No class on November 23rd)
Tuesdays, 11:00am to 1:00pm EST - Writing for Children & Young Adults with Veera Hiranandani (10 weeks)
Saturday, November 13, 2021
12:00pm to 2:30pm EST - (New!) Write Your Novel Now with Barbara Josselsohn (10 weeks)
Saturday, November 20, 2021
10:00am to 12:30pm EST - Learn How to Link Your Short Stories or Memoirs Into A Collection with Tessa Smith McGovern (10 weeks)
Saturday, December 4 and Sunday December 5, 2021
10:00am to 1:00pm EST
Spring 2022 Session Two: March, April & May
Registration closes one week before the course begins. Please see safety guidelines for on campus classes within the course description for on campus classes.- Novel Writing Master Class with Caitlin Alexander (Session Two)
November 9 to December 14, 2021
Tuesdays, 6:30pm to 8:30pm EST - Life Stories: A Writing Workshop for Ages 50+ with Cindy Beer-Fouhy (5 weeks)
November 8 to December 17, 2021
Asynchronous - (New!) Writing About Work: Fiction Workshop with Halle Butler
November 8 to December 6, 2021
Mondays, 6:30pm to 8:30pm EST - (New!) Revising Poems with Carla Carlson (Session Two)
November 8 to December 17, 2021 (sold out!)
Asynchronous - Food, Music, Intimacy: A Trifeca for the Senses...and the Blank Page with Kathy Curto (on campus)
November 8 to December 6, 2021
Mondays, 11:00am to 1:00pm EST - You Are The Expert: A Craft Class on Writing Memoir with Vanessa Friedman
November 9 to December 14, 2021 (No class on November 23rd)
Tuesdays, 11:00am to 1:00pm EST - Is This A Poem? Prose Poem Workshop with Serrana Gay & Faith Padgett
November 11 to December 16, 2021 (No class on November 25th)
Thursdays, 6:30pm to 9:00pm EST - Submitting To Literary Journals with Samantha Steiner
November 9 to December 14, 2021(No class on November 23rd)
Tuesdays, 6:30pm to 8:30pm EST (sold out!) - Map Out Your Plot with Veera Hiranandani (on campus)
Saturday, November 13, 2021
12:00pm to 2:30pm EST - Writing About Art & Culture (& Getting Published) with David Manello
Saturday, November 20, 2021
10:00am to 12:30pm EST - Small But Mighty: Crafting The Project Chapbook with Luiza
Saturday, December 4 and Sunday December 5, 2021
10:00am to 1:00pm EST - Writing Place, Writing the Self: Memoir Workshop with Tyler Mills
Saturday, December 4 and Sunday December 5, 2021
10:00am to 1:00pm EST - Get Out of Your Own Way: Generative Experiments with Faith Padgett
Saturday, December 4 and Sunday December 5, 2021
10:00am to 1:00pm EST - Jumpstart Your Poetry Practice with Elaine Sexton
Saturday, December 4 and Sunday December 5, 2021
10:00am to 1:00pm EST - You're Beginning to Write Your Novel with Ines Rodrigues
Saturday, December 4 and Sunday December 5, 2021
10:00am to 1:00pm EST - The Heart of the Story: Short Fiction Workshop with Joann Smith
Saturday, December 4 and Sunday December 5, 2021
10:00am to 1:00pm EST - Short Story Workshop with Marian Thurm (On Campus)
Saturday, December 4 and Sunday December 5, 2021
10:00am to 1:00pm EST - (New!) Character Driven Comedy with Dan Zevin (On Campus)
Saturday, December 4 and Sunday December 5, 2021
10:00am to 1:00pm EST
Spring 2022 Readings & Events
Join us via Zoom for faculty and student readings throughout the summer! Upcoming dates are June 17 and August 12, with full details to follow. To keep up to date on what's happening in The Writing Institute, sign up for our newsletter and watch this space for more information.
Does The Writing Institute Offer One-on-One Instruction?
We do not currently offer one-on-one instruction through The Writing Institute. However, our classes are small and offer individualized attention. Please reach out to us for course recommendations based on your specific needs at writinginstitute@sarahlawrence.edu.
What is Your Cancellation Policy?
Canceling a registration before a course starts:
Students may drop out of a class two business days prior to the start of class and receive a refund of their tuition minus a $25 administration fee and a $25 registration fee ($50 total).
Canceling a course registration after attending the first session:
Students who drop out of a course after the first class will be refunded 50% of their tuition.
Canceling a course registration after attending two or more sessions:
There will be no refunds after the second class. There will be some inevitable exceptions to this rule based on extenuating circumstances, at the discretion of the director of The Writing Institute.