New classes in writing & marketing

With a community of top notch guest instructors

It’s been a week, hasn’t it? We hope all of you, our readers, are holding tight in the face of devastating fires, bitter cold, and nefarious policies. This is a time to lean on our communities, our art, our creativity, and our perseverance.

With that in mind, we want to encourage all writers—no matter at what stage—to take what time you can to devote to the art and business of being a writer. And so we are pleased to launch a whole new set of online classes taught by guest instructors, including our own Galiot author, Robyn Ryle. Check out the full listing! From kickstarting your writing practice to knowing how to tell your manuscript is ready for submission, with a side of how to write sex scenes without shame, there’s something for everyone here. (Ok, you have to wait until May for that last one. But it’s with Steve Almond, so it will be worth the wait!)

Up first, in February, we have the following classes:

Most of the classes are limited to 12 participants, so we recommend not waiting until the last minute to register. In fact, registration closes four days before each class. Full info and instructor bios available via our Learn page.

Kickstart Your Writing Practice, with Robyn Ryle

Thursday, February 13 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm ET (online)

Tuition: $50. Deadline to register: February 9.

Robyn’s description: In so many ways, we are the habits we form and the habits we reject. Habits are like votes for the kind of person we want to be. If you want to be a writer, you probably need to build some sort of writing habit. In this 90-minute class, we’ll explore what gets in the way of developing a writing habit and some tricks for creating the writing habits we want in 2025.

Anjali’s comment: Robyn is a really fun writer and I recommend checking out her Substack page, called You Think Too Much. (She has a great post today on what activism might look like now.) She’s been a delight to work with on her manuscript, Sex of the Midwest. I recommend signing up for this class to get a dose of her energy and humor. It might just be the thing you need to get (back) to writing.

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How to Know if Your Manuscript is Submission-Ready, with Lynne Griffin

Friday, February 21 from 12:00 to 1:30 pm ET (online)

Tuition: $50. Deadline to register: February 17.

Lynne’s description: You've drafted and edited your work till you can't see straight, but how do you really know if it's ready for agents/editors to read? Join novelist and developmental editor Lynne Reeves Griffin for a practical workshop on everything from assessing major craft elements to proper formatting to query etiquette. It's everything you need to know to know if you're ready.

Anjali’s comment: Lynne is a really smart, insightful writer. In addition to being an author and writing instructor, she is a nationally recognized expert on relationships and family life. So you know her characters have depth! She’s a great person to discuss the hugely vexing question we all ask ourselves: is this *&$@^% manuscript finally ready to send out, because I just can’t look at it anymore!

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Building Author Platform—An Organic Approach, with Namrata Poddar

Friday, February 21 from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm ET (online)

Tuition: $50. Deadline to register: February 17.

Namrata’s description: This workshop will discuss the different approaches to creating and sustaining an author platform for aspiring, “early career” and “emerging” writers in the 21st century. Topics will include the current publishing landscape and a role of author platforms within, organic ways to nurture an online presence, the blessings and curses of social media, finding one’s audience, launching a book, community-building, and literary citizenship. This workshop will be especially useful for writers working on or about to publish their first book, those among the first to professionally pursue writing in their families, and writers of the global majority trying to negotiate the structural inequities in the writing and publication industry.

Anjali’s comment: Namrata is a person and writer of depth and integrity, and a fierce advocate of BIPOC writers and creatives. A novelist, she teaches literature at UCLA. She is very intentional and rooted in her practices, and comes to her work very thoughtfully. Her workshop on author platform is sure to be substantive and to bring you ideas and a perspective that other similar-sounding sessions are unlikely to provide.

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Brand Yourself as a Writer and Build Your Audience, with Lorena Hernández Leonard

3-part workshop series: Tuesdays Feb 25, March 4, March 11 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm ET (online)

Tuition: $120. Deadline to register: February 21.

Lorena’s description: This intensive, 3-part workshop series equips you with tools and strategies to effectively brand and market yourself as a writer, focusing on the skills you need to succeed in today's competitive literary landscape. Learn to define your unique brand and value proposition, build a strong online presence, and effectively connect with your target audience. We'll cover positioning statements, crafting compelling bios, and leveraging social media for creating engaging content.

Anjali’s comment: Lorena is a marketing dynamo, a storyteller, and a writer/memoirist. She’s terrific and engaging and smart. You’ll learn a lot from this three-part series, and I recommend taking Namrata’s class first, to get a handle on author platform, and then this one, to understand how to present yourself via that platform. If you take both you’ll get a full immersion in how to position yourself and your work, and how to reach and connect with readers in this complicated world of ours.

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Four-day workshop in Wellfleet, MA

Ok, having spent some time in our classes thinking about your author brand and platform, and either getting back into writing or finally starting off, we know you’ll be simply dying to join us for our April 2-6 workshop in Cape Cod with guest instructor Grace Talusan. Right? We are accepting applications now! Never fear, the application process is incredibly simple—we just want a few sample pages, a sense from you as to why you’d like to attend, and a reference from someone who is familiar with you in a class or workshop or other professional setting just so we can be assured that you know how to behave in society. Because as we know, some people do not know how to play nice. All the details are on our site. Come experience the magic of four days immersed in writing interspersed with craft talks, good meals, great conversation, and walks in the woods, along the marsh, and on the beach.

Warm wishes from freezing Boston.

Anjali & Henriette