Writing Workshops & Courses

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Writing Institute Institute for Genomics Early Childhood Center

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. Join us on campus in Bronxville, New York or online. Questions about which class is best for you? Email The Writing Institute at writinginstitute@sarahlawrence.edu. We're here to help.

On a whim, I took a writing course… within minutes, I knew I had found something I needed to go forth with. Suddenly, my stored experiences and hidden feelings had new meaning, and possibility, which was life-changing.
Carla Carlson Author of Love and Oranges

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Courses starting in May (1 course)

Daily Write Along for #1000WordsofSummer

Sat, May 30 2026 — Fri, Jun 12 2026

On Zoom

Join the Writing Institute for the #1000WordsofSummer challenge!

Write 1,000 words a day for two weeks in community with WI staff and students.

Come every day or when you are able and start the day filling the page.

While we will offer prompts to get you started if you need, this is not a workshop. Say hello, write for 50 minutes, and share your word count in the chat if you like!

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Sat, May 30 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Sun, May 31 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Mon, Jun 1 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Tue, Jun 2 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Wed, Jun 3 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Thu, Jun 4 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Fri, Jun 5 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Sat, Jun 6 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Sun, Jun 7 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Mon, Jun 8 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Tue, Jun 9 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Wed, Jun 10 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Thu, Jun 11 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Fri, Jun 12 2026, 8:00 am–9:00 am EDT

Courses starting in June (4 courses)

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Winning at the Finish Line

Tue, Jun 9 2026

Ben Purkert

On Zoom

Starting a piece of writing is one thing, but how do you finish it? In this one-day course, we’ll examine how a variety of world-class writers approach endings in their own work.

Join Waiting List

Tue, Jun 9 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

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Poetry & Memory

Mon, Jun 15 2026 — Mon, Jul 13 2026

Tyler Mills

On Zoom

In this generative poetry workshop, you'll write new poems inspired by the connection between memory and metaphor and receive supportive feedback.

Mon, Jun 15 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jun 22 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jun 29 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jul 6 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jul 13 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

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How Do They Do It?

Mon, Jun 15 2026 — Mon, Jul 6 2026

Barbara Josselsohn

On Campus

In this new workshop series, we’ll do a deep dive into a popular novel that made it big—and look for the “secret sauce” that made it work so well. Then, each week, you’ll get the chance to try your hand at every technique or approach revealed.

Mon, Jun 15 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jun 22 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jun 29 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jul 6 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

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Beginner Novel Generator

Mon, Jun 15 2026 — Mon, Jul 20 2026

Ines Rodrigues

On Zoom

Ines Rodrigues's six-week course helps you start your novel with a well-balanced mix of workshop, craft lessons, and lots of encouragement.

Mon, Jun 15 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jun 22 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jun 29 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jul 6 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jul 13 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jul 20 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

Courses starting in July (7 courses)

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Creative Bootcamp

Mon, Jul 6 2026 — Mon, Jul 27 2026

Myla Goldberg

On Zoom

Jumpstart your creativity in this 4-week online writing course. Creative Bootcamp offers dynamic prompts, craft insights, and fresh inspiration—perfect for new, stuck, or seasoned writers ready to explore new story ideas.

Mon, Jul 6 2026, 7:00 pm–9:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jul 13 2026, 7:00 pm–9:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jul 20 2026, 7:00 pm–9:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jul 27 2026, 7:00 pm–9:00 pm EDT

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Writing the Parent Wound

Thu, Jul 9 2026 — Thu, Aug 13 2026

Terri Linton

On Zoom

In this six-week nonfiction class with Terri Linton, students will examine works by writers that center their parents in their work as they explore their own "parent wounds" in the personal essay.

Thu, Jul 9 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Thu, Jul 16 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Thu, Jul 23 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Thu, Jul 30 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Thu, Aug 6 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Thu, Aug 13 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

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Speculative Fiction & Horror

Mon, Jul 13 2026 — Mon, Aug 17 2026

Molly McGhee

On Zoom

In this six-week workshop, we will learn how to use techniques across the genre-spectrum to inform our conception of what "storytelling" can be in speculative fiction and horror.

Mon, Jul 13 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jul 20 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Mon, Jul 27 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Mon, Aug 3 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Mon, Aug 10 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Mon, Aug 17 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

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Start Writing Your Memoir

Wed, Jul 15 2026 — Wed, Aug 12 2026

Amelia Possanza

On Zoom

Dive into memoir writing in this supportive workshop for beginner and intermediate writers alike.

Wed, Jul 15 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Wed, Jul 22 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Wed, Jul 29 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Wed, Aug 5 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Wed, Aug 12 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

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Fiction Techniques for Memoirists

Thu, Jul 16 2026 — Thu, Aug 13 2026

Jocelyn Jane Cox

On Campus

We have ALL lived fascinating lives in our own ways. In this class, writers sharing their version of the truth through actual events can take inspiration from fiction.

Thu, Jul 16 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

Thu, Jul 23 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

Thu, Jul 30 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

Thu, Aug 6 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

Thu, Aug 13 2026, 10:00 am–12:00 pm EDT

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Writing The Family

Wed, Jul 22 2026 — Wed, Aug 12 2026

Jenessa Abrams

On Zoom

Writing The Family is designed for writers at all stages of their careers to engage in the intimate, sometimes messy, very often meaningful, act of writing about family through fiction and creative nonfiction.

Wed, Jul 22 2026, 5:00 pm–7:00 pm EDT

Wed, Jul 29 2026, 5:00 pm–7:00 pm EDT

Wed, Aug 5 2026, 5:00 pm–7:00 pm EDT

Wed, Aug 12 2026, 5:00 pm–7:00 pm EDT

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The Chapbook: From First Poem to First Book

Sat, Jul 25 2026

Elaine Sexton

On Campus

In this in-person workshop we will focus on how to gather your poems and find them a home in the shape of a book.

Sat, Jul 25 2026, 10:00 am–2:00 pm EDT

Courses starting in August (2 courses)

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Writing the Hybrid Memoir

Tue, Aug 11 2026 — Tue, Sep 15 2026

Margo Steines

On Zoom

In your hybrid memoir, you might engage with science writing, literature, pop culture, history, digital media—really any cultural product or phenomenon that you want to explore in the same frame as your personal narrative.

Tue, Aug 11 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

Tue, Aug 18 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

Tue, Aug 25 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

Tue, Sep 1 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

Tue, Sep 8 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

Tue, Sep 15 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm EDT

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Jumping Right In: The First Page

Tue, Aug 11 2026 — Tue, Aug 18 2026

Tsahai Makeda

On Zoom

The first page of your novel or short story is absolutely crucial in determining whether your reader commits or quits. This is where you’ll hook them to make them want more. But what does it entail?

Tue, Aug 11 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Tue, Aug 18 2026, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm EDT

Asynchronous Courses

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Submitting to Literary Journals

Samantha Steiner

Async

Learn how to start submitting your writing in this asynchronous class! We’ll cover finding venues, managing rejections, and crafting compelling cover letters.

Writing by its very nature is solitary, but every writer reaches a point when it becomes critically important to share one’s work. [The Writing Institute] gave me exactly the structure, close reading, and support I needed to see my book through to completion.
Liane Carter Author of Ketchup is My Favorite Vegetable: A Family Grows Up With Autism

Writing Workshops & Courses

Courses starting in May (1 course)

Daily Write Along for #1000WordsofSummer session dates

Courses starting in June (4 courses)

Winning at the Finish Line session dates

Poetry & Memory session dates

How Do They Do It? session dates

Beginner Novel Generator session dates

Courses starting in July (7 courses)

Creative Bootcamp session dates

Writing the Parent Wound session dates

Speculative Fiction & Horror session dates

Start Writing Your Memoir session dates

Fiction Techniques for Memoirists session dates

Writing The Family session dates

The Chapbook: From First Poem to First Book session dates

Courses starting in August (2 courses)

Writing the Hybrid Memoir session dates

Jumping Right In: The First Page session dates

Asynchronous Courses