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 at our Bronxville, NY campus 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.
Upcoming Classes
Letters & Lists: Generative Experience
Join Kathy Curto for this exciting generative workshop dedicated to the letter and the lists as forms of literature. Writers will use this exploration as a leap (or hop) onto the blank page where students will have the chance to construct letters and lists of their own. All writers welcome! Come join us - you may be surprised where the list and letter can take you.
November 1 to December 6, 2022 (No class 11/22)
Tuesdays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm On Campus
Jumping Genres: How Fiction Writers Can Write Nonfiction and Vice Versa
New for 2022! Break the mold with Suhasini Yeeda in this craft class exploring what fiction writers can learn from nonfiction and vice versa. Learn tips and tricks from contemporary novels, memoirs, essays and more to workshop your own work in a new genre. Perfect for prose writers looking to try something new.
October 31 to November 28, 2022
Mondays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST on Zoom
Lyric & Narrative: A Month of New Material
Are you interested in writing a story or essay that sounds and feels poetic? Or poems that tell true narratives? Join Faith Henley Padgett to explore “lyric” and “narrative” as tools for making in this highly-generative asynchronous course, open to all levels and all genres. This four-week course is online and perfect for writers who want to go at their own pace.
October 31 to November 21, 2022
Online Asynchrnous
Live Zoom Session Tuesdays, 1:00pm to 2:00pm EST
Use Your Memories to Write Fiction
October 31 to November 28, 2022
Mondays, 11:00am to 1:00pm EST on Zoom
Five Weeks, One Story
November 1 to November 29, 2022
Online class
Continuous access to the online classroom and discussion forum
Individual virtual meeting with instructor included
Sharpen Your Funny Bone
"Whatever or whoever you are, there's one very enjoyable step you can take, right now to make yourself a better writer: Take a course in humor writing.” – Siobhan Adcock. Don't miss this opportunity to write with humor writer Janine Annett this fall. You’ll learn about techniques to generate funny ideas, how to punch up your writing with more wit and humor, and why funny writing matters. All writers welcome!
November 1 to December 6, 2022 (No class November 22nd)
Tuesdays, 1:00pm to 3:00pm On Campus
Fall Session Two: October through December
Registration closes one week before start date. Please see safety guidelines for on campus classes on class registration page. Fall 2022 class registration is on our new registration platform: please create a profile in order to register. Questions? Email writinginstitute@sarahlawrence.edu or call 914 323 6170.- Life Stories: Memoir 101 with Janet Pfeffer
Saturday, October 8, 2022
11:00am to 1:30pm EST On Campus - Submitting to Literary Journals with Samantha Steiner
Saturday, October 15, 2022
12:00pm to 2:30pm EST on Zoom - Finding the Art in the Line with Elaine Sexton
October 31 to November 28, 2022
Mondays, 5:00pm to 7:00pm EST on Zoom (Sold out!) - Jumping Genres: How A Fiction Writer Can Learn to Write Nonfiction and Vice Versa with Suhasini Yeeda
October 31 to November 28, 2022
Mondays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST on Zoom - Novel Writing Master Class with Caitlin Alexander (Session Two)
October 31 to December 2, 2022 (no class 11/23)
Online Asynchronous, Live Zoom Session Wednesdays, 8:00pm to 9:00pm EST - Use Your Memories To Write Fiction with Rachel Mann
October 31 to November 28, 2022
Mondays, 11:00am to 1:00pm EST on Zoom - Sharpen Your Funny Bone with Janine Annett
November 1 to December 6, 2022 (No class 11/22)
Tuesdays, 1:00pm to 3:00pm EST On Campus - Letters & Lists: Generative Workshop with Kathy Curto
November 1 to November 29, 2022
Tuesdays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST On Campus - Start Writing Your Novel Now with Ines Rodrigues
November 1 to November 29, 2022
Tuesdays, 1:00pm to 3:00pm EST on Zoom - Learn How To Link Your Short Stories or Memoirs Into A Collection with Tessa Smith McGovern
November 1 to December 6, 2022 (No class 11/22)
Tuesdays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST on Zoom - Life Stories: A Writing Workshop for Ages 50+ with Cindy Beer-Fouhy (5 weeks)
November 3 to December 8, 2022 (No class 11/24)
Thursdays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST on Zoom - Lyric & Narrative: A Month of New Material with Faith Henley Padgett (4 weeks)
November 1 to November 29, 2022
Online Asynchronous, Live Zoom Session Tuesdays, 12:00pm to 1:00pm EST - You're A Poet: Now What? An Industry Primer with Luiza Flynn-Goodlett
Sunday, November 6 & Sunday, November 13, 2022
1:00pm to 2:30pm EST on Zoom
Upcoming Readings & Events
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Saturday, September 17th: SLC and the Writing Institute at Yonkers Riverfest
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Join us for a Writing Institute Community Reading! Our next community reading will be September 29th (on Zoom) and December 7th (on campus; registration link TBA). Sign up to read or come to cheer on your fellow writers. All are welcome!
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Sunday, October 2nd: Writing Institute & MFA Writing at Brooklyn Book Festival (table number TBA)
- Please join The Writing Institute for a celebration of The Kathryn Gurfein Writing Fellowship on Thursday, October 13 at 6:00pm at the Barbara Walters Campus Center. We will announce the 2022 Gurfein Writing Fellow and honor last year's recipient Lorraine Gengo and mentor Marian Thurm. Refreshments will be served, and all are welcome as we celebrate our writing community. This event will be livestreamed.
- Tuesday, November 15th: The Wrexham Road Reading Series: Fall Edition at 6:30pm, featuring Saida Agostini, Moncho Alvarado (MFA '15), Jeanna Kadlec & Noué Kirwan. All are welcome!
To keep up to date on what's happening at The Writing Institute, sign up for our newsletter and watch this space for more information.
What Are Asynchronous Classes?
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:
FOR SUMMER 2022 CLASSES ONLY: 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). However, there are no refunds for one day intensives.
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.