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

5 Week Workshop: You Are the Expert
By the end of this course each student will have a more robust library to reference when thinking about nonfiction, an expanded vocabulary to talk about the craft of writing memoir, and both the practical skills and the enthusiastic spark necessary to tell their own stories.
June 8th to July 6th, 2023
Thursdays, 6:00pm-8:00pm EST
on Zoom

5 Day Workshop: Poetry as Prayer
Introducing new instructor Brittany Deininger! Where Do Poetry and Prayer Converge? The invitation of this course comes from a place of wide questions and curiosity rather than answers and certainty. Using writing prompts each session we’ll seek to generate material for new poems in a spirit of experimentation and playfulness.
July 10th - July 14th, 2023
Monday - Friday, 10:00am - 12:00pm EST
On Campus

One Day Poetry Seminar: Truth or Dare: The Synesthetic Image
In this generative workshop and craft class, students will explore how creating unlikely families of sensory details can make tangible the ineffable or even make a destination out of a crossroad.
Tuesday, June 20th, 2023
6:00pm to 8:30pm EST on Zoom

Craft Seminar: Raising the Stakes in Fiction
Join Deesha Philyaw for a brand new craft seminar! Who is your main character? What do they want? What's at stake for them? If your story’s stakes are too low or unclear, readers will wonder, “So what?” And if we want readers to keep reading, we’d better have a good answer to that question. Through generative writing exercises, attendees will raise stakes for characters from their work-in-progress, or start something new.
July 25th, 2023
Tuesday, 6:00pm - 8:30pm EST
On Zoom

One Day Workshop: Printed Matter: D.IY. Bookmaking for Writers
In this day-long workshop, students will learn how to use and make several styles of easy-to-make and easy-to-reproduce handmade books. This class will challenge your idea of the book as a vessel for finished work, but one step in the writing process.
June 24th, 2023
Saturday, 10:00am - 2:00pm EST
On Campus

Two Day Workshop: The Art of Endings
June 5th & June 12th, 2023
Mondays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST
on Zoom
Summer Session One: May & June
Registration closes one week before start date. Please see safety guidelines for on campus classes on class registration page. Questions? Email writinginstitute@sarahlawrence.edu or call 914 323 6170.
- 10 Week Prose Workshop: Intermediate 2.0: Novel and Memoir Workshop with Barbara Josselsohn
June 1st to August 3rd, 2023
Thursdays, 10:00am to 12:00pm EST on Zoom - 5 Week Fiction Workshop: Playing with Point of View with Rachel Aydt
June 1st to June 29th, 2023
Thursdays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST on Zoom - Two Day Workshop: The Art of Endings with Akhir Stewart
June 5th to June 12th, 2023
Mondays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST on Zoom - 5 Week Prose Workshop: Life Stories: A Writing Workshop for Ages 50+ with Cindy Beer-Fouhy
June 7th to July 5th, 2023
Wednesdays, 6:00pm to 9:00pm EST on Zoom - 5 Week Prose Workshop: You're The Expert with Vanessa Friedman June 8th to July 6th, 2023
Thursdays, 6:00 pm to 8:00pm EST on Zoom - One Day Seminar: What's in a Name? Writing Great Titles with Lee Hittner-Cunningham Friday, June 16th, 2023
12:00pm to 2:00pm EST on Zoom - Two Day Workshop: So You're A Poet: What Now? with Luiza Flynn Goodlett
June 10th to June 11th, 2023
Thursdays, 1:00pm to 3:00pm EST on Zoom - One Day Seminar: Mind Your Business! A Law and Business Bootcamp for Writers with Ginger McKnight-Chavers June 17th, 2023
Saturday, 11:00am to 1:30pm EST on Zoom - One Day Prose Workshop: Rewriting Your Story: Revision Workshop for Nonfiction Writers with Tyler Mills
June 17th, 2023
Saturday, 2:00pm to 4:30pm EST on Zoom - Two Day Workshop: Writing New Myths: Speculative Poetry with Zachariah Claypole White
June 17th to June 24th, 2023
Saturdays, 10:00am to 12:00pm EST on Zoom - One Day Workshop: Truth or Dare: The Synesthetic Image with Noah Arhm Choi
June 20th, 2023
Tuesdays, 6:00pm to 8:30pm EST on Zoom - One Day Workshop: Printed Matter: D.IY. Bookmaking for Writers with Elaine Sexton
June 24th, 2023
Saturday, 10:00am to 2:00pm EST on Campus - One Day Publishing Workshop: Byline Bootcamp: Everything You Need To Know To Get Your Short Nonfiction Published with Melissa Petro
June 28th, 2023
Wednesday, 6:00pm to 8:30pm EST On Zoom
Summer Session Two: July & August
Registration closes one week before start date. Please see safety guidelines for on campus classes on registration page for on campus classes.- 5 Week Fiction Workshop: Speculative, Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror with Molly McGhee
July 10th to August 14th, 2023
Mondays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST on Zoom - 5 Day Workshop: Poetry As Prayer with Brittany Deininger
July 11th to July 14th, 2023
Monday to Friday, 10:00am - 12:00pm EST On Campus - 5 Week Prose Workshop: Writing the Family with Jenessa Abrams
July 11th to August 8th, 2023
Tuesdays, 6:00pm to 8:00pm EST On Zoom - 5 Week Fiction Workshop: The Art of Writing Great Dialogue with Susan Kleinman
July 11th to August 8th, 2023
Tuesdays, 10:00am to 12:00pm EST on Campus - 5 Week Fiction Workshop: Social Justice & Speculative Fiction with Rita Perez-Padilla
July 12th to August 9th, 2023
Wednesdays, 7:00pm to 8:00pm EST on Zoom - One Day Workshop: How to Link Your Short Stories or Memoirs into a Collection with Tessa Smith McGovern
July 15th, 2023
Saturday, 11:00am to 3:00pm EST on Zoom - 5 Week Prose Workshop: Life Stories: A Writing Workshop for Ages 50+ with Cindy Beer-Fouhy
July 20th to August 17th, 2023
Thursdays, 6:00pm-9:00pm EST
on Zoom - One Day Publishing Workshop: Submitting to Literary Journals with Samantha Steiner
July 17th, 2023
Monday, 6:00pm to 8:30pm EST on Zoom - One Day Workshop: Experimental Story Structure with Kayla Tenhouse
July 24th, 2023
Monday, 6:00pm to 8:30pm EST On Zoom - Craft Seminar: Raising the Stakes in Fiction with Deesha Philyaw
July 25th, 2023
Tuesday, 6:00pm to 8:30pm EST On Zoom - Two Day Workshop: How to Tell the Truth In Fiction, Nonfiction & Every Genre In Between with Vanessa Friedman
July 29th to July 30th, 2023
Saturday & Sunday, 1:00pm to 4:00pm EST On Zoom
Upcoming Readings & Events
- June 17th at 6:30pm EST - Books on the Barge, a unique author talk and cocktail hour on the Science Barge in Yonkers, NY. Guests will enjoy hors d'oeuvres inspired by the author's book before an intimate reading and author talk with Allegra Hyde. RSVP here.
- June 22nd at 6:30pm EST - Wrexham Road: One Night in June. RSVP here to hear from authors Barbara Joseelsohn, Cynthia Manick, Helen Schulman, and Priyanka Taslim in our beautiful Remy Theater on campus.
- July 20th at 5:00pm EST - Our July Community Reading! RSVP here to come cheer on your fellow writers on Zoom.. 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?
Please read carefully to review our refund and course voucher policies.
Canceling a registration before a course starts:
Students who withdraw from a course 14 days prior to the start of class will receive a full course voucher; if a credit card refund is preferred please email writinginstitute@sarahlawrence.edu. There is a $50 administrative fee for refunds. Please note that there are no refunds or vouchers for one day intensives, yearlong classes or Advanced classes where space is limited.
Students who drop out of a course 72 hours or more prior to the first class will receive a course voucher minus the $50 administrative fee. towards a future course of the same tuition. No refunds are available 72 hours or less before a class begins.
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. Requests for partial refunds must be received in writing at writinginstitute@sarahlawrence.edu.
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.
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