creative writing classes philadelphia

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10 Best Creative Writing Classes in Philadelphia

Showing 10 courses that match your search.

Storyweaving: Adding Subplots to Your Novel

Rosemont Writers' Studio

Take your story to the next level by learning how to enhance theme, increase characterization, and flesh out the journey with subplots. We will look at general plotting and subplotting techniques, analyze structure of popular subplots, and weave these subplots into your hero's journey.

Website: https://www.rosemont.edu/academics/graduate/creative-writ...

Categories: Fiction and Book

Start date:

April, 2024

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Self-Publishing 101

This course will guide you in a step-by-step fashion how to take a manuscript and turn it into a book. We will cover all the bases from editing to formatting to self-marketing.

Categories: Fiction, Publishing, Book, and Nonfiction

Tarot & Writing: The Cups

A Novel Idea

In this two-hour session, participants will learn about the suit of the Cups. Focused on relationships, dreams, and emotional wellness, this suit offers important lessons for storytelling and self-care. The workshop leader will go through each of the fourteen Cups cards, offering writing prompts along the way.

Website: https://anovelideaphilly.com/classes/

Categories: Book and Fiction

Open all year round

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Corporeal Translations: Poetic Possibilities in the Body

This workshop is for anyone who wants to practice active embodied writing, for writers who crave a deeper relationship to their body in motion but struggle with direction, and also movement artists who struggle to write about their practice or struggle to write in general.

Website: https://www.bluestoop.org/classes/angel-edwards-corporeal...

Categories: Poetry

Rethinking Narrative Structure

In “Rethinking Narrative Structure” we will analyze the concept of narrative structure as well as its paradigms as a way to develop your own narrative structures, honing and amplifying your narrative voice.

Website: https://www.bluestoop.org/classes/ashley-bach-rethinking-...

Categories: Fiction

Flashy Fictions: Short-Short Forms That Pack a Punch

This class will explore the varied traditions, practices, and inner-workings of multiple short-short fiction forms (including flash, sudden, micro, sequenced vignettes, etc.) through assigned craft readings, a wide range of published stories, in-class and at-home generative exercises, and in-depth peer workshops.

Website: https://www.bluestoop.org/classes/robert-powers-flash-fic...

Part of Rosemont College, this studio offers a variety of non-credit writing and publishing workshops. These include diverse topics such as manuscript preparation, writing feminist fairy tales, understanding dialogue in fiction, and exploring political issues in poetry. Courses are taught by experienced authors and educators, making them suitable for writers of all levels seeking focused skill development​​.

Weekly Wordshop

Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio

These workshops, held in Center City and Main Line/Delaware County, meet weekly on Tuesday and Monday evenings, respectively. Limited to 12 participants per group, they follow a 10-week format with a registration fee of $440. These workshops are based on the writing method developed by Pat Schneider, founder of Amherst Writers & Artists, and incorporate techniques and suggestions from Schneider's book, "Writing Alone and with Others."

Website: https://www.philawordshop.com/wordshop.html

Categories: Fiction, Essay, Poetry, Nonfiction, Short Story, and Book

Writers Room Experience

Writers Room

This experiential studio class, led by instructor Lauren Lowe, focuses on developing an understanding of the self in relation to the world. It emphasizes building community and working towards a more equitable world through writing and sharing stories​​.

Website: https://www.writersroomdrexel.org/courses

Categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Free

Green Street Poetry

This workshop offers a space for poets to share, edit, and discuss their work in a collaborative and supportive environment. Participants read their poems aloud, receive group feedback, and engage in discussions about their work. The workshop is designed to help poets of all levels achieve their writing goals, whether they seek intensive criticism or a friendly space to share their poetry. Attendees are encouraged to bring 10 copies of their poem for workshopping, a pen or pencil for editing, and some cash for food and drinks.

Website: https://www.greenstreetpoetry.com/workshop

Categories: Poetry and Free

Prerequisites: 10 copies of the poem you want workshopped.

So you’re looking for creative writing classes in Philadelphia

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth the reading, or do things worth the writing”—or so once said one of Philadelphia’s favorite sons, Benjamin Franklin. If you’re looking to accomplish the former and “write things worth the reading,” then you may be considering to take a creative writing class in Philadelphia.

This directory of the best writing courses in Philadelphia is meant to help you locate the right one for yourself.  We’ve included filters for price and genre so that you can quickly sort through the writing classes. And before you commit to any one writing class, consider the following questions:

• Who is the instructor?
• What is the price of the writing course?
• How far away is the writing course in Philadelphia? Is there a remote alternative?
• How long could the course last?

Got any questions about finding the right writing class in Philadelphia for you? Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] . Good luck!

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Literary Philly

Writing Workshops

• Alison Hicks’ Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio (Delaware County/Center City)
• Blue Stoop (8 week classes, 6-12 students, fiction, poetry, essays, memoir, novel, YA, food writing)
• Brooklyn School Social Practice in Philadelphia (literature/philosophy classes)
• Cooper Street Writing Workshops (4 week classes & one day intensives in fiction & poetry taught by Rutgers-Camden MFA grads & local instructors)
• Drexel Writers Room (interactive writing workshops no preparation necessary, free & open to all)
• Drexel Storylab (8 week fiction & nonfiction classes for adults)
• Green Street Poetry (monthly poetry workshop group in Fairmount)
• Helen Mallon’s True Courage Workshops (Chestnut Hill)
• Janet Benton’s The Word Studio (offers small workshops and private manuscript consultations)
• Leonard Gontarek (poetry, email [email protected] )
• Lisa Grunberger’s Writing & Yoga Classes (generative courses combining yoga & creativity)
• Liz Moore’s Palumbo Park Writing Workshops (5 week courses in fiction & nonfiction at area bookstores)
• Mount Airy Learning Tree (short classes for beginners)
• The Open Book Writing Classes (4 week memoir classes at the Elkins Park bookstore)
• Philadelphia Stories Master Classes (3 week online classes)
• Philadelphia Writers Workshop (Flourtown, PA)
• Rittenhouse Writers Workshop (8 week fiction workshops, contact James Rahn, [email protected])
• River Heron Review Classes (online & on-site Lahaska, PA)
• River Valley Writers (Stockton, NJ; email Maria Casale at  [email protected] )
• Rosemont Writers Studio (6 week classes, Rosemont, PA)
• Susan Weidener’s Women’s Writing Circle (workshops, retreats, editing services, professional critique)
• University of the Arts Continuing Education : (5 or 10 week skill development classes)
• University of Pennsylvania noncredit classes (3 free sessions on topic open to public)
• Woodland Writers (Cherry Hill, NJ)
• Write Nites @ The Art Department (group writing exercises & write sessions sponsored by The Head & The Hand)

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• College of Arts & Sciences
• Graduate Division
• College of Liberal and Professional Studies

Welcome to the Creative Writing Program at Penn. Our faculty of award-winning writers teach more than sixty workshops each year in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, journalism, playwriting, screenwriting, and writing for children and young adults, as well as innovative workshops in cross-genre, experimental, and hybrid writing, including writing that engages with community organizing, multimedia and visual arts, and performance. We also offer for-credit apprenticeships and programs in independent study. All workshops are capped at 15 students and center on the intensive cultivation of your craft.

While there is no required sequence in Creative Writing, many students find it useful to begin with one of our sections of Introduction to Creative Writing, which can be repeated with different topics and instructors.

All courses are open to any student at Penn, and there are no prerequisites for any of our courses, although a few courses ask for a writing sample or an expression of interest for admission to the course.

Click on one of the links below or at right to view current and past workshops.

Visit this link for information on courses offered through the College of Liberal and Professional Studies .

Image courtesy of the Kelly Writers House Marathon Reading of  If on a Winter's Night a Traveler .

• (610) 449-3773 | [email protected]

• Methodology
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Writers’ Reviews
• The Daily Writers
• Tuesday Members
• Write with Danette
• Coaching for Writers
• Editing Services
• Local Workshops

Develop your daily writing practice with prompts to inspire you and partners to encourage you. Just a half hour of your time and conveniently via e-mail.

The Tuesday Night Writing Workshop

The Tuesday Night Writing Workshop for writers of all levels. Write fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, plays, skits and screenplays. 7-10 p.m. Some sessions are offered via Zoom, and some are in-person in Flourtown, PA. Put your name on the waiting list to find out about 2024 workshops.

The All Writing Workshops

The All Writing Workshops give new and experienced writers the opportunity to spend time dedicated solely to writing in a structured, supportive setting. No reading or discussion of manuscripts—it’s all writing all the time! You also get flexibility because you don’t have to commit to a sequence of nights. Sign up for as many nights as you’d like

Write With Rachel from June through August on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons

Rachel Kobin is the Founder and Director of The Philadelphia Writers Workshop.

Write With Danette on Wednesday evenings from September through May

Danette Laver has been a writer in The Tuesday Night Writing Workshop for years. She recently released her first novel.

The Manuscript Workshop

The Manuscript Workshop , on Thursday evenings from September through June, is designed to support writers who have made significant headway in writing a full-length novel, memoir, play, screenplay, or collection.

Private Editing and Coaching

Working one-on-one with Rachel Kobin, the founder the Founder & Director of The Philadelphia Writers Workshop, may be the best way for you to forward your project. Find out more about how private editing and coaching could help you reach your goals.

Writers Review the Workshops

Read participants’ own words about their experiences in the workshops.

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