Classes at the Attic

Poets Studio is based on the idea that focusing on goals is the key to lasting growth as a poet. Poets Studio is a weekly workshop that will run from Sep 22 - May 18 for 30 weeks. It is designed to give form and focus to your poetry writing. The Poets Studio is open to applications from all poets. Poets join the Poets Studio as members and attend for the entire session. This creates the Poets Studio's special experience: a steady, supportive, and comprehensive study of your poetry among other poets.

Read more about the Poets Studio.

To Apply: Please send ten (10) pages of poems and a 250 words "Statement of Goals" to the Attic Institute.

APPLY NOW

In this three-hour intensive, we will intentionally spend time with joy — to write from it and write about it. Concentrating on two craft techniques that can reenergize a narrative (and ourselves), everyone will end the morning with something new and with thoughtful, joyful momentum.

Register for this workshop

Using prompts, short readings, and discussion, this generative nonfiction workshop will focus on mining our personal histories and crafting them into the form they deserve. We’ll also explore the ways we sometimes get in the way of our own stories — and how to use that to break through and write around the blocks. CNF, personal essays, journaling...all are welcome. Open to all writers.

Register for this workshop.

Any moment can be moving with the right tools, and poetry does it best: elevating the mundane and letting us linger in an experience. But how does it move us? In this generative workshop we will explore how formal aspects of poetry like line breaks, stanzas, and sound, work together to create an immersive experience. Through readings, discussion, and engaging writing exercises we’ll discover how to use form to shape content, making poems ripple beyond the page. No prior knowledge of poetry is needed for this generative workshop, just curiosity and an excitement to write.

Register for this workshop.

The short story is one of the oldest, most flexible and interesting forms of storytelling. From flash fiction to experimental to more traditional the short story gives writers a wide latitude to explore the many possibilities of narrative. This class will combine seminar and workshop. Ideally students should be prepared to workshop their work at least once. Students will be required to read assigned stories outside of class and be prepared to lead discussions about issues surrounding techniques such as form, voice, point of view, plot and character. By reading the work of a variety of accomplished short story writers, my hope is you will explore both traditional and nontraditional narrative structures to help find an effective frame work the feelings that serve as the original impetus for your creativity. This workshop is open to anyone but is ideally suited for students with a few stories under their belt. | No class Nov 29 for Thanksgiving

Register for this workshop

“Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.” ~ Neil Gaiman

Tiny Windows: The Art of the Short Story is a dynamic, six-week workshop for anyone curious about the short story form—from total beginners to seasoned writers ready to sharpen their skills. Through a mix of discussion, reading, and generative writing, we’ll explore how short stories work from the inside out. Each week focuses on a different craft element—like scene-building, POV, character development, dialogue, structure, or revision—and includes short readings and exercises that demystify how great stories are made. This craft-based class will make every effort to personalize the experience to each writer’s needs. Students will begin or continue working on a short story, with the goal of finishing a draft (or portion of one) by the final session. You’ll leave with new tools, greater confidence, and—most importantly—a deeper love for the storytelling process. No prior workshop experience required.

Register for this workshop.

In this generative class, we will explore the sequential poems of Michael Dickman, Louise Glück, Lucille Clifton, Richie Hofmann, Li-Young Lee, and Katie Peterson, ultimately writing your own 5-part poem. Sequence: October 19: Intro, Sequential poem, Free write | October 26: Group A: Part One | November 2: Group B: Part One | November 9: Group A: Part Two and Three | November 16: Group B: Part Two and Three | November 23: Group A: Parts Four and Five | November 30: Group B: Parts Four and Five | December 7: Both groups read and share their final drafts | 12 students maximum

Register for this workshop

Using prompts, short readings, and discussion, this generative nonfiction workshop will focus on mining our personal histories and crafting them into the form they deserve. We’ll also explore the ways we sometimes get in the way of our own stories — and how to use that to break through and write around the blocks. CNF, personal essays, journaling...all are welcome. Open to all writers.

Register for this workshop.

Writing has the power to transport us through time. With a few words, we can return to childhood, suspend a moment, see into the future or perhaps write a better one. In this generative workshop, we will practice movements through time based on readings and creative prompts like writing off personal photographs and noticing patterns of change. This workshop encourages writers from all genres and all skill levels. Open to all writers in all genres. A generative morning workshop.

Register for this workshop.