Sackett Street Writers

8,000+ creative writers since 2002 in NYC & ONLINE

Online Writing Classes

We are offering ONLINE CLASSES at a discounted rate in order to give writers the support, inspiration and creative community (albeit remotely) needed during this unpredictable time.

8-week workshops are limited to 9-10 writers (8-wk classes) and 8 writers (6-wk classes), and generative classes (Writing Sprints and Manuscript Generator) have no more than 12-15 writers. All workshops include opportunities to share work in class and receive feedback from both the instructor and classmates. To register, please complete an application and, if required, include a sample of work (1500-2000 words).

8-week ONLINE Personal Essay & Memoir I/II – begins 9.8.21 – taught by Anna Qu *FULL*

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This class is FULL. Please fill out an application to be added to the waitlist or apply for a different class.

Begins: September 8, 2021
Instructor: Anna Qu
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Wednesdays 6-8pm EST)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is not required (but welcome) for this class. Please fill out an application with your contact info.

Through group discussion of student work, plus that of published authors, writers in this workshop will examine the art and craft of creative nonfiction. The focus will be on learning to understand and use a full range of literary techniques in order to tell a truly compelling nonfiction story. Topics such as the use of dialogue, the creation of scene, attention to style and how to craft structure from true events will be discussed. Participants will also spend time talking about the particular responsibilities that come with writing creative nonfiction. In-class writing prompts will be used to inspire and motivate students to produce new work.

This workshop is open to writers working on memoir and personal essays, and writers at all levels of skill and experience are welcome to join.

APPLY NOW

Anna Qu is a Chinese-American writer. Her nonfiction has appeared in The Threepenny Review, Kartika Review, Kweli Journal, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, XOJane, Jezebel, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Anna currently serves as the Nonfiction Editor at Kweli, and formerly worked in the publishing on the agency side. Her memoir, MADE IN CHINA, was published in August 2021.

8-week ONLINE Writing Sprints: A Generative Class (fiction & nonfiction) – begins 9.9.21 – taught by Elizabeth Weiss *FULL*

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This class is FULL. Please fill out an application to be added to the waitlist or to apply for another class.

Begins: September 9, 2021
Instructor: Elizabeth Weiss
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Thursdays 7:30-9:30pm EST)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is not required (but welcome) for this class. Please fill out an application with your contact info. 

Writing Sprints is an exercise-intensive course designed to “unstick” writers struggling to start or continue new projects, boosting writing productivity.  The course relies heavily on writing exercises (for both fiction & nonfiction writers).  Students will produce a ton of new work in this class, and receive feedback on that work from the instructor and his or her classmates. This class is for writers of all levels looking for inspiration and motivation.

This workshop is open to writers working in all genres, and writers at all levels of skill and experience are welcome to join.

Apply Now

Elizabeth Weiss‘s debut novel, The Sisters Sweet, will be published by The Dial Press in November 2021. She earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow. Her nonfiction has been published in The New Yorker online. She has taught for the University of Iowa, the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, and the Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop, and is a mentor for the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop. She lives in Minneapolis with her spouse, daughter, and dog.

8-week Online MFA Application Prep Workshop (open to fiction & nonfiction writers) – begins 9.7.21 – taught by Jensen Beach (*FULL*)

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This class is FULL. Apply for the 8-week Online MFA Application Prep Workshop starting late September.

Instructor: Jensen Beach
Dates: September 7, 2021
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Tuesdays 7:30-9:30pm EST)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is required for this class. Please fill out an application with your contact info and a sample of your writing.

The workshop in intended for writers who are applying to (or considering applying to) MFA graduate programs in creative writing and uses in-class discussion, handouts and instructor advice to help students decide what programs are a good fit. Additionally, the course features plenty of advice on the personal essay, recommendation letters, choosing work for manuscripts, and discussion of the pros and cons of various programs. The stories/essays/excerpts students intend on including in their applications will be workshopped, and feedback from the instructor and class participants will help polish application manuscripts. This course is open to story-writers, novelists and nonfiction writers.

APPLY NOW

Jensen Beach is the author of two story collections, the forthcoming SWALLOWED BY THE COLD (Graywolf), and FOR OUT OF THE HEART PROCEED (Dzanc Books 2012, 2nd Edition; 1st Edition: Dark Sky Books). He holds an MFA in fiction from the Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, as well as an MA and BA in English from Stockholm University. He teaches in the BFA program at Johnson State College, where he also is the fiction editor of Green Mountains Review. He’s also a faculty member in the MFA Program in Writing & Publishing at VCFA. His writing has appeared recently in A Public Space, Cincinnati Review, Fifty-Two Stories, Ninth Letter, Sou’wester, Witness, and The New Yorker, and online at Tin House, N+1, Kenyon Review, and American Short Fiction, among others. He’s received scholarships from the Napa and Sewanee Writers’ conferences, and is one of the webeditors at Hobart. He lives in Vermont.

12-wk VIRTUAL Manuscript Generator I* : a generative class open to novelists, memoirists, and writers working on story and essay collections – begins week of 9.8.21 *FULL*

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This class is FULL. Apply for the 12-week Virtual Manuscript Generator starting 12.1.21.

Begins: September 8, 2021
Instructor: Heather Aimee O’Neill
Location: video meetings every other Wednesday 7-9pm EST
Fee: $875.00

*This section of Manuscript Generator is intended for writers who have not participated in a previous Manuscript Generator class.

This is a virtual class & video meetings are held every other week.

A private conference with the instructor is included.

A writing sample is not required but recommended for this class.

Every other week you will submit up to 5,000 words of your manuscript to the instructor and she will provide you with written feedback. You’ll also have the opportunity to receive feedback from your fellow writers on your project synopsis or outline, scene exercises, and your manuscript’s opening paragraphs. The two-hour bi-weekly meetings will be the chance for you to discuss your projects and engage with writing prompts in shared group writing time. The instructor also offers a 30-minute one-on-one consultation at the end of the course to discuss your manuscript in depth.

The workshop is open to writers who have completed one or more chapters of a novel or memoir, as well as writers working on short story and/or essay collections. Writers participating in this course will learn how to recognize the successful techniques in their writing – what engages the reader, and how that success is achieved. Carefully planned lessons and online discussions will focus on analyzing the many choices (point-of-view, tone, characterizing details, pacing, etc.) a writer must make concerning structure, character and language. This course is intended for writers who have some experience writing and workshopping.

Apply Now

Heather Aimee O’Neill has worked with hundreds of writers in Sackett Street’s popular Manuscript Intensive Workshop (online and in Brooklyn). Her most recent collection of poetry, Obliterations, was co-authored with Jessica Piazza and published by Red Hen Press. A recent Lambda Literary Poetry Fellow, her poetry chapbook, Memory Future, won the University of Southern California’s Gold Line Press Award, chosen by judge Carol Muske-Dukes. She is a freelance writer for publications such as Time Out New York, Parents Magazine and Salon.com

20-wk VIRTUAL Manuscript Generator II*: a generative class open to novelists, memoirists, and writers working on story and essay collections – begins 9.15.21 *FULL*

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This class is FULL. Apply for the 20-week Virtual Manuscript Generator starting 2.2.22

Begins: September 15th, 2021
Instructor: Heather Aimee O’Neill
Location: Meetings via video every other Wednesday 7-9pm EST
Fee: $1450.00

A private conference with the instructor is included.

This is a virtual class & video meetings are held every other week.

*This section of Manuscript Generator is intended for writers who have participated in a previous MG class.

In this generative workshop, students have the opportunity to hand in chapters (up to 5000 words pages) every other week, and receive feedback from the instructor on these pages. The workshop is open to writers who have completed one or more chapters of a novel or memoir, as well as writers working on short story and/or essay collections. Writers participating in this course will learn how to recognize the successful techniques in their writing – what engages the reader, and how that success is achieved. Carefully planned lessons and online discussions will focus on analyzing the many choices (point-of-view, tone, characterizing details, pacing, etc.) a writer must make concerning structure, character and language. This course is intended for writers who have some experience writing and workshopping.

A writing sample is not required but recommended for this class.

Apply Now

Heather Aimee O’Neill has worked with hundreds of writers in Sackett Street’s popular Manuscript Intensive Workshop (online and in Brooklyn). Her most recent collection of poetry, Obliterations, was co-authored with Jessica Piazza and published by Red Hen Press. A recent Lambda Literary Poetry Fellow, her poetry chapbook, Memory Future, won the University of Southern California’s Gold Line Press Award, chosen by judge Carol Muske-Dukes. She is a freelance writer for publications such as Time Out New York, Parents Magazine and Salon.com.

8-week ONLINE Master Fiction Writing – begins 9.13.21 – taught by Monica West *FULL*

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This class is FULL.

Apply for a different Master Fiction workshop–new classes start all the time.

Instructor: Monica West
Dates: Begins September 13, 2021
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Mondays 7:30-9:30pm EST)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is required for this class. Please fill out an application with your contact info and a sample of your writing.

Our Fiction Workshop is aimed at writers with a regular practice, those who have mastered the essentials and are looking for a community of peers ready to offer insightful, impartial feedback on works in progress. Whether you’re a writer looking to polish work for publication, looking for a fresh perspective, looking to climb the next hurdle, or simply missing the motivation and comradery only workshop can offer, our Fiction Workshop is designed to get you writing. Come geek out with your fellow lit nerds and walk away with a renewed sense of purpose.

APPLY NOW

Monica West is the author of the debut novel Revival Season forthcoming from Simon & Schuster in May 2021. She earned a B.A. in English Literature from Duke University, an M.A. in English and American Literature from New York University, and an MFA in Fiction Writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop where she was also a Rona Jaffe Graduate Fellow. She has received a fellowship from Kimbilio Fiction, and she will be a Hedgebrook Writer-in-Residence in Spring 2021. She lives in Oakland, California.

8-week ONLINE Advanced Personal Essay & Memoir Writing – begins 9.15.21 (*FULL*)

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This class is FULL. Please complete an application to be added to the waitlist and/or apply for another class.

Begins: September 15, 2021
Instructor: Michele Filgate
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Wednesdays 7-8pm ET)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is required for this class. Please fill out an application.

Through group discussion of student work, plus that of published authors, writers in this workshop will examine the art and craft of creative nonfiction. The focus will be on learning to understand and use a full range of literary techniques in order to tell a truly compelling nonfiction story. Topics such as the use of dialogue, the creation of scene, attention to style and how to craft structure from true events will be discussed. Participants will also spend time talking about the particular responsibilities that come with writing creative nonfiction.

This workshop is open to writers working on memoir, personal essays or in-depth journalism, and students should have writing and writing class experience.

Apply Now

Michele Filgate is a contributing editor at Literary Hub. Her work has appeared in Longreads, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Refinery29, Slice, The Paris Review Daily, Tin House, Gulf Coast, The Rumpus, Salon, Interview Magazine, Buzzfeed, The Barnes & Noble Review, Poets & Writers, CNN.com, Fine Books & Collections Magazine, DAME Magazine, The Brooklyn Quarterly, Time Out New York, People, The Daily Beast, O, The Oprah Magazine, Men’s Journal, Vulture, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, The Star Tribune, The Quarterly Conversation, The Brooklyn Rail, and other publications. She is the founder of the Red Ink series. In 2016, Brooklyn Magazine named her one of “The 100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture.” Michele is the editor of the anthology What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About published by Simon & Schuster in 2019.

8-week ONLINE Writing Sprints: A Generative Class (open to fiction & nonfiction writers at all levels) – begins 9.15.21 – taught by Marissa Levien *FULL*

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Begins: September 15, 2021
Instructor: Marissa Levien
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Thursdays 7-9pm EST)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is not required (but welcome) for this class. Please fill out an application with your contact info. 

Writing Sprints is an exercise-intensive course designed to “unstick” writers struggling to start or continue new projects, boosting writing productivity.  The course relies heavily on writing exercises (for both fiction & nonfiction writers).  Students will produce a ton of new work in this class, and receive feedback on that work from the instructor and his or her classmates. This class is for writers of all levels looking for inspiration and motivation.

This workshop is open to writers working in all genres, and writers at all levels of skill and experience are welcome to join.

APPLY NOW

Marissa Levien received her MFA from Stony Brook University, where she also helped run the Southampton Writers Conference. Her debut novel The World Gives Way was released by Hachette in 2021, earning praise from The New York Times, Vulture, Literary Hub, Publishers Weekly, and a selection as an IndieNext Pick. Her work has been published in Writer’s Digest, Literary Hub, Publisher’s Weekly, Saint Ann’s Review, and Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. She has previously taught workshops for Stony Brook University, John Jermain Workshops, and Harlem Educational Activities Fund.

8-week Online Fiction Writing I/II – begins 9.21.21 – taught by Marissa Levien *FULL*

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8-week ONLINE Fiction Writing I/II
Begins: September 21, 2021
Instructor: Marissa Levien
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up on Tuesdays 7-9 pm EST)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is not required (but welcome) for this course.

Please fill out an application with name, contact info, and writing/writing class experience.

In this workshop, writers will learn how to manipulate the tools of fiction-writing (point-of-view, plot, characterizing detail, tone, etc.) to craft complete and unique stories that engage the reader. In-class critiques and exercises, as well as lectures and feedback from the instructor, are used to help students further develop their writing. This course is intended for writers with some writing experience who are looking to learn more about what makes a story, “a story.”

Marissa Levien received her MFA from Stony Brook University, where she also helped run the Southampton Writers Conference. Her debut novel The World Gives Way was released by Hachette in 2021, earning praise from The New York Times, Vulture, Literary Hub, Publishers Weekly, and a selection as an IndieNext Pick. Her work has been published in Writer’s Digest, Literary Hub, Publisher’s Weekly, Saint Ann’s Review, and Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. She has previously taught workshops for Stony Brook University, John Jermain Workshops, and Harlem Educational Activities Fund.

8-week ONLINE Personal Essay & Memoir I/II – begins 9.21.21 – taught by Xeni Fragakis *FULL*

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Begins: September 21, 2021
Instructor: Xeni Fragakis
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Tuesdays 7:30-9:30pm EST)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is not required (but welcome) for this class. Please fill out an application with your contact info.

Through group discussion of student work, plus that of published authors, writers in this workshop will examine the art and craft of creative nonfiction. The focus will be on learning to understand and use a full range of literary techniques in order to tell a truly compelling nonfiction story. Topics such as the use of dialogue, the creation of scene, attention to style and how to craft structure from true events will be discussed. Participants will also spend time talking about the particular responsibilities that come with writing creative nonfiction. In-class writing prompts will be used to inspire and motivate students to produce new work.

This workshop is open to writers working on memoir and personal essays, and writers at all levels of skill and experience are welcome to join.

APPLY NOW

Xeni Fragakis received her BA in English from Yale University and her MFA in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Iowa. At Iowa, she was awarded an Iowa Arts Fellowship and taught Creative Nonfiction. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and Salon, and she is a winner of the Moth GrandSLAM Championship.

8-week ONLINE Master Fiction Writing – begins 9.21.21 – taught by Maisy Card *FULL*

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Instructor: Maisy Card
Dates: Begins September 21, 2021
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Tuesdays 7:30-9:30pm EST)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is required for this class. Please fill out an application with your contact info and a sample of your writing.

Our Fiction Workshop is aimed at writers with a regular practice, those who have mastered the essentials and are looking for a community of peers ready to offer insightful, impartial feedback on works in progress. Whether you’re a writer looking to polish work for publication, looking for a fresh perspective, looking to climb the next hurdle, or simply missing the motivation and comradery only workshop can offer, our Fiction Workshop is designed to get you writing. Come geek out with your fellow lit nerds and walk away with a renewed sense of purpose.

APPLY NOW

Maisy Card is the author of the debut novel These Ghosts are Family which was published by Simon & Schuster in March 2020 and has been nominated for the Center for Fiction First Novel Award. Her writing has appeared in Lenny Letter, School Library Journal, Agni, Sycamore Review, Liars’ League NYC, and Ampersand Review. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Maisy was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica, but was raised in Queens, New York. She earned an MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College, an MLIS from Rutgers University and a BA in English and American Studies from Wesleyan University. She currently lives in Newark, NJ where she works as a public librarian.

8-week ONLINE Advanced Personal Essay & Memoir Writing – begins 9.21.21 – taught by Anna Qu *FULL*

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Begins: September 21, 2021
Instructor: Anna Qu
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Tuesdays 6-8pm ET)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is required for this class. Please fill out an application.

Through group discussion of student work, plus that of published authors, writers in this workshop will examine the art and craft of creative nonfiction. The focus will be on learning to understand and use a full range of literary techniques in order to tell a truly compelling nonfiction story. Topics such as the use of dialogue, the creation of scene, attention to style and how to craft structure from true events will be discussed. Participants will also spend time talking about the particular responsibilities that come with writing creative nonfiction.

This workshop is open to writers working on memoir, personal essays or in-depth journalism, and students should have writing and writing class experience.

APPLY NOW

Anna Qu is a Chinese-American writer. Her nonfiction has appeared in The Threepenny Review, Kartika Review, Kweli Journal, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, XOJane, Jezebel, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Anna currently serves as the Nonfiction Editor at Kweli, and formerly worked in the publishing on the agency side. Her memoir, MADE IN CHINA, was published in August 2021.

8-week Online MFA Application Prep Workshop (open to fiction & nonfiction writers) – begins 9.29.21 – taught by Jensen Beach 

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Instructor: Jensen Beach
Dates: September 29, 2021
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Wednesdays 7:30-9:30pm EST)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is required for this class. Please fill out an application with your contact info and a sample of your writing.

The workshop in intended for writers who are applying to (or considering applying to) MFA graduate programs in creative writing and uses in-class discussion, handouts and instructor advice to help students decide what programs are a good fit. Additionally, the course features plenty of advice on the personal essay, recommendation letters, choosing work for manuscripts, and discussion of the pros and cons of various programs. The stories/essays/excerpts students intend on including in their applications will be workshopped, and feedback from the instructor and class participants will help polish application manuscripts. This course is open to story-writers, novelists and nonfiction writers.

APPLY NOW

Jensen Beach is the author of two story collections, the forthcoming SWALLOWED BY THE COLD (Graywolf), and FOR OUT OF THE HEART PROCEED (Dzanc Books 2012, 2nd Edition; 1st Edition: Dark Sky Books). He holds an MFA in fiction from the Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, as well as an MA and BA in English from Stockholm University. He teaches in the BFA program at Johnson State College, where he also is the fiction editor of Green Mountains Review. He’s also a faculty member in the MFA Program in Writing & Publishing at VCFA. His writing has appeared recently in A Public Space, Cincinnati Review, Fifty-Two Stories, Ninth Letter, Sou’wester, Witness, and The New Yorker, and online at Tin House, N+1, Kenyon Review, and American Short Fiction, among others. He’s received scholarships from the Napa and Sewanee Writers’ conferences, and is one of the webeditors at Hobart. He lives in Vermont.

8-week Online Fiction Writing I/II – begins 9.30.21 – taught by Jeanne Thornton

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8-week ONLINE Fiction Writing I/II
Begins: September 30, 2021
Instructor: Jeanne Thornton
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Thursdays 7:30-9:30pm ET)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is not required (but welcome) for this course.

Please fill out an application with name, contact info, and writing/writing class experience.

In this workshop, writers will learn how to manipulate the tools of fiction-writing (point-of-view, plot, characterizing detail, tone, etc.) to craft complete and unique stories that engage the reader. In-class critiques and exercises, as well as lectures and feedback from the instructor, are used to help students further develop their writing. This course is intended for writers with some writing experience who are looking to learn more about what makes a story, “a story.”

Jeanne Thornton is the author of Summer Fun, The Dream of Doctor Bantam (a Lambda Literary Award finalist) and The Black Emerald. She is the copublisher of Instar Books and creator of the web comics The Man Who Hates Fun and Bad Mother. She lives in Brooklyn.

8-week ONLINE Creative Writing I/II: Building an Intentional Community for Writers of Color (open to both fiction & nonfiction writers) – begins 9.30.21 – taught by Khaliah Williams

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Instructor: Khaliah Williams
Dates: Begins September 30, 2021
Location: Online (weekly video meet-up Thursdays 7:30-9:30pm EST)
Fee: $550 (usually $625)

A writing sample is not required (but welcome) for this class. Please fill out an application with your contact info.

Over the course of this workshop, writers will gain skills in fiction and non-fiction writing while engaging in a community of fellow writers of color. During in-class instruction, writers will gain technical skills in character development, language, and style. The combination of an intentional community coupled with thoughtful writing exercises allows participants to immerse themselves in a unique workshop experience.

Through group discussion of student work, plus that of published authors, writers in this workshop will examine the art and craft of both fiction and creative nonfiction. The focus will be on learning to understand and use a full range of literary techniques in order to tell a truly compelling story.

This workshop is open to writers of color working on fiction (short stories and novels) and creative nonfiction (memoir, personal essays or in-depth journalism) and writers of all levels of skill and experience are welcome to join.

APPLY NOW

Khaliah Williams is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her fiction has been published in Hawaii Women’s Journal, Frontier Psychiatrist, and Day One, and her non-fiction at Buzzfeed, American Short Fiction and Book Country. She is a current fellow at the Kimbilio Center for African American Fiction and an Instructor and Advisory Board member of Writers in Baltimore School. Originally from Philadelphia, she lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.  She is at work on a novel and collection of short stories.