Opportunities for Writers Abound

Would you like to have some guidance and companionship on your writing journey? Not only will professional guidance improve your writing skills, if you attend a class in a writing center or online, you’ll benefit from receiving feedback from other writers. Whatever your genre, you will learn about techniques that writers use to enhance the impact of their words, structure their stories, develop the voice of the author, and much more.

I immersed myself in two weeklong summer sessions at the Juniper Institute, the Masters in Fine Arts program in Creative Writing at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts. I studied poetry with Mark Doty and memoir with Paul Lisicky. Through these intensive programs I learned as much in one week as I might have learned in a semester course. I highly recommend the Juniper Institute.

Of course, taking a weeklong course may not be feasible so writing workshops are another valuable way to improve your craft. I’ve compiled links to some excellent places to find writing courses in your area. If you live in the Boston area, I have a few specific ideas, too.

Grub Street, Boston, MA

https://grubstreet.org/findaclass/#/results

If you’re interested in starting your memoir, Grub Street offers this workshop:

https://grubstreet.org/findaclass/class/memoir-in-progress-craft/

Kripalu, Stockbridge, MA

If you’re interested in learning about bringing more creativity into your life, Kripalu offers this workshop:

https://kripalu.org/presenters-programs/artist-s-way-basic-tools

An excellent central source for extensive information about MFA programs, conferences, workshops, writing competitions and more throughout the U.S. is Poets & Writers. Subscribing to the Poets & Writers magazine is an excellent idea, too.

Lastly, I’d suggest researching your local community college about their writing course offerings and asking your local librarian for information about writing courses in your area. Frequently, instructors teach weekly classes at libraries.

Opportunities for poets and writers abound!