SF Creative Writing Institute

Dear Writers, There are so many things beyond our control as people. But there are things we can control, like, how we react to what is going on around us. Or even if we react to what is going on around us. I think - in the darkest of times, there has always been some small moment of peace within, where an artist or writer is coming up with something to say about what is happening. Cultivate that inner space yourself, dear writer, in whatever small way you can. That’s the place where...

Dear Writers, There are so many things beyond our control as people. But there are things we can control, like, how we react to what is going on around us. Or even if we react to what is going on around us. I think - in the darkest of times, there has always been some small moment of peace within, where an artist or writer is coming up with something to say about what is happening. Cultivate that inner space yourself, dear writer, in whatever small way you can. That’s the place where...

Dear Writers, If you're finding it harder to find words to describe the world around you these days, you are not alone. The world is changing at a rapid clip. It makes it hard for storytellers, poets and everyone else. However, when we come together, we validate each other's experience and make sense of the narrative. We encourage each other to find a narrative thread. Today was multicultural day at my daughter's pre-school and everyone shared a piece of their culture. The Principal is from...

Dear Writers, When do we get to have our Roaring 20s? I keep waiting but the times keep changing in strange and unpredictable ways. Just when you think you have a handle on what the narrative thread is to write into, the story shifts. And let’s not forget, we are being told by tech elites in subtle ways every single day that AI will replace us, while they are using our work to train AI for free. Bait and switch? Yes. We are in the era of corporate and political gaslighting, and like frogs in...

Dear Writers, This will sound odd, but here’s an interesting fact: it is difficult to find the right writing class. There are many classes on exploring the idea of story, but relatively few instructional classes on creative writing. Compare this to, say, classes on drawing and painting. In those classes, you practice techniques, and learn how to accurately depict subjects by practicing the fundamental elements of line and value, shade and color, texture, form, and space. Even if you don’t...

March Creative Writing Three Free Workshops + One Paid one March + April 2025 Dear Writers, Happy March! I hope you are staying creative amid all the chaos out there. I'm writing to let you know about free creative writing classes we are offering as part of our City Stories Workshop - and a new partnership with University of San Francisco's MFA Program in Creative Writing this March. All three workshops will be taught by USF MFA graduate students in Creative Writing. These students are also...

Join us tomorrow! Sign Up Dear Bay Area Writers, Join us tomorrow afternoon for our February Drop-In Writing Workshop at Harvey Milk Center for the Arts at 50 Scott Street with the esteemed poet and beloved Teacher Paul Corman-Roberts. He'll have writing prompts, camaraderie and support. Just $40 for the workshop. Each instructor brings their own unique perspective to the drop-in workshop. About Paul Corman-Roberts Paul Corman-Roberts has coached many poets to publication, from chapbooks to...

Dear Writers, I don't know about you, but it felt like this past January was the longest month of my life. I got the flu and recovered. Took 2-3 weeks to get better, and while in my sick bed, I watched LA burn, got TikTok taken away, then got it back, watched the inauguration and now through my phone and TV, I am witnessing all the changes taking place in our government. It's hard not to doom scroll. As a creative writer and person, I'm trained to notice detail, and being sensitive is a gift...

Drop-In Writing Workshop #2 Creative Writing Workshop tomorrow at 2pm - 50 Scott St. San Francisco Tuition: $40 Sign Up Dear Writers, Join us tomorrow for our second and final drop-in workshop this month. We're going to try to offer two drop-in's per month. They're a great non-committal way to show up with a journal and write to prompts in community. We share work aloud and everyone leaves with that fresh "having written" feeling. Each instructor brings their own unique perspective to the...

SF Creative Writing Institute Peptalks Editing Workshops Events Happy New Year, writer! Dear Writers, I've been recovering from an intense 2024 but I would like to pop up and wish you all a beautiful, successful and inspiring year ahead. Keep writing in 2025! Write in your journal, on a napkin, on the computer, in a cafe, in your home, at the kitchen table, on the beach, in the library. Keep working on your memoir, your screenplay, your poems, your novel. I will too! If you haven't been...