SF Creative Writing Institute

Q: Do the students have to stay inside and be quiet the whole day long? A: No! We have a quiet space and a talking space. Because students have different learning styles and respond differently to different environments, we go outside, look at nature, work in quiet spaces, talk our ideas out, and even write to music. We have a quiet space and a talking space. We all have different learning styles that are activated when we go outside, look at nature, work in quiet spaces, talk our ideas out...

As an artist, I look back at my own teen years and I think, “Thank God, that’s over!” But I forget that the most important foundation of who I am now as a writer came to me when I was a teen in the form of a creative writing workshop. These classes helped me with my self-esteem, kill boredom, and they even helped me break the barrier in academics, I was able to use my passion for writing, to turn my grades around and get into a competitive UC. Who knew?! A lot of new writers feel insecure...

Dear Writers, Check out our upcoming classes. Let them spark the inner writer in you! Wishing you creative flow and synergy this weekend. ✨ Always keep writing! July 19 | Advanced Prose starts tomorrow - Saturdays at 10am with Alexandra Kostoulas $450.00 Advanced Prose Workshop: The Art and Craft of Storytelling Use the nine elements of universal storytelling to write compelling new work or revise your manuscript with us! This... Read more Sign Up July 22 | Writing the Personal Essay &...

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...