Class Description
About the GrubStreet Writing to Heal Immersive:
This program is designed to give nonfiction students a deep dive into how the writing process can serve as a healing tool for adversity. Students will work on their own healing narratives in a supportive workshop environment and analyze poems, essays, articles and book excerpts that demonstrate the transformative power of personal narrative. This class is the longform, most in-depth version of GrubStreet’s Writing to Heal classes. It includes additional revision periods, private writing periods, small group meetings, individual conferences with the instructor, and opportunities to meet writers in the field.
Program Overview and Goals
Elie Wiesel said, “When you listen to a witness, you become a witness.” In this immersive program, we’ll explore what it means to bear witness to suffering—our own and others’—and examine how written accounts shift our understanding of the human condition from “I” to “We”. Using Louise DeSalvo’s Writing as a Way of Healing as our theoretical base, students will take a deep dive into the Writing to Heal process, looking at published works to explore advanced craft techniques specific to this genre.
This cumulative program is Grub Street’s most in-depth version of Writing to Heal, with additional revision periods, private writing periods, small group meetings, individual conferences with the instructor, and opportunities to meet writers in the field. Each student will create a personalized plan with goals for the course. Students will generate a lot of material; they’ll workshop, receive feedback, and spend significant time on revision; they’ll learn about the publication process for this genre; and, if appropriate for their project, they’ll finish with at least one piece ready for publication and a list of places to submit. They will also have the opportunity to participate in a community reading.
The program is open to students who have completed Introduction to Writing to Heal or Writing to Heal I, and/or those with workshop experience who are eager and ready to engage in this type of work with a continuous supportive group. Writing to Heal is not therapy—it is a craft-based writing program that focuses on the way an experience is expressed in writing, not the experience itself—but it provides students the tools to use writing in a therapeutic manner, and a safe space to do so. Students may start or continue a long-form project, revise previous submissions, or workshop new writing. The program will set students up to continue in non-fiction Generator or Incubator programs.
Key Dates and Information
Location:
- The 2025-2026 Writing to Heal Immersive will take place on Zoom. Writers everywhere are encouraged to apply.
Application Info:
- Application Opens: Monday, April 14, 2025
- Submission Deadline: Monday, June 16, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
- Decision Notifications: The week of July 14, 2025
Program Dates:
- Program Duration: September 2025 - May 2026
- Class Time: Wednesdays, 6:00-9:00pm EST
- First Day of Class: Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Free Information Sessions:
Financial Info:
- Tuition Total: $2,525
- Scholarship Info: Available in the amount of 25% to 75% off the total tuition cost. The optional and brief application is attached at the end of the standard program application for your convenience.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.