Neighborhood Classes
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Update:
There have been changes made to the WDTS class schedule. Please read class information carefully and note cancellations and updates.
Han sido cambios en el horario de clases de wdts/autores a la vuelta. Por favor lea los detalles de cada clase con cuidado y note cancelaciones y noticias.
More general updates and information can be found on our COVID-19 Updates Page.
If you would like to opt-in to receive weekly writing prompts and writing exercises (via email or snail mail, your choice!), please fill out this form.
Write Down the Street
Write Down the Street has a special focus on making the creative writing workshop more accessible to those who face challenges due to cost, language skills, lack of access to transportation, and other barriers. We believe that all voices must be spotlighted with the range and fullness they deserve.
These programs are in partnership with Boston Public Library and offered tuition-free thanks to the support of generous donors who are committed to our mission of ensuring all voices are heard. This program is also supported in part by the Mass Cultural Council.
Click on the links below to sign up for a class.
Types of Classes
Want to get into creative writing, but not sure where to begin? Get inspired with a FREE session at your local library. There are three types of programs offered so far. All classes welcome new and practicing writers!
Drop-in Classes: For about one hour, you’ll meet fellow writers, and learn to tell your story through fun directed exercises in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and sometimes other genres or forms.
Multi-week Classes: These 2-hour classes meet weekly for three to six weeks. These regular meetings allow for more time to share work and give and receive light feedback. Students read and discuss excerpts of works written by new and established authors, and try writing exercises that deepen and expand their own writing.
Ask a Writer: Office Hours – These are open to anyone who wants to ask an instructor a question about a writing project, resources, opportunities, upcoming classes, and tips. Just come to the library and sign up for a 20-minute max time block. Unfortunately, advance reservations are not possible. Office hours time blocks are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Grove Hall Branch of the Boston Public Library
Drop-Ins:
Friday, January 20th- Write Your History: 1-Hour Story or Poem w/ Mike Zendejas (Online!)
Friday, January 27th- World-building Through Emoting w/ Lysz Flo (Online!)
Monday, March 27th- Writing the Family Odyssey w/ Maria Pinto (In-person!)
Wednesday, April 12th- Revealing Your Story Piece by Piece (Bilingual) w/ Paloma Valenzuela (Online!)
Tuesday, May 2nd- What We Don’t Say: Writing Great Dialogue w/ Paloma Valenzuela (Online)
Multi-Week:
3 Wednesdays starting May 3rd-Taking Up Space Multilingually 2.0 (Bilingual) w/ Lysz Flo (Online!)
Egleston Square Branch of the Boston Public Library
Drop-Ins:
Monday, February 13th- Writing and Activism: 1-Hour Story or Poem w/ Mike Zendejas (Online!)
Wednesday, April 12th- Sanando El Trauma Generacional Con La Escritura w/ Lysz Flo (Online!)
Saturday, May 13th- Memory Work: How Memory Makes Character w/ Peter Medeiros (In-person!)
Multi-Week:
6 Thursdays starting March 2nd- Introduction to Screenwriting (Bilingual) w/ Paloma Valenzuela (Online!)
Ask a Writer: Office Hours
Monday, February 6th- Ask A Writer Office Hours w/ Gabriele Preston (In- Person at Grove Hall!)
Monday, February 27th- How to Apply to GrubStreet’s Emerging Writer Fellowship and Other Fellowships, Residencies, and Contests w/ Maria Pinto (Online!)
These are open to anyone who wants to ask an instructor a question about a writing project, resources, opportunities, upcoming classes, and tips. Just come to the library and sign up for a 20-minute max time block. Office hours time blocks are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Instructors are now offering virtual office hours on the following days:
Neighborhood Memoir Projects:
GrubStreet is partnering with the Boston Public Library to offer multi-week workshops as part of a series dedicated to recording Boston's collective memory.
4 Thursdays starting September 29th- WDtS/ Boston Public Library Workshop: East Boston Memoir Project w/ Angie Chatman and Theresa Okokon (In-Person!)
Applying to GrubStreet's Emerging Writer Fellowship: Info Sessions
Applying to fellowships, contests, scholarships and other creative writing opportunities can be intimidating, especially the first time around. Come join us for a question-and-answer session that clarifies the application process for GrubStreet’s Emerging Writer Fellowship as well as many other opportunities. Once you understand the basic elements of an application, you’ll have the building blocks to tackle most applications in the future.
Meet the Instructors
Maria Pinto's writing has appeared in Frigg, Necessary Fiction, Word Riot, and Dostoyevsky Wannabe Cities: Boston, among other publications. You can read, listen, or watch about her love of mushrooms and foraging in Bust, PBS's Poetry in America (forthcoming), or on Boston's NPR station, WBUR. She has been awarded fellowships by the Writers' Room of Boston, The Mastheads, Garrett on the Green, and Vermont Studio Center. She edits fiction for Peripheries Journal.
