Classes will take place on Wednesday evenings from 6:00-9:00pm ET. The schedule can shift occasionally due to holidays and the needs of the class. Any changes will be discussed with the class as a team.
September 10th - December 10th, 2025 (Twelve Weeks)
Class will be on Tuesday night instead of Wednesday night the week of 9/29 (class on 9/30 instead of 10/1) in observance of Yom Kippur. No class on 10/22 (mid-term break) and 11/26 (Thanksgiving eve).
Class meets weekly. Students will:
- Review the theory and basic tenets of the Writing to Heal genre, outlining guidelines and boundaries, steps and goals.
- Review Grub Street’s expectations and policies, and decide, together with the instructor, on specific expectations and guidelines for this particular workshop community.
- Have one individual meeting with the instructor to outline personalized goals and plans for the program.
- Read essays, poems, articles, columns, op-eds and memoir excerpts that demonstrate the transformative power of healing narratives.
- Study craft particularly related to this genre, and do weekly in-class writing prompts with on-the-spot feedback.
- Create and share a self-care list, which we’ll return to throughout each phase.
- Submit two pieces for full-class workshop.
- Write a process journal for every workshop submission.
- Learn revision guidelines and techniques.
January 7th - January 28th, 2026 (Four Weeks)
Class will meet from 6-7PM to kick off phase II on 1/7, and once late in the month for a guest speaker. Otherwise, class does not meet, but students will meet in weekly accountability groups (Zoom).
Weekly group work and two optional full-class check-ins. No class meetings. Students will:
- Spend time on their own either generating new work or revising one or two pieces from Phase I.
- Meet in small assigned accountability groups.
- Check in with instructor over email for encouragement and trouble-shooting.
February 4th - April 29th, 2026 (Twelve Weeks)
No class on 3/18 (mid term break).
Class meets weekly. Students will:
- Workshop new material or revisions from Phase II with the full group.
- If project-appropriate, polish revised pieces to get them ready for submission.
- Learn about the publication process for this genre.
- Have one individual meeting with the instructor to check in on writing goals and progress, and plan next steps.
- Have the opportunity to hear from and talk with guest authors.
- Write and share a final process journal for the entire Writing to Heal journey.
- Potentially participate in a community reading.