Have you browsed our Winter Session classes yet? From January through March, Porch classes will explore everything from romance, travel, and food writing to the magic of writing by hand, list-based writing, personal essay, writing motherhood, and so much more. Our classes and workshops cover craft basics and give you space to develop a project with expert guidance, while offering many opportunities to play, stretch, and engage your curiosity. And as always when we launch a new class session, we’re offering you 10% off all classes if you plan ahead. Just use code EARLYBIRD at checkout through Nov. 6. 

I asked our team to tell me one class they’d love to take and one class they’d love to gift to a friend (because ahem, the holidays are nigh). Just one? they cried. But they played along. Here, their picks:

Yurina Yoshikawa, Director of Education: For myself, "Jacked In: How to Use Plot Devices from THE MATRIX in Science Fiction" with Silk Jazmyne, since I love The Matrix and am curious about sci-fi writing. "How to Write a Love Poem" with Ryan Varadi as a gift for my husband, just to see what he might come up with!

Bonnie St. Martin, Director of Development: For me, “Poetics of Spring” with Melissa Jean, because I love the duality of writing as a creative expression and the opportunity to be more present. And for a gift, “From One Minute to One-Act: An Exploration of the Spectrum of Short Plays” with Sam Heyman, for my multi-talented artist friend Sarah Aili, who is currently exploring playwriting and directing.

Katie McDougall, Codirector: “Writing the Natural Setting” with Dr. Ernie Reynolds, because writing for sense of place is both an enduring obsession and challenge for me—how we write is how we see, so how can we see/write better? And as an avid journalerI I often hear friends say they hanker to journal but don’t know how to create a practice of it; for all those journaling aspirants, I’d recommend “Cultivating a Journaling Practice” with Latonya Moore.

Susannah Felts, Codirector: I’d love to take “The Novella” with Leah Niehboer, because I’ve read very few, save for Claire Keegan’s gorgeous work, and am curious about the potential of that form (which seems a bit more in vogue these days?). And I’d gift “Salute Your Shorts!,” a flash fiction class with Heather Hasselle, to my friend Wesley Gallagher, who finds the idea of writing super-short intimidating, but I promised her it’s great practice for all writing. 

Joe Kane, Director of Youth Programming: I’m excited to take “Poetic Sequences” taught by Pauletta Hansel. Pauletta is great at writing collections of poems that build on a central theme, and I want to try more of that in my writing. I’m recommending “The Art of Vulnerability in the Personal Essay” with Fred Arroyo to my mom. She has been writing beautiful stories about growing up on a farm in rural Michigan, and I hope she will embrace her power to make readers cry.

Nina Adel, Director of Immigrants Write: I'm hoping to take the class “Decolonize Your Practice” with Mathangi Subramanian. This has always been a concern of mine - a lifelong concern that I was raised to consider - but as the director of the Immigrants Write workshop, I also consider it my responsibility to stay current and hear new ideas on this essential topic. Maybe we should all take it!  I'm recommending the class “Writing in the Now: Mindful Creative Writing,” taught by Melissa Jean, to my friend DW. They've been trying to write more and develop confidence in that pursuit, while simultaneously seeking a place to explore and resolve some stressful life matters. This seems like precisely the right gift for them! 

Halley Corapi, Programs and Marketing Manager: For myself, I'd love to take “Main Character Magic” with Gabby Rivera, because I usually write rambling ensemble character pieces in my fiction and would love to try my hand at a legitimate full-fledged definitive protagonist!

I'd gift “The Uncanny: Writing Horror that Truly Disturbs” with Wesley Kocurek to my sister and any of my horror-fan friends (there are many), because they appreciate both consuming and creating work that already draws on the dark, mysterious, and at least slightly perturbing, and Wesley's class will be perfect for those who have already started writing on these themes and elements and who want to explore the horror narrative further. And to literally anyone I would gift “The Peculiar Magic of Writing Longhand” with Tamara Scott, because in this highly automated age I think any writer would benefit from some time reconnecting with the unique magic of directly putting pen to paper.

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