Writing in the Dark: THE SCHOOL
Registration for SCHOOL 2024-2024 is now Closed
For updates on other offerings follow WITD on Substack
(Sept 19, Oct 17, Nov 21, Dec 19, Jan 16, Feb 20, March 20, April 17, May 15)
I’ve learned more about writing from you in the past few months than the past 25 years of classes, seminars, workshops, and intensives. ~Vanessa Foster
Writing in the Dark is such a value. You’re basically giving people an MFA in creative writing for practically nothing. ~Sarah Fay, Writers at Work
WRITING IN THE DARK: THE SCHOOL is for writers of all levels who want to work hard with us to accelerate their craft in a focused, dedicated effort with live instruction. It’s a place where we practice attention, curiosity, playfulness, and surprise as a portal to profound revelations and transformations in our writing. Our approach is “inch wide, mile deep,” and we are wildly excited to see what can emerge in this slow-writing program for serious and joyful language-doers.
WITD: THE SCHOOL is for writers eager to invigorate or reinvigorate their creative writing practice over the long haul. We’ll do this by studying acclaimed published work through close reading, identifying and discussing specific elements of craft in those works, and applying those elements in our own work within a cohesive, supportive cohort of writers doing the same. Several writers and editors (whose written or acquired work we’re reading) will visit our class to answer questions, including Sejal Shah, Dinty Moore, Rae Pagliarulo, Athena Dixon, Hyeseung Song, and Evelyn Skye.
This nine-month program meets monthly live on Zoom (all sessions will be recorded) with weekly posts on Substack to continue the discussion, the close reading, and the exercises. We've seen this WITD model work to advance craft much more effectively than traditional workshopping of disparate projects, and we're beyond excited to see what can happen over the entire SCHOOL year. We know from experience that our model leads to lots of well published work, which you can peruse in our big, beautiful, and fast-growing directory of pieces written and published by WITDers, Born in WITD.
But you don’t have to want to publish to enroll in SCHOOL. You just need a real desire to use language in more elastic, creative, alive ways that can spark something genuine and new in yourself and others.
Finally, we expect a robust, large SCHOOL group and a highly engaged dialogue both in the Zooms and in the weekly SCHOOL Substack posts. We will also facilitate a process for SCHOOL writers to form small, topical working groups to focus on shared goals (e.g., groups might be focused on book projects or finishing WITD snippets or reading each other’s works in progress or pursuing publication, etc.).
We’re very excited about these small work groups! Adjacent to but separate from SCHOOL, these groups will work synergistically with our curriculum to amplify the overall writing and learning experience while dramatically deepening the community and the friendships that will inevitably form (we know this for sure; it happens every time we run a synchronous WITD workshop!).
Registration for WITD: THE SCHOOL closes September 12. We want a cohesive cohort with a shared vocabulary that journeys the nine months together from the beginning. Nine month is a long time to learn together, and we look forward to taking things slowly and building something beautiful.
We can’t wait for SCHOOL to start, and we hope to see you there!
And if you are feeling the pull to write with us, but have questions or anxieties about whether this is the right thing at the right time, please reach out to us at writing@writinginthedark.org. We are so happy to help answer whatever we can to help you decide.
what are the bullet point details of WITD: THE SCHOOL?
Monthly Zoom classes September - May (3rd Thursdays each month, 6-8 CT) focused on specific elements of craft, close reading, structured writing exercises, and Q &As with visiting writers and editors. All sessions will be recorded for registered participants.
Visiting writers/editors include Sejal Shah, Dinty Moore, Rae Pagliarulo, Athena Dixon, Hyeseung Song, and Evelyn Skye.
Weekly SCHOOL Substack posts in a designated School-only section on WITD's Substack where we'll continue our close reading of longer works introduced in the Thursday Zoom, respond to additional writing exercises, and engage in close reading of each other's work.
Tuition is $599 non-refundable for the school year (15% early-bird discount through July 31) + a required paid membership to WITD on Substack in order to access the SCHOOL-only designated section and posts.
why do we require a paid membership on Substack for SCHOOL?
Because we need you to have access to the designated SCHOOL section of the Substack, which will be paywalled to keep them safe, secure, and private. So, this is partly logistical, because the program with substantial support on Substack. But it’s also pedagogical, because Writing in the Dark uses a unique learning model and a shared vocabulary based on core concepts we continually explore in the Substack newsletter. If financial hardship is a barrier for you with either the WITD Substack subscription or the SCHOOL tuition, please see our section on Sliding Fee Scale below. We always work to make our offerings as accessible as possible and we appreciate your trust in us..
what do others say about WITD workshops?
Here’s an example: “I want to say THANK YOU! This is the 5th piece written under your workshop umbrella that has either won something, been published, or both. And of course equal due goes to the other writers in these workshops, because the inspiration and energy is totally fueled by the discussions and amazing feedback. And it goes without saying, the community that comes with this stuff is stellar. If anyone wonders why I will shift my entire schedule around to stay in the classes, this is it!”
when & where will the workshop take place?
Writing in the Dark: The School will take place monthly on Zoom, 6-8 PM Central Time, with meetings on the third Thursday of each month, and adjacent material and exercises on Substack to take the work deeper, continue the conversation, and develop your own material during the three weeks between meetings.
what kind of writer should take this course?
Again, this workshop is for writers who really want to study acclaimed published work, identify and learn specific elements of craft in those works, and apply those elements in their own work, and be part of a cohort that is doing the same. I promise you, this workshop will be accessible for beginners, as long as you are truly curious about writing, language, and how we can use words more creatively in order to live more creatively. Writers who want to publish their work will find tremendous value in WITD: THE SCHOOL, which will offer fresh challenges and inspiration for seasoned writers. But again, all levels will be able to participate fully and move forward from wherever they start. WITD methods create creatively vibrant, diverse, and safe spaces to experiment and learn in a robust and eclectic group. All genres are also welcome, though our readings will be mostly prose (CNF and fiction, with possibly some poems as examples of specific techniques). Like all WITD workshops, SCHOOL will be highly participatory, generative, collaborative & inventive. You will be invited to (distracted into) leaving your burdens momentarily in order to engage with writing exercises that capture your imagination and take you to new places in your writing. You will also have the opportunity to harness, practice, and deepen a specific skillset in your writing, which can serve you long into the future.
what is the time commitment?
Writers should plan to spend 2-3 hours a week on SCHOOL, with the disclaimer that we all have up weeks and down weeks. Sick weeks. Travel weeks, etc. There are no deadlines, and no required assignments in this entirely voluntary program. The monthly Zooms are of course scheduled and synchronous, and some small working groups might elect to have certain agreements around meetings, etc., but most of the program is delivered in the weekly designated Substack section, and is therefore entirely asynchronous and available for you to focus on as you are able, along the schedule that fits best into your week and existing obligations. For example, we have lots of participants from Europe who will inevitably be on different schedules than our California contingent, and it will all be fine!
Of course, as with anything in life, you will tend to get out of SCHOOL what you put in, so participants who are able or willing to spend time working on the close readings and the exercises and getting to know others in the comments will have a different and possibly richer experience than those who work spend less time overall.
wait, what’s this about the comments? what if I don’t want to interact with people in the comments?
Totally understandable. Many or most writers are introverts, and might not easily envision themselves getting all chatty in the comments sections during SCHOOL. We get that! Billie and I are both introverts, too. Some people have even asked if they can just skip the whole idea of interacting in the comments. And the answer is, yes. You can do SCHOOL your way. That said, the way we interact in the comments might, for some of you at least, come as a pleasant surprise. The discussions we have around the craft of writing are intricate, valuable, and often beautiful—and it’s an opportunity to test your ideas and get some supportive and insightful response from a community of very engaged readers. That said, it’s totally optional. SCHOOL can be treated like an independent study program if that works best for you. We appreciate and value all members, regardless of how much the are able or desiring to participate in the interactive elements of the program.
what if I’m afraid?
Most of us are. It has something to do with being human in the modern age. I’m actually afraid, too. But I also trust that this intersection of fear and excitement is where the new things come from, and where we become most capable of making my best art and my best life, where we are most capable of becoming our truest selves.
what will we actually do during the workshop?
During our monthly live Zooms, we will engage in incredible close readings of acclaimed literary work (essays, short stories, book chapters, and less often, poems). At least half of our meetings will include a visit from a visiting writer, usually the writer whose work we are close reading, and that writer can answer our questions about their work, their writing process, and our close reading of the work. The monthly format over nine months will allow us to read longer works and go much deeper in our close reading than we have been able to do in the seasonal intensives on Substack.
what will weekly SCHOOL posts on substack offer?
Our designated SCHOOL section on Substack will take the depth of our work even further, and allow us to close read much longer works—and discover much more about those works—than would be possible otherwise. The weekly posts will include, in addition to the extended close reading, structured writing exercises and guiding questions as we work together, share pieces of our work in response to the exercises, and amplify our collective and individual understanding of the craft of writing exemplified in the works we’re studying.
will I get feedback on my work?
If you mean, will Jeannine or the visiting writers offer written critique of your manuscript in a traditional sense, no—but if you’ve been here awhile, you know there’s much more to feedback than what we’ve been taught in the traditional sense. Our weekly posts will be rich with interactive collaboration between members of our community, and me. Together, we will identify what’s working best in published work and our own work, as well as the most useful questions to help each other push the work forward. I have never seen any other method work better to help writers become more empowered to discern what is and is not working best on their own pages. Additionally, we will close read the work of some students who volunteer for that role during the course of the program.
what are the requirements?
An open mind and heart. A willingness to show up and experiment together. A deep curiosity about language, its power and elasticity. A tolerance for new ideas. An interest in reading and discussion. A commitment to putting some words on the page. A wish to create. Writing in the Dark does not discriminate against anyone, regardless of age, color of skin, national origin, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender expression and identity, sexual orientation, or anything else. We expect the same from our all of our participants.
who is the teacher?
This course is led by Jeannine Ouellette (The Part That Burns, Split/Lip Press, 2021). Jeannine is a multi-genre with published work across fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and journalism, and is the author of several books in addition to TPTB, including the children’s picture book Mama Moon and several educational titles. She holds an MFA in fiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She teaches writing and narrative health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, mentors through the Association of Writers & Writing Program's Writer-to-Writer Program, and teaches creative writing through the Minnesota Prison Writers Workshop. She is the founder/director of the Writing in the Dark creative writing program and the author of the bestselling Writing in the Dark newsletter on Substack. Jeannine’s essays and fiction have won many awards and have appeared widely in magazines and literary journals. You can read her full bio here. Additional support will be provided by of Trust Fall and several visiting writers and editors (Sejal Shah, Dinty Moore, Rae Pagliarulo, Athena Dixon, and Evelyn Skye).
what is the cost?
Tuition for the full 9-month program of Writing in the Dark: THE SCHOOL is $599 non-refundable (15% early bird discount through July 31)
is there a sliding fee scale?
Yes. The first Writing in the Dark workshop was born in the pandemic and our signature no-questions-asked sliding scale is still in place. We don’t want anyone to be excluded from this workshop for financial reasons. The sliding-fee scale can also be used to request a comped subscription to WITD.
how does the sliding fee scale work?
Please read these policies carefully: the WITD sliding scale is honor system, and we do ask that you be honorable. If you can afford to pay full tuition, please do. The scale is not to be used to discount the tuition for convenience or preference or to reflect what you think the workshop should cost or to reflect what you would rather pay. It is for hardship only.
Tuition for WITD workshops supports the entire WITD endeavor and makes everything possible—including paying teaching artists, support staff, and this scholarship system for others in significant financial distress. So, again: if you are able to pay full tuition, you do so. And if you disagree with our pricing or our “Robinhood” tuition model, we understand, but this is probably not the right workshop for you. There are many workshops to choose from.
With this in mind, if you genuinely cannot pay full tuition without actual hardship and/or afford a WITD subscription, please send an email clearly stating your request, including what you can afford pay (no personal financial details or documentation is needed, please). We will not know until mid-August how many sliding-scale scholarships are available, because it will depend on total enrollment, so please allow us several weeks to respond to your request. We will do our best to accommodate as many requests as possible, but we may not be able to accommodate all.
Finally, since Writing in the Dark grows by word of mouth, you can always pay it forward by letting others know about the workshop and the Substack newsletter! We appreciate it a lot.
what else do people say about writing in the dark workshops?
People say amazing things about Writing in the Dark. They say it is “a lifeline,” “life changing,” “just what was needed,” and “amazing.” So many writers say they are finally writing again after months or years of being stuck. One writer said the workshop has been “devastating in all the best ways.” Another wrote to say, “This class teaches you how to dig deep and activate your voice. How to write about things that matter to you, and in turn to your readers.” And many, many writers have published work generated during Writing in the Dark. You can see some of their clips here, in our big, beautiful Born in WITD directory,
how do I apply?
There is no application for Writing in the Dark: THE SCHOOL. All levels are welcome. All you need to do is complete payment and registration.