Classes

Learn from the best.

Our classes are taught by some of the world's most prolific, impressive and kind-hearted authors. You can't go wrong taking one of our classes whether you're fine-tuning your craft or just getting started.

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The Writers' Table

Tuesday, January 9, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (EST)/8 to 9:30 a.m. (PT) for 8 weeks. This class is for fiction writers. Lead by Zibby Mag Editor and Online Community Host and writing instructor Darcey Gohring, this collaborative writing workshop will offer more experienced writers a chance to share and gain feedback on their current work. Each week, writers will gather around “the writers’ table” to get inspired, share their current work, and stay motivated. This class is recommended for those who have taken beginning writing classes and have work(s) already in progress.

 

This class is recommended for those who have taken beginning writing classes and have work(s) already in progress.

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The Writers' Table

Writing Personal Essays & Memoir

Starts Monday, January 29 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. EST/4 to 5:30 p.m. PT for 3 weeks. Explore how to write your personal narrative in a way that moves and connects with readers with Zibby Mag Online Community Host Darcey Gohring. Each week, students will learn the fundamentals of how to enrich their writing in a workshop seminar setting. Together, students will examine selected excerpts of narrative writing techniques from books, memoirs, and personal essays to help understand structure, voice, and ways to keep the reader engaged. In a safe, collaborative space, writers will be encouraged to share excerpts from their current work and receive constructive feedback.
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Writing Personal Essays & Memoir

Pitching to Get Published

February 4, 2024 from 2 to 4 p.m. (EST)/11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (PT). You’ve got a brilliant idea for an essay or article that you’re sure should be gracing the pages of Vogue or the New York Times. That’s the easy part. Catching a busy editor’s eye can be a lot tougher. Enter the perfect pitch: the first step to seeing your words out there in the world where they belong. This class will provide a hands-on, practical guide to writing pitches that grab an editor's attention and lead to publication.

Topics will include:

• A step-by-step guide and template for writing a pitch that editors will notice.
• Details on how to find outlets and individual editors to send your pitch to.
• Guidance on the process of pitching and getting published, with tips on how to stay organized and focused.

Our session will also include an opportunity to work on a pitch together with live feedback from your peers and the instructor.

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Pitching to Get Published

Personal Autobiography: Should You Try? And Why?

January 31, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m. (EST)/3 to 5 p.m. (PT). We write because we have stories to tell. And some of those stories are about us. Arguably, even fiction writers dig deep into their own experiences for their plots—although they change the details. But what if the details are true-to-life? How can you be comfortable writing a memoir or a personal essay if you are essentially a private person? Or if the story involves someone else? Or if it might make people angry? How can you know if your topic is “important” enough to be relevant to others? All of these questions pertain, but they all have answers that can speed you on your way to effective autobiographical prose. You may be writing to grapple with your own experience, but readers also say that this kind of writing has enormous power in helping them validate their own life challenges. For this two-hour seminar, bring a topic you long to write about but feel might be too risky, and bring all your questions, from creation to publication. Your instructor, Jacquelyn Mitchard, has written personal autobiography for many magazines and anthologies, including Glamour, Newsweek, The New York Times, O The Oprah Winfrey Magazine, and more. She will guide writers on striking that happy balance between cursory and cringeworthy.
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Personal Autobiography: Should You Try? And Why?

Emotional Survival Strategies When Writing About Tough Stuff

Wednesday January 14, 2024 from 2 to 4 p.m. (EST)/11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (PT). Writing memoir often means delving into our most painful and complicated memories, which can take a toll on us mentally, emotionally, and physically. This class is about developing a practice of caring for yourself as you craft deeply personal work. We will talk about prompts, exercises, and reading materials to help you figure out what helps you best.
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Emotional Survival Strategies When Writing About Tough Stuff

Writing Your Non-Fiction Book Proposal

Monday, February 5 and Monday, February 12, 2024 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. (EST)/3:30 to 5 p.m. (PT). Why is it that incredibly talented writers struggle to create a compelling book proposal? How does a new writer stand out in a seemingly-saturated market? What are the key details that storytellers miss in their sales pitch? In this two-part class, Jillian Abby will share her proven book proposal outline, strategies to stand out in the virtual stack of submissions, and the top things that writers miss in selling their story. Participants will then return the following week for a real-time working session to ask questions and get feedback on their hook, market analysis, and more.
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Writing Your Non-Fiction Book Proposal

How to Write and Sell a Personal Essay

IN-PERSON EVENT AT ZIBBY'S BOOKSHOP - Wednesday, January 17, 2024 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (PT).  Do you have a personal story you could summarize in one sentence about overcoming a challenge, learning a valuable lesson, or surviving an embarrassing situation? Is there something about your family, your relationship, or a friendship that is uniquely challenging for you? Is there a story you’ve never told because you’re embarrassed, or worried it makes you look bad? Is there something you’re going through right now that you wish others had written about because you could use the guidance? These are the kinds of stories you'll discuss in comedy writer Cindy Chupack's two-hour workshop designed to help you find and craft a personal essay that you can submit to a newspaper, magazine, or website. We’ll talk about what makes a great essay, how to decide where to submit it, and where to find submission guidelines. There is nothing like a piece written in your own voice to help you find your voice as a writer, and Cindy Chupack believes (and is proof!) that a personal essay can be the spark that ignites your memoir, novel, one-person show, screenplay, or TV career.
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How to Write and Sell a Personal Essay

More Than ME-moir: Finding the Universal in the Personal

IN-PERSON EVENT AT ZIBBY MEDIA OFFICE - Sunday, January 21, 2024 from 1 to 3 p.m. (EST).  Everyone has a story, but how do we know if it is "enough?" How do we build past a journal entry and into the realm of essay or chapter? In the best memoir, says Vivian Gornick, "what happened to the writer is not what matters; what matters is the larger sense that the writer is able to make of what happened." Through short readings, generative exercises, and observation, we'll work together to stretch toward the universal by illuminating the particular. 
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More Than ME-moir: Finding the Universal in the Personal

First Lines: How to Hook the Reader In

Wednesday, January 24, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m. (EST)/3 to 5 p.m. (PT). How do you create an create an opening that convinces the reader your story is worth reading? The first few lines of any story have a big job to do. How can we make them memorable? Join instructor Darcey Gohring for this two-hour interactive class. Through selected excerpts from books, memoirs, and personal essays students will gain an understanding of what makes a great hook. A series of writing exercises will help students learn surefire techniques to engage the reader from the start. 
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First Lines: How to Hook the Reader In

The Art of Spilling Your Guts

IN-PERSON EVENT AT ZIBBY MEDIA OFFICE - Thursday, January 11, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m. (EST).  From the writer and editor of New York Magazine's juiciest columns about love and sex, students will learn the art of revealing your secrets, confessions and true selves without regret or repercussions. Alyssa will talk about knowing your own boundaries and the boundaries of the people you're writing about; how to write about your lovers, your exes, and your children in a way that is authentic yet respectful; the dance between raw honesty and not blowing your life up!
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The Art of Spilling Your Guts
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Want to Teach?

Pitches welcome.

We're always open to author pitches for classes. Send your pitch to Darcey Goehring (pictured left!).

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