A Four Week Workshop on the Art & Craft of Writing Personal Essays

Explore the Craft of Writing Personal Essays, Get Extensive Feedback on Your Writing, and Personal Help Getting Published

You are invited to participate in a month-long workshop on the art and craft of writing the personal essay.

This course is about exploring the power of storytelling, so you can write personal essays with meaning, impact, and purpose.

During this course, you will study the craft of writing the personal essay, study examples of contemporary essays, get personal feedback on your writing, and personal help finding the right publisher for your work.

During this course, you will:

  • Mine your memories and learn how to turn them into vivid moments that live and breathe on the page.
  • Study contemporary essays, so you can learn from powerful examples, while also learning tools and techniques for developing your craft
  • Learn how to choose the right structure for your story
  • Learn how to revise your story for voice, depth, and structure so you can write a polished essay, ready for publication
  • Get in-depth guidance on the publication process, including personal recommendations for publishers who may be a good fit for your writing

The course is taught by writing teacher, editor, and author Laura Yan.  Laura’s writing and essays have appeared widely in major publications, including Wired, Vogue, Buzzfeed Reader, GQ, The Cut, and The Verge, among many other places. 

This is a feedback centered course. During each week of the course, you’ll get personal, written feedback from Laura Yan. This includes feedback on the story development process, and feedback on an essay up to 5,000 words. You will also get personal feedback on a submission packet, as well as help preparing a submission packet, and recommendations for publications that may be a good fit for your writing.

The course starts on Monday, January 22nd and ends on Friday, February 16th, 2024. For those who need extra time, students will have a full six months to submit work for feedback. You will also be welcome to attend office hours after the course is officially over.

Because of the extensive personal feedback in this course, enrollment is strictly limited to 22 students. Once the course is filled, we will immediately close enrollment.

If you are planning on joining this course, I urge you to enroll right away.

Enroll Now for $597 $497 (Early Bird Tuition)

Course Overview

Author and instructor Laura Yan is leading a four-week workshop on the art and craft of the personal essay. Explore the art of the personal essay, get extensive feedback on your writing, and learn the process of finding publication -- all with support from a successful writer and instructor.

  • Four weeks of in-depth lessons on the art and craft of writing personal essays.

  • Four rounds of personal feedback on various aspects of your work.

  • Personal guidance on the process of finding publication.

  • Access to live office hours with all of our instructors, even after the course has finished.

  • Full access to our private community of writers, so you can network with your fellow students.

About Laura Yan

Laura Yan is a writer, editor, and instructor. Laura's writing has been published in many publications, including Wired, Vogue, GQ, NYMag.com, The Verge, Longreads, Digg, Pacific Standard, Southwest: The Magazine, Victory Journal, Catapult, The Awl, The Outline, Jezebel, Thrillist.

Laura has an MFA from the University of British Columbia, and BA from NYU, and teaches writing at City College of New York.

What Laura's Students Have to Say

“Laura Yan is a whip-smart writer who knows how to take a burning idea, put it through its paces, and emerge with a story that editors can't resist. Not only is she generous in sharing insider tips on writing and publication, she's fun to be around. ”

Deborah Campbell award-winning author of A DISAPPEARANCE IN DAMASCUS

“Laura is concise, engaged, knowledgeable, and committed to her students. She is also a great writer who has published extensively and is in the thick of building her exciting career, and brings that energy and drive to her classes.”

Kevin Chong author, teacher, and editor at Joyland Magazine

“I truly appreciated Laura’s enthusiasm for our work and how she made herself available to us outside of meeting hours. She helped me realized my ideas for stories, even the ones that were previously turned down, were worth pursuing and gave me the tools and confidence to rework and pitch again.”

Former Student

Workshop Schedule

The course starts on Monday, January 22nd and ends on Friday, February 16th, 2024. The course comes with daily lessons you can study on your own time, and interaction with Laura Yan. Everything is provided online, through the digital learning platform hosted by Thinkific.

Note that you will have up to six months after the course finishes to submit your writing for feedback. Also note that you will have access to office hours even after the course is complete.

  • Daily lessons, available to study any time on our online learning platform, hosted by Thinkific.

  • Personal feedback on every lesson via email, our online discussion platform, or our private Facebook Group.

  • Weekly opportunities to submit your work for detailed feedback from the instructor.

Enroll Now

Enrollment is strictly limited to 22 students.
The early bird tuition is available until Monday, January 15th.

FAQ

  • What is the course schedule?

    The course starts on Monday, January 22nd and ends on Friday, February 16th. Each week, we will release five lessons that you can study on your own time. These will be a mix of text-based lessons, recommended essays, and pre-recorded lectures. Each lesson comes with text-based discussion with the instructor and the class.

    At the end of each week, you will have the opportunity to submit an assignment to the instructor for in-depth feedback.

    There will also be two office hour sessions held via Zoom, which will be recorded for those who cannot attend live. They have not yet been scheduled.

    Note, that if you fall behind on the course, you will have a full six months to complete the course and submit your work for feedback from the instructor.

  • How much time will the course require?

    Overall, expect to spend around 30 minutes a day on the course. Some days will require less work, some days will require more.

    Lessons are released weekly, which gives you flexibility. Based on our experience with other courses, some students do the bulk of their work in one or two days each week, while others spend a little bit of time each day on our courses.

  • How many students will be allowed to enroll?

    Because of the personal feedback Laura is providing, the workshop is strictly limited to 22 students. Once we reach that number we will immediately close enrollment.