If you are an experienced or aspiring writer, Piedmont Adult School has a class for you this fall. Now is the time to tell the story you have thought about for so long. Gain valuable insights from the talented instructors, while enjoying a supportive community of writers.
Fiction and Creative Nonfiction
The popular Fiction and Creative Nonfiction Writing class is designed for beginners and experienced writers alike, and will focus on the components of effective writing and strategies to maintain a writing practice. There will be short readings, writing exercises, discussions, and the opportunity to workshop.
Instructor Caitlin McCarthy holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in writing and currently teaches Literature and Language Arts at Corpus Christi School in Oakland. She is also a private writing coach and teaches writing workshops for all ages.
Family Stories and Memoir Writing
Family Stories and Memoir Writing offers beginning and seasoned writers the tools to discover, reflect on, and write family stories. Using the text, “The Art of Memoir” by Mary Karr, the class will cover setting, character investigation, approaches in structuring the work, and a writer’s voice. Excerpts from different memoirs will be analyzed, as students develop, revise, and workshop their stories with a goal of exploring layers in one’s work and supporting publishing goals.
Instructor Denise Bostrom wrote scripts for PBS, HBO, and the Lifetime Channel. She has also taught screenwriting and nonfiction/memoir script writing at SF State, City College, and the University Project at San Quentin State Prison.
Writing Together: A Poetry Studio
In this workshop, students will write and read together, experimenting with new forms and prompts. The class will explore the poetry of everyday life through attention, exploration, and collaboration. This is a chance to try new things in a supportive environment, with time for both community and one-on-one approaches to growth as a creative artist. All levels welcome.
Instructor Linda Norton is the author of “Wite Out: Love and Work”, a memoir with poems, and its prequel, “The Public Gardens: Poems and History”, a finalist for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She was a columnist-in-residence at SFMOMA’s Open Space and has taught writing at SFSU, the Emeryville Senior Center, and at the Yeats Academy of the Atlantic Technological University in Ireland.
To register for these and other classes, visit the Piedmont Adult School HERE or call (510) 594-2717. Classes are open to all adults age 18 and over.
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Fiction and Creative Nonfiction
Instructor: Caitlin McCarthy
Tuesdays, 7-8:30 p.m.
9/12-10/10 (5 meetings)
$128
Family Stories and Memoir Writing
Instructor: Denise Bostrum
Saturdays 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
9/23-10/14 (4 meetings)
$195
Writing Together: A Poetry Studio
Instructor: Linda Norton
Mondays, 7-9 p.m.
10/9 – 11/6 (5 meetings)
$150