12 Best Writing Classes in Kansas City

A free class at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 19 September on writing that works through sensory detail rather than description alone. SUBSTITUTION, FLAGGED: this record previously held Writing About Religion, which the library has not scheduled again this year; this is the nearest current class from the same series and provider. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.

A free class at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 16 November on how stories are built - the underlying shape beneath plot. Renewed from an April session of the same class; it runs repeatedly through the school year. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.

A free class at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 26 September on compressing real life into very short nonfiction. The short form forces choices about what matters in a memory, which is the point. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.

A free class at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 12 October arguing that nonfiction can be as descriptive as fiction or poetry, and teaching the creative techniques to make true stories memorable. Aimed at writers who default to fiction because they assume nonfiction is the plainer form. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.

A free class at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 26 October on using monsters to carry meaning rather than just menace - how the creature on the page stands in for something else. Suits speculative and literary writers equally. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.

A free Halloween-day class at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 31 October on writing short fiction that unsettles. Seasonal in timing but craft-focused in content - what actually makes a short story frightening on the page. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.

A free class at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 7 November aimed at people who find journaling daunting - who do not know where to start, feel short of time, or cannot keep a routine going. Practical rather than therapeutic in framing. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.

A free class at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 14 November on telling a complete story in under 1,000 words. Covers the range of flash lengths and what each one can carry. A useful discipline if your drafts sprawl. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.

A free class at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 28 November on poetry written to be heard rather than read - using body language, volume, sound and delivery as part of the composition. Includes watching and analysing spoken word performances. Note this is about writing for the voice, not performance coaching. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.

A free poetry class at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 2 December for writers who assume poetry means metre and rhyme. Covers the forms that do not, and what they let you do that traditional structures will not. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.

A free class at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 7 December breaking worldbuilding into manageable pieces rather than treating it as one overwhelming task. Works through culture (including government and religion), history, and the fantasy element itself, one area at a time. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.

A free drop-in writing session at Plaza Branch, Kansas City on 19 December, offering silent writing time plus an optional slot to give and receive feedback. Built for people stuck on a block or struggling to keep a routine - the value is the accountability and the headspace rather than instruction. Taught by an MFA candidate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City creative writing and media arts programme, through the library’s Writers for Readers series. Free, in person at Plaza Branch, Kansas City, RSVP required.