8 Best Writing Classes in Montreal

Seven-week workshop at the QWF office in Westmount, Montreal, Mondays 5.45-7.45pm from 26 October to 7 December, with playwright Leanna Brodie. The pitch is deliberately broad: dramatic technique taught as craft any writer can use, not only people writing for the stage. The final session on 7 December runs long, 5.45-9.45pm. In-person at the Westmount office by default, with virtual seats by request only. Full for this term with a waitlist; fees reappear when registration reopens.

Eight-week poetry workshop at the QWF office in Westmount, Montreal, Thursdays 5.45-7.45pm from 8 October to 26 November, led by Kelly Norah Drukker. Built around memory, place and sensory detail as generative sources rather than around fixed forms. Capped at 12 participants, in-person by default with two virtual seats available only by prior arrangement with QWF. The autumn intake is full and a waitlist is open; the fee is shown again once places are released.

Eight-week early-evening workshop at the QWF office in Westmount, Montreal, Wednesdays 5.45-7.45pm from 7 October to 2 December, with Leith Gollner - note there is no meeting on 28 October. The focus is narrow and practical: building scenes in factual writing rather than surveying the whole genre. Runs in QWF's default format, in-person at the Westmount office with a small number of virtual seats by prior request. Currently full with a waitlist open; fees are displayed again when registration reopens.

Eight-week evening workshop at the QWF office on Atwater Avenue in Westmount, Montreal, Tuesdays 8-10pm from 6 October, led by Eva Crocker, author of the novels Back in the Land of the Living and All I Ask and the prize-winning collection Barrelling Forward. One element of craft per week - setting, character, dialogue, description, voice, theme, point of view, structure. You submit one full story of 2,500-3,000 words for group critique and must have it ready before the first session. Capped at 12; registrations default to in-person seats, with two virtual places available only on request. This autumn's intake is full and QWF is running a waitlist - fees are shown once places reopen.

Thirty-hour evening course on Dawson College's downtown Montreal campus, Tuesdays 6-9pm from 6 October to 8 December. Fee $250 CAD plus tax - by some distance the cheapest structured creative writing course in the city. No prerequisite, class capped at 20, and the teacher is listed as TBA. It moves across short fiction and poetry with peer critique as the core method: every participant must submit at least one story or two to three poems for the group to workshop. Registration closes 1 October.

Two full Saturdays at the QWF office in Westmount, Montreal, 14 and 21 November, 10.30am to 4.30pm, led by Afreina Noor, ending in a live in-person showcase. Fee $240 CAD for non-members, $210 CAD for QWF members, $120 CAD students. You leave with one true personal story of seven minutes or less, built through guided writing, editing, peer feedback and performance coaching - aimed at people who want to tell at events like The Moth or Confabulation. Capped at 12; the showcase itself is in-person only.

Single-day workshop at the QWF office in Westmount, Montreal, Saturday 17 October, 10.30am to 4.30pm, with Stephanie Merulla. Fee $120 CAD for non-members, $105 CAD for QWF members, $60 CAD students. Capped at 12 participants and in-person by default - the two virtual seats have to be requested and confirmed before you register. A one-day entry point if you want to try immersive storytelling without committing to an eight-week term.

Eight-week evening workshop at the QWF office on Atwater Avenue in Westmount, Montreal, Thursdays 8-10pm from 8 October, led by Jill Murray, a games writer with more than 25 credits including Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Subnautica: Below Zero. Fee $240 CAD for non-members, $200 CAD for QWF members, $120 CAD students. Capped at 12 and registrations default to in-person seats; two virtual places exist but must be requested from QWF and approved before you book. Covers interactive narrative for games, immersive theatre, installations and exhibits.