749 Best Writing Classes in 2026

Free 90-minute evening workshop in the Paul C. Blau Theatre at Clark County Library, led by novelist and artist Brian Gardner as part of the library district's Writers Workshop series. Gardner works through character backstory, building an alien world that holds up, and designing an antagonist who is genuinely hard to beat, using his own SF novel The Banished as the worked example throughout. First come, first served - no booking is taken and seating may be limited.

Free two-hour in-person workshop at the Centennial Hills Library, taught by award-winning science fiction and fantasy novelist Maxwell Alexander Drake. It runs as an ongoing series on the craft of writing a novel readers finish, and Drake teaches the same session twice each month - Sunday afternoon and Monday evening - so you can take whichever slot fits. There is no registration and no waiting list: seating is limited and first come, first served, so arrive early.

Hybrid workshop in Denver, $280 non-member, taught by Jenny Shank. Four Monday evenings from 14 September 2026, 6:30-8:30pm - attend in person at Lighthouse, 3844 York Street, or by Zoom. A generative course aimed at restarting a stalled practice rather than working a specific manuscript. Latest-starting Lighthouse course on the current list, so the easiest to still join.

Hybrid workshop in Denver, $280 non-member, taught by Jenny Elder-Moke. Four Tuesday evenings from 25 August 2026, 6:30-8:30pm - attend in person at Lighthouse, 3844 York Street, or by Zoom. This teaches ADULTS to write for young readers; it is not a class for children. Looks at what makes children’s and YA books last rather than simply sell.

Hybrid workshop in Denver, $430 non-member, taught by Paula Younger. Eight Wednesday mornings from 26 August 2026, 10:00am-12:00pm - attend in the room at Lighthouse, 3844 York Street, or by Zoom. Built around a fixed unit of work: five pages submitted for detailed feedback each round, so it suits writers who want regular critique on a manuscript in progress rather than instruction.

In-person workshop in Denver, $110 non-member, taught by Alexander Shalom Joseph. Saturday 5 September 2026, 10:00am-1:00pm, held at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science rather than at Lighthouse itself. Three hours writing from and about Colorado - its past, present and future - with the museum’s collections as source material. The only fully in-person, non-hybrid class on Lighthouse’s current adult list.

In-person seminar in Minneapolis, $60 ($54 for Loft Friends), led by Valeria Luiselli. Thursday 8 October 2026, 10:00am-12:00pm at The Loft Literary Center. Two hours on listening as a writer’s discipline, with one of the most significant novelists working in English and Spanish today. At $60 for a single session this is unusually accessible access to a writer of that standing.

In-person course in Minneapolis, $148 ($133.20 for Loft Friends), taught by James Ellis. Four Wednesday evenings, 16 September to 7 October 2026, 6:00-8:00pm at The Loft Literary Center. Four weeks to build one short story from scratch - the shortest multi-week commitment on the current in-person list, and the cheapest of the term courses.

In-person course in Minneapolis, $296 ($266.40 for Loft Friends), taught by Chelsea DesAutels. Eight Wednesday evenings, 16 September to 4 November 2026, 6:00-8:00pm at The Loft Literary Center. Pitched past beginner level - assumes you already write poems and want to push the craft rather than start from scratch. The longest in-person course The Loft is running this term.

In-person course in Minneapolis, $222 ($199.80 for Loft Friends), taught by Holly Day. Six Tuesday evenings, 15 September to 20 October 2026, 6:00-8:00pm at The Loft Literary Center. The Loft’s standard entry point to fiction. Note their fee structure: a nonrefundable 15% is built into every registration, and financial assistance is available on application.

In-person seminar in Minneapolis, $60 ($54 for Loft Friends), led by poet Hieu Minh Nguyen. Saturday 12 September 2026, 10:00am-12:00pm at The Loft Literary Center. Two hours on the poetics of inventory and curation - how a list becomes a poem and what selection does to meaning. Part of the Forge craft seminar series, which brings named poets in for single sessions rather than terms.

In-person single session in Philadelphia, $80, taught by Gina Myers at the Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine St. Friday 13 November 2026, 6:30-9:30pm. Writing through embroidery and hand sewing, drawing on the textual history of stitched work - genuinely unusual, and a one-evening commitment at the cheapest end of Blue Stoop’s range. Held at Fleisher rather than their usual CultureWorks venue.