749 Best Writing Classes in 2026

In-person course in Manhattan, $370 plus a $25 once-per-term registration fee, taught by Mo Krochmal. Six Thursday evenings from 1 October 2026, 6:30-9:30pm at 555 8th Avenue. Introduction to writing true stories with the techniques of fiction - memoir, essay and literary journalism. Capped at 14 students, and the latest-starting Gotham in-person section this term.

In-person course in Manhattan, $370 plus a $25 once-per-term registration fee, taught by Mo Krochmal. Six Saturday afternoons from 26 September 2026, 12:00-3:00pm at 555 8th Avenue. The broadest entry point in the catalogue - covers prose craft for fiction and nonfiction alike, so useful if you have not settled on a form yet. Capped at 14 students. Saturdays make it the easiest Gotham section to attend without taking an evening off.

In-person course in Manhattan, $490 plus a $25 once-per-term registration fee, taught by Philip Cioffari. Ten Tuesday evenings from 8 September 2026, 6:30-9:30pm at Gotham headquarters, 555 8th Avenue between 37th and 38th. Grounding in fiction craft across both short stories and novels, ending with a completed short story. Class size capped at 14. Gotham runs the same course online and on Zoom - this is the NYC in-person section specifically.

In-person course in Manchester, £180 with bursary places for low-income and underrepresented writers, taught by author David Hartley. Six Friday evenings, 6:00-8:00pm, from 28 August 2026 to 15 January 2027 at Levenshulme Old Library, Cromwell Grove, M19 3QE. Builds one invented world from blank page to fully realised island realm - drawing and map-making as well as prose, then creation myths, ballads and legends set inside it. Reads Tolkien and Le Guin against contemporary worldbuilders. The course ends with a story developed for possible publication in a Comma Press eBook, which is a concrete outcome most short courses do not offer.

In-person conference in Atlanta, 6-7 November 2026, at the Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel. The Atlanta Writers Club’s twice-yearly conference: manuscript and query critiques with literary agents and editors, pitch sessions, and craft workshops across two days. Run by a club founded in 1914 with around 1,600 members, so the agent roster is a genuine draw rather than a token panel. Booking is per-activity, so cost depends on how many critiques and pitches you add.

In-person monthly meeting in Atlanta, free for first-time attendees and covered by membership thereafter. Saturday 19 December 2026, 1:30-4:00pm with a mixer from 12:45, at GSU-Perimeter College Dunwoody Campus, Bldg. NC. Melinda Lee on authenticity as a writer’s strength and Ken Valentine on the business side of being an author, followed by the club’s holiday potluck - so this one is as much a social as a craft session.

In-person monthly meeting in Atlanta, free for first-time attendees and covered by membership thereafter. Saturday 21 November 2026, 1:30-4:00pm with a mixer from 12:45, at GSU-Perimeter College Dunwoody Campus, Bldg. NC. Mark Warren on nature writing for writers, followed by the club’s Member Moment slot in which members present their own work. The Member Moment format means this meeting doubles as a low-stakes place to read aloud.

In-person monthly meeting in Atlanta, free for first-time attendees and covered by membership thereafter. Saturday 17 October 2026, 1:30-4:00pm with a mixer from 12:45, at GSU-Perimeter College Dunwoody Campus, Bldg. NC. Alan Grostephan on finding a form in creative nonfiction, then Jill Tew on writing kidlit - middle grade, YA, and the ground between them. Note this is instruction for adults writing for younger readers, not a class for children.

In-person monthly meeting in Atlanta, free for first-time attendees and covered by membership thereafter. Saturday 19 September 2026, 1:30-4:00pm with a mixer from 12:45, at GSU-Perimeter College Dunwoody Campus, Bldg. NC. Two craft sessions in one afternoon: Leah Keggi on marketing yourself and your books, and Carla Hoch on writing fight scenes from the practical to the tactical. The free-for-first-timers policy makes this the cheapest way to test a writing community in Atlanta.

In-person series in Cincinnati, $110 ($85 for CAC members or students), at the Contemporary Arts Center. Four Saturday mornings, 3 to 24 October 2026, 10:00am-12:00pm, sold as a series rather than single sessions. Each series is taught by a rotating group of local and published writers and moves across poetry, nonfiction and prose rather than sticking to one form. Class size is capped for individual attention, and a notebook of guided prompts is included. Winter (Feb) and spring (Apr) 2027 series dates are already published.

In-person course in Cincinnati, $299 on a three-tier sliding scale, taught by Vicki Phillips. Eight Thursday mornings, 17 September to 5 November 2026, from 10:00am at 6906 Plainfield Road. The shorter of the two in-person Core Classes this term, and the daytime option - same circle format, eight weeks rather than ten. Open to women and nonbinary writers aged 18+.

In-person course in Cincinnati, $379 on a three-tier sliding scale, taught by Diane Debevec. Ten Tuesday afternoons, 15 September to 17 November 2026, from 1:00pm at 6906 Plainfield Road. A Core Class in the Women Writing method: writing time, reading aloud, and structured practice in giving and receiving feedback, with the rule that you only get the feedback you ask for. Open to women and nonbinary writers aged 18+.