Writing Workshops

Writing the Story Only You Can Tell with Vanessa Walters

$345

4 Sessions

In stock

Once a week Mondays, 7:00 pm EDT - 9:00 pm EDT July 13 to August 3, 2026

Online via Zoom

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Everyone has a story to tell. This course will enable you to write your authentic and vulnerable self—whether in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry—to create truly unique writing. As the author of four published books, each drawing heavily from my personal experience and perspective, I hope to inspire and engage those who wish to write (but perhaps don’t know what their story is) or those who want to dig deeper emotionally.

Through independent writing that surprises one on the page, participants will learn the art of freewriting—writing without stakes or an agenda—to open themselves up emotionally. There will be opportunities to share and discuss our work, and to give and receive positive feedback on our writing from other participants. Additionally, each session will explore a different aspect of the authentic, vulnerable story. By examining illustrative texts from authors like Zora Neale Hurston and Tim O’Brien, participants will gain perspective on how to dig deeper into memory and vulnerability to develop confidence and uncover truth in our writing.

Course Outline:

Week 1: Warm-up (writing for 5 minutes to a prompt, with an opportunity to share and discuss the writing), investigating object memory in texts, and undertaking an object memory exercise
Week 2: Warm-up (writing for 5 minutes to a prompt, with an opportunity to share and discuss the writing), investigating and examining texts that demonstrate emotional honesty, and undertaking an “I am…” personal writing exercise
Week 3: Warm-up (writing for 5 minutes to a prompt, with an opportunity to share and discuss the writing), a discussion about why writing about what you don’t know is just as important as what you do know, and a TED Talk writing exercise
Week 4: Warm up (writing for 5 minutes to a prompt, with an opportunity to share and discuss the writing), exploring truth in form by looking at ghazals, sonnets, and haikus, and attempting to write ghazals as a way of finding truth

Teaching Style: The style will be conversational and participant-driven, guided by texts and exercises.

Level: Introductory

This course is held online via Zoom.

We offer a limited number of need-based scholarships for our Reading Groups and Writing Workshops, covering 50% of tuition. Applicants selected for scholarships will be notified one week prior to the first meeting. To apply for a scholarship, please fill out this form.

Led by

Vanessa Walters

Vanessa Walters

Vanessa Walters is the author of The Lagos Wife (formerly titled The Nigerwife) and two YA novels, Rude Girls and Best Things in Life (Pan Macmillan UK), and a creative collection of essays, poems and stories titled Smoke! Othello! She is also a playwright. Vanessa has previously delivered workshops to teens at the Writopia Creative Writing Lab in Brooklyn among others, and has been running the Freewriting Workout, an online community workshop for the past five years. She holds fellowships from Millay Colony and Tin House and is currently at work on her forthcoming novel, Black Excellence, a novel about race, aspiration and family, due to be published in 2026 by Atria Books.

About this series

Writing Workshops

We strive to make our classes the most inviting and rewarding available, offering an intimate environment to study with award-winning, world-class writers. Each class is specially designed by the instructor, so whether you’re a fledgling writer or an MFA graduate polishing your novel, you’ll find a perfect fit here.

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