Writing Courses

I teach classes, not workshops, creating room for exploration, risk-taking and creativity with like-minded writers who engage in conversation with curiosity and compassion.

My classes are small, usually no more than eight writers. I devise prompts tailored to each writer, inviting her to find what is hidden, expand what is confined. "Workshops" typically focus relentlessly on a single writer at a time, with every one else piling on opinions and preferences. I find this leaves a writer twisting in an attempt to meet others' standards. She grows distant from her own instincts and becomes suspicious and shy of her voice on the page.  A writer needs, instead, help to hear herself as unique and to seize her authority so that she may become a better writer.

My intention is to guide you into a full expression of your voice, into trusting your desires and into the authentic heart of your work.

  • "Susanna cultivates a supportive space for us to investigate the most uncomfortable bits of ourselves, with class discussions that are constructive, rich in insight, and always respectful. She has helped me find the courage to write about things I wouldn’t have touched just a few years ago, in the voice I didn’t know I had. She is an exceptional memoir teacher and coach, a remarkable woman."

    Claudia A.

  • "Basking in the spotlight of Susanna's probing yet always supportive attention has allowed me to take my writing to new depths. Her skilled mentoring pushes us to write what we have forbidden ourselves to say, that we, of course, most need to say."

    H.W.

  • "There is no one who pushes a writer to dig harder to find her own truth than Susanna Sonnenberg. I come back to her whenever I know my writing isn’t delving deep enough."

    Sheila Grace Stuewe

Memoir Masterclass

Tuesdays

February 4-25

5-7 pm Mountain time on Zoom

This four-week class is open to eight writers at any stage of work on memoir from not-one-word-yet to finished manuscript in need of revision. Each session we discuss the diverse aspects unique to memoir from voice to ethical complexities, as we sharpen your memories, intention and prose. This is a rigorous class in which you submit work each week (1200-word max) and read the work of your fellow writers. No subject is taboo as long as you investigate your relationship to it.

Open to eight participants.

The cost is $445, payable via Venmo and includes a half-hour one-on-one session with me.

Revision Intensive

Wednesdays

February 5-26

5-7 pm Mountain time on Zoom

Revising is a crucial art, and the more you practice it, the more you’ll trust your instincts. In this month-long revision class you will work on a single piece or chapter of up to 4000 words to deeply understand it, refine it, revise it and get it ready for the world.

Open to five participants.

The cost is $545, payable via Venmo.

Prompts: Displacement/

Belonging

Mondays

February 3-24

5-7 pm Mountain time on Zoom

Join me in this prompt-based class where we loosen up and expand our creative selves.  Lots of time for free writing and no pressure to share. There are no assignments or expectations in this relaxed class, no reading lists, just the invitation for you to write and express anything you want in weekly sessions that rely on prompts and quiet writing time, connected conversation, and respectful witness.

Open to ten participants.

The cost is $445, payable via Venmo.

Writing retreats. Coming soon.

Upcoming & Past Classes

Subscribe below to receive news & updates about upcoming courses:

powered by TinyLetter

Payment And Refund Policy

Please submit payment to register for class.  Cancel up to two weeks prior to the start of class for a 100% refund; within one week of start of class for a 50% refund. No refunds provided after midnight of start date.

"Whatever handcuffs the soul,

I have brought here.

Whatever distances the heart,

I have brought here."

--- from "A Ream of Paper" by Jane Hirshfield