In standard workshops, you get feedback and deadlines, you meet a few other writers. Which is fine. But the emphasis on craft tends to overlook process, research, reading, career, and community building. MFAs require app fees, rec letters, GRE scores, and most will put you in five-figure debt. The degree is worth jack. And you have to move and sell half your books and break up with whoever you’re dating.

We offer feedback, mentoring, and standard craft lectures, but also teach:

• Close reading

• Revision

• Feedback and editing

• Forming writing groups

• Research

• Ending writers' block

• Book and story publishing

• Freelancing

• Querying agents

• Working with editors

• Promotion + publicity

• Sources of income

Focusing on longterm success and community, we throw local bookswap parties and maintain a chat channel for alums. We’ve helped students sign with agents, land book deals (22 and counting), get jobs, and win awards. Here's what past students say, and here are the complete rules.

Guest Talks

Each session features three guests:

Jan 2025 - In Person
(1/8 - 3/1)

Mar 2025 - Online
(3/5 - 4/26)

TBD

PAST GUESTS

Financial aid

The current fee is $900; we can offer financial aid based on need and available funds.

Intensive

We meet twice a week, a workshop and a seminar. You’ll do lots of reading. Each manuscript gets 750+ words of feedback and line edits from each other participant. Sample feedback letters here.

Form a group

Why pay for a workshop if you've already learned the basics? We heavily encourage making your own connections in the class; you’ll have access to an alumni listserv, Slack channel, events, and the occasional master class. Many classes have gone on to form writing groups. Hopefully this’ll be the last class you pay for.

Selective

Workshops are only as good as their students. Each session consists of nine talented writers. No credentials or recs required, just a writing sample. (Only one instructor, so we have to be picky 😅)

career Prep

When the class is over, we meet one-on-one to plan your writing projects and career. You get access to templates for cover letters, queries, pitches, submission trackers, professional rate calculators, invoices, and a collaborative spreadsheet of publications, residencies, agencies, MFAs, and other resources. We also help you query agents when ready.

Events

We periodically host the CRIT Bookswap, a party for students from all sessions to mingle, and every now and then special one-off master classes on subjects like journalism, screenwriting, and playwriting.

Genre-agnostic

The curriculum skews heavily toward fiction, but we also welcome creative nonfiction writers as well.