writing classes winston salem

Our popular workshops give members and nonmembers a chance to develop their craft. We offer workshops in a variety of genres (poetry, prose, memoir, plays, etc.) and on a variety of topics — all with experienced, published workshop instructors.

We offer our popular  Three-in-a-Row online workshops for three consecutive  for three consecutive Saturdays in January, plus additional workshops in the  Spring

January Three-in-a-Row Workshops

Jan. 6, 10 a.m. to noon on Zoom

Joi ning a Critique Group  (WSW Members)

January 13 , 10 a. m. to noo n on Zoom

Finding a Story Worth Telling

January 20 , 10 a. m. to noo n on Zoom

Action Out Loud: Dialogue and Character

January 27 , 10 a. m. to noo n on Zoom

Submitting Your Work to Journals, Agents

Registration Opens Jan 1.

Members: Free, Nonmembers: $25 

Gener ative Workshop

Recurring Monthly, 2nd Wednesday

Forsyth County Central Library Reading Room

660 W. 5th Street, Winst on-Sal em, NC

Generative Workshop is Free and Open to All. No Registration Required.

Generative writing workshops (recurring).

Monthly, 2nd Wednesday | 6:30pm-8:00pm EST

by Barbara Greenbaum

These new workshops meet on the second Wednesday of every month and are meant to give writers of any genre and experience level a time to generate new writing together. Bring a piece you are working on or start something new. This isn’t a critique session but a

Our hope is you’ll come away with a piece you can develop, but if nothing else, this is a time for us to practice and to share ideas and our passions for the work we do. Please bring your preferred method of writing. All writers welcome, including non-members of WSW. This workshop can be attended in person at Forsyth County Central Library Reading Room. ​

For Generative Workshop questions, email Barbara Greenbaum at [email protected] .

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Barbara P. Greenbaum  has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine, Stonecoast and a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Hartford. She taught creative writing at a public magnet arts high school in Willimantic, Connecticut for twelve years and served as an adjunct professor at Eastern CT State University. In 2011, she was awarded a Teaching Arts Fellowship from Surdna. Her fiction, poetry, and essays have been published in American Writer’s Review, Eclectica, Forge, Hog River Review, and others. She is the author of The Last Thing, a book of poetry published by Main Street Rag Publications in November 2022. A long time Connecticut resident, she now lives in Winston Salem, North Carolina with her husband. More information and links to her work can be found on her website, barbaragreenbaum.com .

January Three-In-A-Row (Plus One) Workshops  Registration Opens Jan. 1, 2024

Joining a critique group with kat bodrie.

Saturday, January 6, 2024 | 10 a.m. to 12 noon EST

WSW Members Only: Free

Deadline to Register: Jan. 5

Being in a critique group is one of the best ways to get feedback on your work. So what goes on in a critique group? How do you find one you click with, and how do you know you’re ready for one? We’ll talk about how to join a WSW critique group, when to join one, how to give effective feedback to others, how to accept feedback, and what it’s like to lead a group. Our Critique Group Coordinator, Shannon Golden, will be present to answer all your questions!

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Kat Bodrie is a writer and editor in Winston-Salem. She is President of Winston-Salem Writers, Book Editor for BleakHouse Publishing, and Host City Coordinator for Poetry in Plain Sight. Her poetry has appeared in North Meridian Review, Poetry South, Rat’s Ass Review, and elsewhere. She has also written for Winston-Salem Monthly and Triad City Beat. Her poem “Injections” was a finalist for the NC Poetry Society’s Poet Laureate Award, and her chapbook When the River Takes Us was a finalist in Black Mountain Press’s quarterly chapbook contest. Kat also works with incarcerated individuals on their creative pieces and often collaborates with George T. Wilkerson, who lives on Death Row. More at katbodrie.com .

Finding a Story Worth Telling with Joseph Mills

Saturday, January 13, 2024 | 10 a.m. to 12 noon EST

WSW Members: Free, Nonmembers: $25

Deadline to Register: Jan. 11

Stories are rarely conceptualized whole. Most writers find them as they write them. In this workshop, we’ll consider what that means. For example, what makes a story different from an anecdote, a Facebook post, a diary entry? What should we consider as we shape a piece of writing? The focus will be on narrative, so writers of all genres — fiction, non-fiction, poetry — are welcome.

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A faculty member at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Joseph Mills has published eight volumes of poetry, most recently Bodies in Motion: Poems about Dance. His book This Miraculous Turning was awarded the North Carolina Roanoke-Chowan Award for Poetry for its exploration of race and family. In 2019, he published his debut collection of fiction, Bleachers, which consists of fifty-four linked pieces that take place during a youth soccer game. More information about his work is available at www.josephrobertmills.com .

Action Out Loud: Dialogue and Character with Jacob Paul

Deadline to Register: Jan. 18

Saturday, January 20, 2024 | 10 a.m. to 12 noon EST

Dialogue is the rare instance in which character action is relayed directly, and yet its power comes from the use of the sound-based tools common to poetry. In this two-hour workshop, we’ll begin by thinking about how a character's line of dialogue constitutes an action they've undertaken in pursuit of a specific objective in a scene and what that means for character conflict. We’ll then explore how to pattern character lines both to build tension and perform characters' relative power towards each other. From there, we’ll move on to the ways the development of a character’s phrasing and word choices — what I like to call the character's figurative palette — brings the character and the character's objectives into focus. Finally, time allowing, we’ll talk about some special cases of dialogue, such as the uses of elliptical structures and soliloquies.

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Jacob Paul is the author of Last Tower to Heaven (C&R, 2019) and two previous novels, A Song of Ilan (Jaded Ibis, 2015) and Sarah/Sara (Ig, 2010), which Poets & Writers named one of 2010’s five best first fictions. His collaborations have led to the fine art books, Home for an Hour (Otherwise, 2014) and Feed Mayonnaise to Tuna (Otherwise, 2016). His work has also appeared in Hunger Mountain, Western Humanities Review, Green Mountains Review, Massachusetts Review, Seneca Review, Mountain Gazette and USA Today’s Weekend Magazine as well as on therumpus.net , f ictionwritersreview.com and numerocinqmagazine.com . He teaches creative writing at High Point University. More at www.jacobgpaul.com/bio .

Submitting Your Work to Journals, Agents, and Publishers with Julia Ridley Smith

Deadline to Register: Jan. 25

Saturday, January 27, 2024 | 10 a.m. to 12 noon EST

You’ve been working really hard on your short stories, essays, or poems, and now you feel ready

to start sending them out to literary journals. Or you’ve got a book-length manuscript — or a

fantastic idea for one — and want to know how to find the right agent, contest, or publisher. In

this workshop, I’ll give you a quick overview of the publishing world, then show you how to

figure out where and how to submit your work. Among the topics we’ll discuss are journals,

contests, cover letters, querying agents, and book proposals. There will be time for Q&A.

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Julia Ridley Smith is the author of a story collection, Sex Romp Gone Wrong (Blair, forthcoming

2024), and a memoir, The Sum of Trifles (University of G​eorgia Press, 2021). Her fiction and

essays have appeared in Alaska Quarterly Review, Cincinnati Review, Ecotone, and elsew recognized as notable in Best American Essays and supported by the Sewanee Writers Conference, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, and other arts organizations. She is former associate editor at Bull City Press, where she was the editor of Inch magazine, and ​she has ​n​early twenty-five years of experience​ working with university and independent presses, newspapers, magazines, and journals ​as a freelance writer and copyedit​or. ​Currently, she teaches creative writing and publishing courses at UNC Chapel Hill.​ Find her at juliaridleysmith.com and @JuliaTrifles.

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

writing classes winston salem

Creating monologues can be one of the most satisfying forms of creative writing. While taking a relatively short amount of time, monologue writing requires communicating solely in a character’s voice, allowing for exploration and expression of a wide range of perspectives. This workshop — perfect for writers of any genre — will cover idea generation, character creation, character development, and dramatic structure.

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Quinton Cockrell is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and The Alabama Shakespeare Festival's Professional Actor Training Program. He has worked with numerous theatres throughout the United States as an actor, director, and playwright, including Riverside Shakespeare Company, Soho Rep, Playwright's Horizons, Heritage Repertory Company, and The Barter Theatre. His writing has been selected as a finalist in Oregon Shakespeare’s Ashland New Play Festival and The O’Neill Center’s National Music Theater Conference. Quinton is an Associate Professor of Performance at Troy University. He is a member of Actor’s Equity Association and The Dramatists’ Guild of America.

Past Workshops

Poetry of witness.

Poetry of witness attempts to reveal humanity through the art of words. Poetry of witness is also a form of documentary poetry that allows for a limited understanding, and sometimes transcendence of human tragedy. In a sense all poems are poems of witness: they record what it’s like to be alive, record what has passed, what is passing. They bear witness to the imagination, the capacity for human invention; they witness our ability to wonder. A poem of witness looks out from the self, towards the world, its social, political, and historical aspects. It witnesses other people’s lives. 

Participation limited to first 40 registrants.

Saturday, April, 2023 | 10am-12noon EST

by Jaki Shelton Green

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Jaki Shelton Green , ninth Poet Laureate of North Carolina appointed in 2018, is the first African American and third woman to be appointed as the North Carolina Poet Laureate and reappointed in 2021 for a second term by Governor Roy Cooper. She is a 2019 Academy of American Poet Laureate Fellow, 2014 NC Literary Hall of Fame Inductee, 2009 NC Piedmont Laureate appointment, 2003 recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature. Jaki Shelton Green teaches Documentary Poetry at Duke University Center for Documentary Studies and the 2021 Frank B. Hanes Writer in Residence at UNC Chapel Hill. Additionally, she received the George School 

Outstanding Alumni Award in 2021. Her publications include Dead on Arrival , Masks , Dead on Arrival and New Poems , Conjure Blues , singing a tree into dance , breath of the song , published by Blair Publishers. Feeding the Light , i want to undie you published by Jacar Press, i want to undie you English /Italian bilingual edition published by Lebeg Publishers. In 2020, she released her first poetry album, The River Speaks of Thirst and a CD, i want to undie you. Additionally, Jaki Shelton Green serves as the 2022-2024 Poet Laureate in Residence at the North Carolina Museum of Art. She was selected by Forbes Magazine for the distinguished 2022 list of Fifty Over Fifty Women.

Photo of Jaki Shelton Green by Samantha Everette

Racial Politics in Toni Morrison’s Work with Mark Dudley, Details/Cost: TBA

Saturday, October 21, 2023 | 10 a.m. to 12 noon EST

Members $15, Nonmembers $25

Toni Morrison wrote about matters of race in America in her first novel, The Bluest Eye, as well as in her final novel, Home, some five decades later. Truthfully, Morrison wrote about American racial politics her entire literary career, and she celebrated the African American experience her entire life. Join Professor Marc Dudley, a specialist in American and African American literature, for a discussion of “Recitatif,” Morrison’s only piece of short fiction, along with one of her most compelling essays, “Home.” Together, some four years after her death, we will explore the motivation and the artistry of one of America’s most-prized and revered writers.

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Marc Dudley  is Professor of English and Africana Studies at North Carolina State University, with specializations in 20th Century American and African American literature(s). He has spoken widely on such authors as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Baldwin. He has been featured in the Hemingway Review, in the collections Teaching Hemingway and Race (Kent State University Press, 2018) and the New Hemingway Studies (Cambridge University Press, 2020), and in the recent Ken Burns documentary Hemingway. He is the author of Hemingway, Race, and Art: Bloodlines and the Color Line (Kent State University Press, 2012) and Understanding James Baldwin (University of South Carolina Press, 2019). Marc is the editor of the Norton Critical Edition of Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio (2023) and co-editor of the forthcoming Teaching Hemingway and Film (Kent State University Press).

Discovering Your Monologue with Quinton Cockrell

Saturday, October 14, 2023 | 10 a.m. to 12 noon EST

Memoir: Bringing Past Worlds to Life

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Julia Ridley Smith is the author of a memoir, The Sum of Trifles (University of Georgia Press, 2021), and a story collection, Sex Romp Gone Wrong (Blair, forthcoming). Her short stories and essays have appeared in Alaska Quarterly Review , The Cincinnati Review , Ecotone , Electric Literature , the New England Review , and The Southern Review , among other places. Her work has been recognized as notable in Best American Essays and supported by the Sewanee Writers Conference, the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, and other arts 

When writing a memoir or personal essay, how do we bring our past worlds—and selves—to life on the page? For this class, we’ll read a couple of short, memoir-based essays that illuminate how to give readers a rich sense of places that have played important roles in our lives. Together, we’ll do several writing exercises designed to help us see those places with fresh eyes and describe them in vivid language.

Saturday, April 29, 2023 | 10am-12noon EST

by Julia Ridley Smith

 organizations. She teaches creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Find her at

juliaridleysmith.com  and @JuliaTrifles .

Giving Feedback in Critique Groups

Participants will learn the Amherst Artists & Writers method of manuscript review, practice applying this approach to brief manuscripts, and discuss its use in critique groups. Information about how to join Winston-Salem Writers' critique groups will be provided. Registrants do not need to be in a critique group to take this workshop. 

Saturday, February 4, 2023  |  10am-12noon EST

by Lane Goddard

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Lane Goddard, a WSW member (since 2006) and past board member, is a certified Amherst Writers & Artists workshop leader (since 2009); she joined the AWA board in 2012, serving as secretary-treasurer, vice-chair, and chair before her retirement in 2020. Her wage-earning journey meandered through college classrooms, libraries, women’s clinics, hospitals, an apple orchard, and self-employment. She’s facilitated AWA-method creative writing sessions for WSW, and offered workshops in AWA-method manuscript review for WSW critique group leaders. All along the way, she’s collected the southern voices that speak in her novel in progress.

Saturday, January 14, 2023  |  10am-12noon EST

by Christopher Linforth

Have an interesting story to tell about your life, but don’t  know how to tell it? In this workshop, we’ll read some  contemporary pieces of creative nonfiction and complete  some generative exercises to elicit memories and reflection that will transfer powerfully to the page. By the workshop’s end, you will have the material and the framework to begin your journey in telling your story.

Creative Nonfiction: Telling Your Story ​

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Christopher Linforth is an award-winning writer of both fiction and nonfiction. He has published three story collections, mostly recently The Distortions (Orison Books, 2022), and dozens of creative nonfiction pieces. He has been awarded fellowships and scholarships to many writing conferences and residency programs, including the Sewanee Writers' Conference, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Kone Foundation, the Ragdale Foundation, the BAU Institute at the Camargo Foundation, and many others. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the literary magazine Atticus Review and teaches at The Writer's Center.

This interactive class offers an overview of the fundamentals of what makes a short story soar. We’ll study Fred Chappell’s “Children of Strikers,” keeping a close eye on character, dialogue, tension, setting, and language, and examine how these elements are used to create a masterful story in merely 1000 words. The goal is for workshop participants to come away with insight and techniques to apply to their own writing and revising

Writing the Short Story

Saturd ay, January 21 , 2023 |  10am-12noon E ST

by Leslie Pietr zyk

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Leslie Pietrzyk’s collection of linked stories set in DC, Admit This to No One, was published in 2021 by Unnamed Press. Her first collection of stories, This Angel on My Chest, won the 2015 Drue Heinz Literature Prize. She is the author of three novels: Silver Girl, A Year and a Day, and Pears on a Willow Tree. Short fiction and essays have appeared in, among others, Ploughshares, Story Magazine, Hudson Review, Southern Review, Gettysburg Review, Iowa Review, The Sun, Cincinnati Review, and The Washington Post Magazine.  Awards include a Pushcart Prize in 2020. She teaches fiction in the low-residency MFA program at Converse University in Spartanburg, SC. For more information:  www.lesliepietrzyk.com  or @lesliepwriter 

Saturday, January 28, 2023  |  10am-12noon EST

by Edwin Hill

The Structure of a Mystery: Upping the Stakes in Any Novel ​

In this hands-on writing workshop, we will investigate the structure of a mystery novel as a means to increase the tension and the momentum in your novel. Using the three-act structure as a model, we will carefully examine elements such as the inciting incident, the midpoint, and the climax, while paying close attention to the elements that make for a successful first act, including scene development. In the last section of the course, we will shift over to character development, focusing on using motivation to create compelling characters.

You will need a notepad, a pack of index cards, and a pen during class. While this workshop is intended for crime fiction writers, fiction writers of other genres may find it useful and are welcome to attend. 

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Edwin Hill’s critically acclaimed crime novels include the standalone thriller, The Secrets We Share, and three novels featuring Hester Thursby. He has been nominated for Edgar and Agatha Awards, featured in Us Magazine, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal, and was recognized as one of “Six Crime Writers to Watch” in Mystery Scene magazine. He lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts with his partner Michael and his favorite reviewer, their lab Edith Ann, who likes his first drafts enough to eat them.

Writing Program

The Writing Program offers a variety of courses, including the First-Year Writing Seminars (Writing 109, 110, and 111) and upper division writing courses at the 200 and 300-level. Note that not every course is offered every semester. View currently offered courses here .

WRI 109. Writing Seminar, Part I. (2 h)

First course of a two-semester sequence in which students explore writing as a recursive process. Students practice engaging with others’ views and texts; developing and reflecting on their own claims, evidence, and reasoning; connecting writing choices with rhetorical purposes and effects; and composing in various genres. Enrollment limited.

WRI 110. Writing Seminar, Part II. (2 h)

Second course in a two-semester sequence in which students explore writing as a recursive process. Students practice engaging with others’ views and texts; developing and reflecting on their own claims, evidence, and reasoning; connecting writing choices with rhetorical purposes and effects; and composing in various genres. Enrollment limited. P-WRI 109.

WRI 111. Writing Seminar. (4 h)

Foundational course in which students explore writing as a recursive process. Students practice engaging with others’ views and texts; developing and reflecting on their own claims, evidence, and reasoning; connecting writing choices with rhetorical purposes and effects; and composing in various genres. Class limited to 16. Satisfies the Basic Writing Requirement. 

WRI 210. Exploring Academic Genres. (3 h)

An advanced composition course focused on the study of academic writing. Students consider the rhetorical and linguistic features of research-based writing, examine methods of research and evidence-gathering, and analyze argumentation across disciplines. Enrollment limited. P – WRI 110 or WRI 111 or exemption from WRI 111 .

WRI 212. Literary Nonfiction: Art of the Essay. (3 h)

Reading, writing, and analysis of the essay. Consideration of the rise and evolution of various forms of the essay; inclusive of essayists from a variety of disciplines. Enrollment limited. P – WRI 110 or WRI 111 or exemption from WRI 111 .

WRI 306. Special Topics in Rhetoric and Writing. (1.5, 3 h)

Study of significant rhetorical or writing theories and practices focused on one area of study. May be repeated once for credit. P- WRI 110 or WRI 111, exemption from WRI 111, or permission from instructor. 

WRI 307. Contemporary Theory of Rhetoric and Writing. (1.5, 3 h)

Study of key historical developments and theories in the current field of rhetoric and writing studies since its 20th-century inception. May be repeated once for credit. P- WRI 110 or WRI 111, exemption from WRI 111, or permission from instructor. 

WRI 310. Interaction in Language: Introduction to Written Discourse Studies. (3 h)

Analysis of theoretical traditions in discourse studies, including Pragmatics, Analysis of Institutional Talk, Genre Analysis, and Corpus Linguistics, designed to provide students with new approaches and tools with which to question, investigate, and critique how language works in discourses that are meaningful to them.

WRI 320. Writing in and about Science: Scientists as Writers and Writers as Scientists. (3 h)

Reading, writing, and analysis of scholarly and popular science writing. Consideration of scientists as writers and rhetoricians, namely, the varied purposes and audiences for which scientists and science writers compose. Enrollment limited. P – WRI 110 or WRI 111 or exemption from WRI 111 .

WRI 322. Investigating Innocence at the Intersection of Journalism, Narrative, and the Law. (3h) 

Learn to write like a journalist and think like a lawyer, on the premise that lawyers have much to learn from journalists about storytelling and journalists have much to learn from lawyers about evidence. Working together, students in the Law School and undergraduates investigate an ongoing case of a wrongful conviction under review by the law school’s Innocence & Justice Clinic. POI Required . Also listed as JOU 322

WRI 340. Practice in Rhetoric and Composition. (3 h)

Training and practice in rhetorical analysis and composition. Students work on developing effective composing processes and strategies, then put them into practice toward a variety of purposes. Course topics vary across semesters. May be repeated once for credit. P- WRI 110 or WRI 111 or exemption from WRI 111.  

WRI 341. Writing Center Pedagogy. (3 h)

Introduction to composition pedagogy and writing center theory and practices, with special emphases on one-to-one and small group peer tutoring techniques. The course includes classroom-based work – reading, writing, responding, discussing, and exploring instruction and consultation processes – and field experiences. Students spend a total of 20 hours observing in writing classrooms, the WFU Writing Center and/or community sites, and tutoring. Students reflect on these experiences to prepare a final researched writing project. Required for undergraduates interested in working in the Writing Center as peer tutors. P – WRI 110 or WRI 111 or exemption from WRI 111 .

WRI 342. Writing Practicum. (1-3 h)

Practical or professional experience in writing, rhetoric, and composition. Students must be supervised and mentored by a faculty adviser. Cannot be repeated.

WRI 343. Independent Study. (1-3 h)

Independent study with faculty guidance. By prearrangement.

WRI 344. Magazine Writing. (3 h)

Learn and practice the skills needed to produce magazine stories for publication. Focusing on a single topic of their own choosing, students learn advanced principles of interviewing, document research, story structure, character development, and explanatory journalism as they read and analyze some of the best magazine stories written over the past thirty years . Also listed as JOU 340 . P – JOU 270 or POI.

WRI 350. Writing Minor Capstone. (3 h)

Seminar course in which students read widely in writing studies, compose new and revise previous essays, and create an e-portfolio. Required of all students wishing to graduate with an interdisciplinary writing minor.

Course Listings and Descriptions

Each semester’s course listings and detailed course descriptions are provided in the links below.

To see the English department section of the Undergraduate Bulletin, visit the online bulletin here . 

English Literature Courses

Creative Writing Courses

Journalism Courses

Writing Courses

Graduate Courses

English Literature and Writing Courses

Chart: Courses by Instruction Method

Chart: Department Courses by Modality

English Literature courses

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writing classes winston salem

The mission of the Wake Forest University Writing Center (WC) is to support university writers at all levels of experience at any stage of the writing process.

Have questions.

Visit the FAQs, Policy, Appointments, and Resources pages above or reach out to us at [email protected] . You can also call us at (336) 758-5768 or drop by the Writing Center in ZSR 426. We look forward to working with you on your writing!

wfuwritingctr

Happy Valentine’s Day, Deacs! We would LOVE to help you with those writing assignments today. We have plenty of appointments available. Come see us in ZSR426 or go on line to make an appointment! #iwcw24 #wfu #wfu28 #wfu27 #wfu26 #wfu25 #wfu24 #godeacs

WriteByNight Writers\' Service

  • Testimonials
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  • Beta Reading, Critique & Workshops
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writing classes winston salem

North Carolina Resources for Writers

Here you’ll find a collection of resources for writers in North Carolina, from conferences to local critique groups to literary magazines. If you’re looking for writing groups near you, writing workshops near you, creative writing classes near you, or simply a place to hang out with writers or submit your work, these are some North Carolina writing organizations you might want to check out:

WriteByNight

For more than a decade, WriteByNight has helped writers in North Carolina and beyond achieve their literary goals. And we want you to be next! Claim your free consultation  to learn about WBN’s customizable  one-on-one writers’ services , including:

Book Coaching :  If you’re writing a book and want some help along the way.

Manuscript Critique : If you’ve written a book and want a beta read, critique, or writing workshop.

Editing/Proofreading : If you’ve written a book and want someone to polish it for you.

Publication Assistance : If you’ve written a book and want help finding an agent or publisher.

Burlington Writers’ Club

Now in its 55th year, the Burlington Writers’ Club is a monthly writing group offering critiquing, contests and more.

Carolina Quarterly

Publishes a variety of poetry, fiction, essays, reviews and artwork three times a year.

Cave Wall Press

Published twice a year, offers poetry and black-and-white artwork.

Charlotte Writers Club

Supports the work of writers and promotes their development through education, recognition and community in celebration of the written word.

Greensboro Review

Founded in 1965, publishes poetry and fiction.

Jargon Society

Publishes books, sponsors programs in literature and the arts, and occasionally provides support for a poet or photographer who is deserving but unrecognized.

NC Writers’ Network

Sponsors three conferences each year—a spring conference in April, a writing residency in July, and a fall conference in late October or November. These conferences bring together hundreds of writers for writing workshops, readings, networking and lively discussion.

North Carolina Haiku Society

Founded in 1979 to promote the writing and appreciation of haiku in English. Offers readings and other events.

North Carolina Literary Review

Published annually by East Carolina University and the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, it offers poetry, fiction and nonfiction by North Carolina writers, interviews with North Carolina writers, and articles and essays about North Carolina writers, literature, and literary history and culture.

North Carolina Poetry Society

Founded in 1932, this is an organization for poets and friends of poetry. Holds annual meetings and a poetry festival for its 400 members.

Pamlico Writers’ Group

Providing a forum for area writers to practice and hone their craft since 1978.

Redbud Writing Project

Offers six-week writing workshops and classes at community spaces in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and elsewhere in and around the Research Triangle. Writing workshops cover topics from fiction and memoir writing to revision and all aspects of the submission/publication process.

UNC Wilmington Writers Week

Annual event bringing together visiting writers of local and national interest, UNCW students, and members of the general public with an interest in literature and writing. Activities throughout the week include writing workshops, panels and readings.

WCU Spring Literary Festival

Brings local and distinguished national writers together for an annual event.

Winston-Salem Writers

A group of writers who write fiction, nonfiction, plays and poetry. Offers programs, writing workshops, critique groups, open mic nights, web-based writing, contests and writers’ nights out.

Help us add to this list, North Carolinians! Do you know of writing groups near you, writing workshops near you, creative writing classes near you, or a North Carolina literary journal we should be aware of? Let us know here

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646.374.8174 [email protected]

Summer Immersion Program

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writing classes winston salem

Questions regarding Summer Immersion Program Institute waitlists may be answered on our FAQ page .

Screenwriting institute.

writing classes winston salem

Use your creativity to craft the stories you want to tell through dialogue, plot, and tone.

The Wake Forest Summer Immersion Screenwriting Institute is an unforgettable experience for high school students. Do you have an interest in screenwriting and are curious about writing your own? Are you passionate about storytelling? Do you love creative writing and dream about creating the next great movie, documentary, or television series? If so, then the Screenwriting Institute is for you. The Screenwriting Institute is a week-long program designed for high school students to gain an understanding of the art and craft of writing screenplays for film, television and/or video games. Students will learn how to write their own screenplay, meet with Screenwriting professionals, and create two short original screenplays by the end of the week.

Screenwriting Institute students

At a Glance

2024 Dates: June 23 – 28

Program Length: Sunday – Friday

Who Can Apply?:   Current 9th – 12th grade students

Location:  Winston-Salem, NC – Wake Forest University Campus

Tuition:  $2,800

Online Immersion Program : Study online with Wake Forest anywhere, anytime, at your own pace.

*Courses carry no secondary school or college credit. Upon completion of the program, an official Wake Forest University Certificate of Completion will be awarded to all Screenwriting Institute participants.

What You’ll Experience

Topics covered:.

  • Structure – Set-up and Pay-Off
  • Storyboarding and Screenwriting
  • Character Development – Goals, Obstacles and Flaws
  • Workshopping and Editing
  • Genre and Tone

Hands-On Experiences:

  • Work to write a screenplay 
  • Watch and analyze different styles of filmmaking
  • Engage in discussion with professional screenwriters
  • Hear about trends and see behind the scenes
  • Learn to use Final Draft software – what the pros use!

*Hands-on experiences are subject to change.

writing classes winston salem

A Day in the Life

Typical daily schedule.

  • 8:00 am – Morning Meeting and Breakfast
  • 9:00 am – Welcome and Program Introduction
  • 9:30 am – Special Guest Lecture: Screenwriting
  • 10:00 am – Technical Skills: Creating the Premise and Plot
  • 12:00 pm – Lunch and Learn: Screenplay Examples
  • 1:00 pm – Field Trip: UNCSA
  • 4:30 pm – Debrief for the Next Day
  • 5:30 pm – Dinner
  • 6:30 pm – Evening Activities
  • 7:30 pm – Free Time
  • 9:00 pm – Prepare for Bed
  • 10:00 pm – Lights Out

*The “A Day in the Life” sample schedule is subject to change.

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Meet the Academic Leader

writing classes winston salem

Holly Swenson

Academic Leader, Screenwriting Institute

Holly Swenson is a graduate of the Wake Forest Masters in Communication program where she specialized in screenwriting, narrative production, and rhetorical analysis of film. She has written a wide variety of scripts from shorts, to features, to television, and she enjoys writing both original and adapted narratives. For her masters thesis, she adapted and expanded a novella into a 12 hour limited television series, and she’s currently working on an original feature. As an all around story nerd, she’s excited for the opportunity to write and work with other fellow story nerds during the program. 

Writing for ESL

Writing for ESL

Learn to write in English more effectively so you can achieve your goals and dreams. This course will teach you how to write clearly, logically, and cohesively in any academic or work setting.

Requirements

Many ESL learners have excellent educations, training, and skills in their native countries. However, their dreams of success elude them in English-speaking countries because they cannot write effectively in their new language. This course will show you what English readers expect and how your writing can achieve your goals.

You will learn about the entire writing process and its five stages: prewriting, outlining, writing, revising, and editing. You will learn to generate and focus your ideas. You will discover how to write clearly focused topic sentences and thesis statements, which will guide you in writing logical, unified paragraphs and essays. You will also learn to refine and perfect your work, making it free of grammatical and punctuation errors.

You will gain important critical thinking skills and learn some techniques for writing concisely. When you finish this course, you will be able to write clearly, logically, and cohesively, and you will be able to apply what you have learned in any academic or work setting.

Enrollment Options:

Lesson 1 - an overview of writing, lesson 2 - the creative process, lesson 3 - effective essays, lesson 4 - three types of essays, lesson 5 - compare and contrast essays, lesson 6 - cause and effect essays, lesson 7 - argumentation essays, lesson 8 - correcting your wording, lesson 9 - take care with verbs, lesson 10 - other parts of speech, lesson 11 - common writing problems, lesson 12 - punctuation and wrap-up.

Prerequisites:

A basic understanding of English grammar.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

  • This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 8 or later.
  • Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader .
  • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
  • Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

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Dr. Sabri Bebawi

Dr. Sabri Bebawi has been a college instructor for 20 years. His educational background includes law, journalism, and English education, with a Ph.D. in education and instructional technology. Dr. Bebawi has worked as a journalist in Europe and in the United States, writing on a wide range of topics.

Instructor Interaction : The instructor looks forward to interacting with learners in the online moderated discussion area to share their expertise and answer any questions you may have on the course content.

Related Courses

Summer Writing Camps for Young People

UNCA Summer Writing Program

It’s Memorial Day Weekend, which means summer is here. Before you know it, your children will be out of school and needing activities to occupy their time. And let’s face it: you’re going to want them out of the house, at least for a few hours this summer.

Here are some summer writing workshops for youth happening around the state. Maybe there’s one in your area? Most offer a mix of creative and academically oriented classes.

The University of North Carolina at Asheville’s summer writing program returns this year with week-long sessions in June and July for rising 6th-8th graders (“All Things Writing”) and rising 9th-12th graders (“Write Now”). The programs offer each participating student experience in different aspects of writing under the tutelage of Asheville’s finest writing instructors. Students will also participate in hour-long, end-of-day workshops called Epilogues. These workshops will feature guest speakers who will address special writing-related topics such as The College Application Essay, Writing for Newspapers, Brainstorming Ideas, Careers in Writing, and more.

The Charlotte Writers Club offers “Seeds of a Story,” a writing workshop for ages 9-14, on Thursday, July 28 . Lisa Williams Kline, along with special guest Kathleen Burkinshaw, will teach the worksohp at The Warehouse in Cornelius. To register, e-mail Lisa at [email protected] . The cost is $25.

Also in the Charlotte area, the Young Writers Academy hosts several summer camps in Charlotte and Fort Mill , including “Campfire Stories” (ages 5-7); “Writing in Nature” (ages 7-11); and “Comic Book Writing” (ages 7-11); along with workshops on essays for ages 10-18. Tuition varies.

UNCG Young Writers' Camp

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro offers a Young Writers’ Camp . This two-week camp, in its fifth year, is for students in grades 3-12. It will be offered July 11-July 22 , 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, in the UNCG School of Education Building. Campers will create twenty-first century texts using digital tools such as storyboarding, blogging, and movie-making during this two-week camp experience. The camp introduces young writers to the writing process, unlocks strategies of professional writers, and supports a variety of writing styles. Scholarships are available.

The Reynolda House in Winston-Salem offers three camps for all ages to explore art and creative writing in the unique setting of the historic Reynolda Estate and inspired by the Museum’s collections. Includes swimming in the indoor pool! These “Summer Adventures” run June 27 – July 8 .

Wake Forest University’s Great American Writers’ Camp returns June 27 – July 2 with even more writing activities, strategies, and projects. Blossoming young writers will hone their skills and styles as they learn to take ideas and develop them into coherent stories, poems, arguments, speeches, and more. This program is committed to helping young writers enjoy camp AND gain new strategies for creating and communicating. Working intermittently in groups, individually, and one-on-one with an instructor, students will begin to see how their ideas and words have a place in the world around them.

The Young Writers’ Institute in Cary offers a collection of sixteen half-day camps for students in grades (rising) 2nd-12th. Each camp runs from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm OR 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. Camps are limited to six students, and courses range from creative classes to classes on writing academic essays.

Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh offers summer book clubs for kids . The age groups are Summer BIRDS (ages 5-7) and two book clubs for older children, ages 7-9 and 10-12. Each club meets for multiple sessions, and there are small fees. Books purchased for the clubs receive a 21 percent discount in their Kid’s Department.

WFU's Great American Writers' Camp

Also in Raleigh, the North Carolina State University Department of English offers its 33rd Annual Young Writers Workshop , July 11-22 , for students entering 4th through 8th grades. The Young Writers Workshop is a two-week, non-residential summer program with daily afternoon sessions to help young people develop and explore their creative writing talents.

The Young Writers Workshop at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington is an annual five-day camp that brings together up to 45 high school students to study the craft of writing on the UNC-Wilmington campus. The workshop is organized and operated by UNCW’s Department of Creative Writing, and camp participants have the opportunity to study with published, working writers—faculty members and graduate students in the department’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program. This year’s workshop runs July 12-16 .

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  2. TWP Writing Studio

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  3. Winston-Salem Writers holding three workshops

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  4. Writing Center

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  5. Creative Writing

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  6. Writing Center

    writing classes winston salem

COMMENTS

  1. Writing Classes, Competitions & Programs

    If you have any questions about membership, send us a message through our contact form or call us at 919-308-3228. Each year, the NC Writers' Network offers programs on the craft and business of writing, including 3 conferences, a variety of competitions and online classes.

  2. Creative Writing

    CRW 287 Creative Nonfiction Workshop CRW 300 Topics in Creative Writing CRW 384 Playwriting CRW 385 Advanced Poetry Workshop CRW 386 Advanced Fiction Writing CRW 387 Advanced Literary Nonfiction Workshop Electives that fulfill the minor: COM 316 Screenwriting

  3. HOME

    Winston-Salem Writers is a group of writers who write fiction, non-fiction, plays and poetry, and who care about the art and craft of writing. Charles Witosky, playwright, and the cast of I've Decided I'm Not Going ... Generative Writing Workshops. February. 4 6 8 14 15 21 24 27. Writers Around Town WSW Open Mic On Your Feet Open Mic Generative ...

  4. WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS

    660 W. 5th Street, Winst on-Sal em, NC Generative Workshop is Free and Open to All. No Registration Required. Generative Writing Workshops (Recurring) Monthly, 2nd Wednesday | 6:30pm-8:00pm EST by Barbara Greenbaum

  5. Top 10 Best Writing Classes in Winston-Salem, NC

    1 of 1 Got search feedback? Help us improve. Related Searches in Winston-Salem, NC After School Programs Art Classes Classes Education Late Night Study Library Public Parenting Classes Places to Study Real Estate School

  6. Writing Competitions, Editing Services & Workshops

    The North Carolina Writers' Network (NCWN) connects writers across the state through education, competition, editing, critique services, and peer review.

  7. Writing Program

    [email protected] 336-758-5768. Wake Forest University 1834 Wake Forest Rd Winston-Salem, NC 27109

  8. Courses

    Courses The Writing Program offers a variety of courses, including the First-Year Writing Seminars (Writing 109, 110, and 111) and upper division writing courses at the 200 and 300-level. Note that not every course is offered every semester. View currently offered courses here. WRI 109. Writing Seminar, Part I. (2 h)

  9. Course Listings and Descriptions

    Summer 2024 English Literature Courses Spring 2024 English Literature Courses Creative Writing Courses Journalism Courses Writing Courses Graduate Courses Fall 2023 English Literature Courses Creative Writing Courses Journalism Courses Writing Courses Graduate Courses Summer 2023 English Literature Courses Spring 2023 Fall 2022 Summer 2022

  10. Writing Center

    You can also call us at (336) 758-5768 or drop by the Writing Center in ZSR 426. We look forward to working with you on your writing! wfuwritingctr. WE'RE BAAAAACK! Come and see us in ZSR426 or go ... Winston-Salem, NC 27109. Theme by Out the Box. See Also. ... and Student Success (CLASS) ...

  11. Writing Institute

    2024 Dates: Week of July 7 - 12 and week of July 21 - 26. Program Length: Sunday - Friday Who Can Apply?: Current 9th - 12th grade students. Tuition: $2,800 Location: Winston-Salem, NC - Wake Forest University Campus Online Immersion Program: Study online with Wake Forest anywhere, anytime, at your own pace. *Courses carry no secondary school or college credit.

  12. Writing and Editing Courses In Winston Salem, NC

    Jan 17 Available from these Winston Salem Colleges Davidson-Davie Community College 1205 Salisbury Rd, Mocksville, NC 27028 Number of Students 3258 Courses offered 163 $75.00 Learn More Fundamentals of Technical Writing

  13. Fall Conference 2021

    Select from courses on a variety of genres and on the business of writing. Master Classes. Giving advanced writers the chance to delve more deeply into a particular genre. ... North Carolina Writers' Network PO Box 21591 Winston-Salem, NC 27120 Phone: 919-308-3228. Usual Office Hours: 10 am - 4 pm, Monday ...

  14. Writing and Communication Center

    The Writing and Communication Center is located on the 1st floor in the Student Success Center at Hill Hall . Our peer and professional writing tutors offer writing, reading, and communication assistance to all WSSU students, faculty, and staff.

  15. College Prep Writing and College Essay Help

    At Sylvan Learning of Winston-Salem, our College Prep Writing program is an interactive way for your son or daughter to master the college application essay and build the research-based writing skills needed for college success. ... applying the skills learned in class. Get valuable practice in the writing, research and analysis skills that are ...

  16. Resources for writers in North Carolina

    Offers six-week writing workshops and classes at community spaces in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and elsewhere in and around the Research Triangle. ... Winston-Salem Writers. A group of writers who write fiction, nonfiction, plays and poetry. Offers programs, writing workshops, critique groups, open mic nights, web-based writing, contests and ...

  17. Wake Forest Screenwriting Summer Pre-College Program

    2024 Dates: June 23 - 28. Program Length: Sunday - Friday Who Can Apply?: Current 9th - 12th grade students. Location: Winston-Salem, NC - Wake Forest University Campus Tuition: $2,800 Online Immersion Program: Study online with Wake Forest anywhere, anytime, at your own pace. *Courses carry no secondary school or college credit.

  18. Events by County

    WINSTON-SALEM WRITERS WORKSHOPS When: Various dates in spring, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Where: Online Cost: $15 (members) / $25 (non-members) WRITING GROUP FOR WOMEN ... EIGHT WEEK PROMPT WRITING CLASS - COED When: Tuesdays (10:30 am - 1:00 pm) Where: Zoom Cost: $235 for eight-week class

  19. Reading and Writing Courses In Winston Salem, NC

    Courses offered 172 $99.00 Learn More Ready, Set, Read! A learning specialist shows you how to raise a successful reader and writer. 6 Weeks / 24 Course Hrs Currently Enrolling Available from these Winston Salem Colleges Forsyth Tech 2100 Silas Creek Pkwy, Winston-Salem, NC 27103 Number of Students 12704 Courses offered 172 $99.00 Learn More

  20. Greensboro, NC Creative Writing Classes Events

    Save this event: Business Case Writing Classroom Training in Winston Salem, NC Share this event. Business Case Writing Classroom Training in Winston Salem, NC. Fri, Nov 24 • 9:00 AM + 21 more. ... Save this event: Ornament Painting Class Share this event. Ornament Painting Class. Sat, Nov 18 • 10:30 AM . Project:Re3 Church.

  21. Writing for ESL

    This course will show you what English readers expect and how your writing can achieve your goals. You will learn about the entire writing process and its five stages: prewriting, outlining, writing, revising, and editing. You will learn to generate and focus your ideas. You will discover how to write clearly focused topic sentences and thesis ...

  22. Squire Summer Writing Workshops 2023

    UNC Asheville Great Smokies Writing Program. Workshops for writers of all levels. Monthly Mentorship with Katey Schultz. ... North Carolina Writers' Network PO Box 21591 Winston-Salem, NC 27120 Phone: 919-308-3228. Usual Office Hours: 10 am - 4 pm, Monday - Thursday Office hours will vary based on programming, holidays, etc.

  23. Davidson County Schools says teacher wrote racial slurs

    Davidson County Schools is condemning a teacher at Ledford High School for writing a racial slur, the name of a hate group and a vulgar term on a whiteboard in his classroom. The teacher has been ...

  24. Summer Writing Camps for Young People

    The Reynolda House in Winston-Salem offers three camps for all ages to explore art and creative writing in the unique setting of the historic Reynolda Estate and inspired by the Museum’s collections. Includes swimming in the indoor pool! These "Summer Adventures" run June 27 - July 8.