#generative class

“Water often comes up in my own writing, as an image and as an ecopoetic dream terrain…water touches all of our lives: we're made of water, it's all around us (even in deserts and landlocked cities), in our weather, in the ways we travel, connecting all parts of the planet, touching our memories. No matter what their background, everyone already has their own experiences and connections to water to draw on for writing inspiration.” – Sierra Nelson, instructor 

“To look at the sea is to become what one is,” wrote Etel Adnan. Over nine months, we’ll deepen our writer-selves by looking to Water—molecule to ocean, body to vessel, wave to creature, thermal vent to atmosphere, memory to fairy tale—for inspiration. We’ll do eclectic writing experiments (slanting to poetry, open to any genre), with in-class readings and writing time.  

We’ll generate new drafts in fall, workshop in winter, and culminate our time together with chapbook-making and a celebratory reading in spring. Leave with a beautiful pool of new drafts and starts, a sense of connection to a community of fellow writers, and a personal chapbook that pulls together the writing and revisions you’ve generated in class. 

Students say… 

“Sierra Nelson is a treasure…Sierra is thoughtful, encouraging, supportive and enthusiastic. This is the fourth class I have taken from her.” 

“Sierra has been such a delight to have as a teacher. She is so warm and generous and it set such a wonderful tone for the class. The materials she pulled from were so interesting and varied and provided such great jumping-off points for our writing exercises. I appreciated her open-endedness in regards to the invitations/assignments. Enough specificity/direction to help "unstick" my writing, but a lot of leeway as well. She organized the class with a great depth of topics and exercises and guests (clearly a lot of effort went into her preparation), sometimes taking me out of my comfort zone in the best ways! This was a fabulous class, and I would love to take another one from Sierra. I am already missing our Monday nights together.” 

Registration Dates:  

August 13: Member registration opens at 10:30 am PT   

August 20: General registration opens at 10:30 am PT  

September 1: Last day of Early Bird discount 

To register:

This winter quarter at Hugo House, I’ll be offering a generative creative writing class When the Color Blue Was Born, inspired by the color spectrum and more. Open to all genres of writing and previous levels of experience, and meeting on Sundays, 1:10-3:10 p.m. PST / 4:10-6:10 EST, Online via Zoom, starting January 22nd and ending March 12th. This 8-week course that will allow us to move through the rainbow and even farther into the electromagnetic spectrum. For anyone who has taken this class previously or a variation (like Crash Course Rainbow), this will be a new and expanded syllabus, with some favorite prompts returned to anew. 🌈

More info & to register:  https://hugohouse.org/product/when-the-color-blue-was-born/ 

Winter Registration Dates:

Dec. 5 | Scholarship Donation Day (priority registration w/ donation, by phone: 206.322.7030) Dec. 6 | Hugo House Member Registration Dec. 12 | Scholarship Applications Due - application form here. Dec. 13 | General Registration Opens Dec. 15 | Scholarship Applicants Notified Dec. 19 | Early Bird Pricing ends 

Registration continues until the class fills or the start day. All winter quarter classes begin in January. Would love to see you there!

There’s still room in my Hugo House fall generative writing class “The Poetry of Food & Drink” – meeting online via Zoom starting Saturday 10/30/21, 10AM-12PM PST, for 6 sessions total (skipping 11/13 and 11/27). 

Our inspiration will slant towards poetry, but the writing you do is open to any genre you want to work in. (And if you are working on a larger project, the prompts can be adapted to work with your larger vision.) This topic also particularly lends itself to a warm and convivial atmosphere: I am really looking forward to being in community with you, and generating lots of new work inspired by our senses, memories, and imaginations. 

Class Description: “There is no happiness like mine. / I have been eating poetry,” writes Mark Strand. We’ll consume a diverse buffet of poems inspired by food and drink, directly and tangentially, then with our own senses, memories, and imaginations we’ll write new work that lingers on the tongue. We’ll look at work by Pablo Neruda, Catullus, Jane Wong, Lidija Dimkovska, Kevin Young, and others, and create our own platter of new drafts. Optional one-on-one conference at the end. All levels of writing experience welcome. 

REGISTER SOON! https://hugohouse.org/store/class/the-poetry-of-food-drink-in-person-sierra-nelson/ 

Let’s get cooking! 

Extra-Sensory Poetry (6 weeks) Sundays 2/21-3/28 (starting this Sunday!), 1:10-3:10 pm PST, Online via Zoom (join from anywhere).  

Class Description: Sensory detail is an integral part of poetry — but why stay limited to the classic human five? What if a poem perceived with eight eyes like a jumping spider, or drew synesthetic inspiration for touch and taste from an octopus or butterfly? How can Time as a sense inform our poetic structure? What new senses are available through dreams and hypnogogic states? This generative class of eclectic writing experiments will help you take your imagery and structures to new levels. (All levels of previous experience welcome.) To register: https://hugohouse.org/store/class/extra-sensory-poetry-sierra-nelson/

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Playing with Poetic Forms YOUTH CLASS (Grades 9-12), Saturday 02/27, 1:00-2:30 p.m. PST - Online via Zoom (join from anywhere)

Class Description: In this class we’ll get inspired by looking at a variety of traditional poetic forms, such as the ghazal, sonnet, tanka, villanelle, and pantoum, and then we’ll try our own writing experiments with them. You’ll walk away with several new drafts of poems and fresh approaches to add to your poetry toolbox, whether or not you choose to continue writing in traditional forms or just want to borrow some of their techniques. Sliding scale $18-$60, and full scholarships also available. To register: here. 

Writing Fiction from Real Life In-Person and Online Writing Our Lives Class

Do you have stories you want to tell and need help telling them?

Do you have these stories about your life that you want to write but you don’t want to piss anyone off or aren’t ready to admit this things really happened to you? Solution: label them fiction!

Have you been writing fiction forever and want to dig into what it means to use your real life as fodder for your fiction?

Are you mostly…

Writing the Ghosts that Haunt: A Craft Talk and Generative Writing Class facilitated by Vanessa Mártir

Writing the Ghosts that Haunt by Vanessa A. Martir

Are there stories that you circle back to again and again? Stories about your life that you want to tell, but you don’t know where to start? Do you wonder what could come of tapping into your reserves, mining for the deeper stories and your deepest feelings? Vanessa Mártir, a renowned workshop leader and storyteller, has delved into the darkest…