Just finished the Work in Progress class with Lindsey Crittenden. This is the second class I've taken from her and I would be happy to take anything else she offers. Organized, engaging and enthusiastic. I can't recommend her enough. read more

Very nice building ..Ive heard of this workshop group u pay for ..writing aside the building is an old block building from the war and industrial days ..different views of SF industrial scape ..mission or soma ..spacious ..workspaces with nice desks and outlets ..sofas ..workshop office ..nice to see the views read more

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Just finished Lindsey Crittenden's Start from Scratch course. It was one of the best writing courses I've taken. Very well structured with challenging and interesting instruction. Lindsey kept the class moving along which was a nice departure from my last too-chatty online class (not at the Writers Grotto), and the other students were smart and kind. I'm considering taking it again! read more

Just finished Lindsey Crittenden's Work-in-Progress Workshop and had a great experience. Lindsey was an excellent workshop leader, very encouraging and supportive. The Writers Grotto is an awesome community and a cool space. I hope to take additional classes and will apply to join as a member soon. read more

I loved the class I took at the Grotto. Lindsey Crittenden is a fantastic teacher--great at leading discussions, an incisive reader, wonderfully supportive and encouraging. The other students were generous and creative and fun to share work with. I learned a lot more and was a lot more successful in my project than I had expected would be possible in just six weeks. I'll definitely be taking additional classes at the Grotto in the future based on this experience. read more

Just finished Lindsey Crittenden's 6-week Start from Scratch class where we wrote a short story from scratch. Lindsey taught us valuable skills and came to every class organized with notes. The class was intimate. Everyone--from Lindsey to the other students--gave insightful feedback on everyone's weekly writing. I spent at least a few hours outside the class each week on the readings and assignments. Gave me the push I needed! One of the best classes I've taken. read more

Lindsey Crittenden's WORK IN PROGRESS course is truly life-changing. Before I took this class (for the second time) I was deadset on composing a memoir. I was tens of thousands of words into the project, but it wasn't feeling right. Through the individual activities and group work that focused on prose and process alike, as well as through Lindsey's feedback and the collective feedback from my peers, I switched my trajectory to the personal essay. I know I would not have made that switch without the input and support of this class. Lindsey is a truly gifted instructor as she toes the line of intervention and observation splendidly. I am very grateful that this course exists!! read more

I've now taken two different classes at the Writer's Grotto and highly recommend them. Recently took Lindsey Crittenden's class - Start From Scratch, where we had to complete writing a short story from beginning to end. Before the class I was struggling a lot to evolve my ideas and scenes with characters into a fleshed out story (no matter how much I stared at narrative arc outlines, but Lindsey broke it down into smaller steps with some pretty helpful writing prompts and examples that I'll continue practicing after the class. Besides the focus on evolving an idea to become a fully formed story, I valued her emphasis on building drama and tension. Overall I like that the Writers Grotto has a variety of classes for all levels, and the assignments given each week actually encourage you to write regularly (always the hardest part). I've also met lots of fellow aspiring writers and meeting likeminded people has been really rewarding. The classes vary a lot and every instructor is different, so I would definitely think about that carefully. I wouldn't say my 4-star review would represent every class they have; because it's hard to compare them apples to apples. I'm taking one star off because The prices of the classes are high, and they didn't lower when they took all their classes virtual (in-person classes I think they're still working on getting back). Some of their classes cost over $100 / session. In this case, the short story class with Lindsey was $535 for 6 classes over 6 weeks, each class was 2.5 hours long. read more

I really enjoyed the online class that I took at the Writer's Grotto, "Writing from your Life" with Meghan Ward. It was a great way for me to learn about memoir writing for the first time, practice writing in response to prompts each week, and best of all get in-depth feedback - both written and in real time - on a longer section of my memoir. I'm sure this class will depend greatly on the students who take it, and I was fortunate to have thoughtful and empathetic students attending with me who gave great feedback. Megan also had very helpful feedback for each of our writing assignments and I appreciated the detail that she gave when going over our work - as a teacher myself, I know that this is extremely time-consuming! The class met weekly for an hour on zoom, and also had an online component where we could review each other's work and write comments. I would recommend verifying the class time if you choose to do a remote experience as originally the class was supposed to meet from 5 to 6 pm and the Zoom meeting time was moved to 10-11 am (for me as a freelancer this was fine however it was a little unexpected). There was still an asynchronous option for students who were not able to attend the zoom in real time and that seem to work very well. Overall it was a great class and wonderful introduction to memoir writing! read more

Lindsey Crittenden's advanced fiction (non-generative) workshop was incredible incredible incredible! I heartily recommend it to all with drafts that need critical revisions in order to manifest as publishable literary works. I am a post-MFA NYU grad with a completed story collection and a novel in the works. And, so I was looking for a workshop in which to revise my novel's first chapters. First, I will expound on Lindsey's class' proverbial bang for your buck. It was 2.5 hours for 5 Saturdays and I got to workshop 45 pages! Just to give you perspective, for semester long classes I've gotten to workshop 60 pages. The quantitative benefit pales in comparison to the qualitative critical eye Lindsey brought to my pages. I came away with clear directions for revision, down to the line level, and with local Bay Area colleagues with whom I will be continuing to workshop. At the end, I even asked if Lindsey consulted with writers privately and we may work together in the future, her schedule permitting. All in all, an excellent, well worth it investment in my crazy birds and gangster novel. I hope The Writers' Grotto offers more long form non-generative advanced fiction workshops with Lindsey because you can bet I'll be taking them! read more

Great class on How to Use AI to Improve Your Writing with Laird Harrison. It was a great class that greatly expanded my knowledge of the pros and cons of AI, the variety of AI tools available and the many ways they can be used. read more

Just took a course on how to use AI to improve your writing. A great introduction to AI and the issues (good and bad) it raises. Amazing how AI can help a writer develop any project. read more

A review of Laura Fraser's one-day writer's workshop: Laura was a spectacular teacher and engaging presenter. As a 10+ year educator, it's rare that I take a course or watch a presenter who exhibits such a strong practice of good teaching. The organization and flow of the day was perfect. There was no sense of information overload. We covered a lot of ground while enjoying ourselves. I left with newfound confidence in my writing and a refreshed eye on my practice. The Grotto space was terrific and fellow attendees top-notch. I appreciated the discount offered in return for volunteer support. It makes a big difference to me when organizations work to keep their offerings accessible to all members of the community. It reveals an emphasis on the craft rather than the profits. I have no doubt that I will return for more courses with Laura or other instructors. I recommend this place without reservation! Thanks again, Laura and Grotto! read more

DON'T DO IT. Had the grave misfortune of signing up for Lindsey Critterden's Work-In-Progress Workshop. I was so looking forward to a productive and interesting time. Well, there was no actual "workshop." The teacher just made it up as it went along . Told us flat-out to do whatever we wanted -- read a story or not; sit on the couch and write or not; consult or don't consult. HUH? Zero guidance. None of us in sync. Everything up in the air. I have no idea who wrote the review that Lindsey was some kind of magic-making teacher, e.g., "Lindsey read every submission twice and gave incredibly detailed, thoughtful, and knowledgable feedback." I'd wager it was a personal friend or a purchased review. It's a bit over the top. I can tell you without a shred of a doubt that that is NOT the Lindsey I had. Maybe she was better at some point. I'll never know. Heck, the world as we know it may end. But I DO know she absolutely SUCKED for my class. Her "lessons" consisted of little speeches that were your usual humdrum retread about how writing takes persistence and etc. She reminded me of some politico who had not read any intelligence reports, who was way over her head, who had no strategy whatsoever, yet persisted in standing on a soapbox and telling citizens that the battle would be won. Basically she was like Trump. By the third week, I'd ended up by myself in the Grotto's library, trying to write in a notebook and wondering why I couldn't be doing this in a coffee house. Why did I have to pay good money to be alone with no instruction? And then the PANDEMIC hit and everything got much, much worse. Personal priorities trumped continuing with this time-waste of a class (which had switched to video-conferencing; now not even a table to write on). I explained my situation -- that the world had literally changed, that my present needs were different -- and kindly asked for a very small refund for the two weeks I wouldn't attend. She adamantly refused. The amount in question was $45. There are greedy, unconscionable people in this world. I shouldn't be surprised when I meet one, yet I always am. Deeply saddened too. Now I'm stuck in place, out of work, and worried for my elderly mom. $45 at a time like this can seem like a lifeline. PS -- I'm sure there must be a good teacher at the Grotto. It was my humongous bad luck to get stuck with the one who preferred not to teach, but just cruise along to an easy paycheck and keep every penny of it, no matter if the country got locked down in crisis. read more

I just finished taking Laird Harrison's class on how to use AI, and found it incredibly helpful in understanding the pros and cons, and limitations and ethical considerations regarding its use. The class also provided a wonderful overview to help demystify this growing area. read more

Mark Wallace is a fantastic instructor. I adored his course on the 'Personal Essay' and I'm sure his other offerings are just as good. He is, above all else, a generous teacher -- generous with his time, his feedback, and his many insights about writing. I could go on and on, but perhaps the best thing I can do is to implore you to stop reading Yelp reviews and just sign up for one of his courses already. You will not regret it. read more

I've taken SF Grotto classes in the past, but this review pertains to Xandra Castleton's 8-week introduction to screenwriting workshop. Xandra's class is excellent. She creates an open, friendly atmosphere for all levels and immediately moves into the particulars of scriptwriting, idea generation, and outlining. The pacing of the class was ideal. No one seemed to feel overwhelmed, and we were quickly hashing out our own ideas and writing scenes. Even if you're familiar with screenwriting, there's just something to Xandra's approach which will help you think about structure and character in a clearer way. It's a solid syllabus. The scripts and clips are carefully matched to support and inspire classroom discussions. When I took the class (Spring 2018), tuition was $675. That's eight 3-hour sessions. In retrospect, I think this is an extraordinarily good value. Should anything come of my own scriptwriting efforts, I would mark this class as a turning point in my development. (I would also add that we had a diverse range of voices in our class, in terms of age, race, cultural background, and gender orientation. It felt welcoming and inclusive.) read more

I'm happy the Grotto is changing with the times, thanks to a slew of Grotto members who are people of color and have been taking leadership. Full transparency, I was accepted into the Rooted & Written program for emerging writers of color, benefitted from it a lot and met many new contacts there. The Grotto is not perfect but they doing what the rest of the publishing and literary world needs to do: CHANGE and make room at the table for all the ultra-talented BIPOC writers here in the Bay. read more

Took Meghan Ward's memoir writing class, "Writing from Your Life," via the Wet Ink online platform. She also held Zoom meetings which I was unable to attend except for the last one in which I workshopped my story. I thought the structure of the class worked really well. Each week she had a craft lesson (which I appreciated very much since I'm a beginning writer), and we critiqued each others' homework via Wet Ink. I liked the way the online platform worked and Meghan had really good, concrete feedback. Five stars! read more

Lindsey Crittenden's short story class was excellent. She mixes up the sessions with varying activities which keeps the class moving and connected. The readings were chosen well. Even though it was not a workshop class, her feedback was helpful and kept us moving forward. Debbie Costello read more

I took my second Write A Short Story from Scratch class from Lindsey Crittenden. What a fine way to connect with my writing and others of like mind. Lindsey is up beat and presents an interesting method for crafting short fiction. We read lots of great short stories and discussed them in breakout groups. Same for our beginnings and turns and endings. Zoom breakout groups. Who'd a thought. We celebrated last night by reading our stories to each other. Covid19 didn't stop us. New classes start soon. read more

I just completed Laura Fraser's Be a Better Writer in 3 weeks workshop and as a result I am excited about writing. I went in to the workshop feeling a bit intimidated. "I am not a writer", said the voice in my head. I left with some excellent tools and am excited about this journey of writing ahead of me. Laura is personable, smart and she is an inspiring teacher. The class included everyone from the newbie writer like mesa number of authors and we all left with skills that are beneficial to our writing. Thank you Laura. read more

I've taken three classes at the Grotto. The most recent one (Sept. 2019) was the best--Reading and Writing the Personal Essay with Mark Wallace. Mark's thoughtful commentary on my work greatly exceeded my expectations. He made my writing better and gave me a lot to think about for future drafts. Good and thought-provoking selection of readings as well. read more

I did several workshops at The Writers Grotto many years ago and really enjoyed & benefited from them. I did my first online workshop with them -- Laird Harrison's Writing Opinion Pieces workshop - recently during our shelter-in-place here in the Bay Area because of the Coronavirus pandemic. I found the workshop very helpful - I got a good overview of what makes a good Oped and got insightful feedback about the piece I wrote from Laird as well as the other participants. Laird also shared a great list of places to submit. It was a short workshop. We only met twice but we covered a good amount of ground & it was content-rich. It's not easy to write a good oped. As someone who writes from a personal space, I think it will take some practice to write objectively and critically about things I feel so passionate about. But I think being able to write like this -- building up a case, foreseeing possible objections -- is such an important tool in a writer's toolbox. If you are a decidedly emotional, intuitive writer like me, I think this would be a great workshop to exercise your more objective side. Oped writing is also a great way to have your writing make some impact and change some minds. To sum it up, after this workshop, I have the tools to explore Oped writing and feel confident that I can begin writing and submitting. Highly recommend! read more

Lindsey Crittenden's Work in Progress Workshop was excellent. I had two longer stories (15 pages+), that I had created in other classes and then developed on my own, in a vacuum, without feedback. My work needed a good read with good writers. Lindsey structured the class wonderfully! We had about 8 people and met for several hours each Saturday. Prior to class, everyone would read 2-3 student drafts for the class and comment on the pages. Lindsey would then lead a structured and thoughtful discussion, giving each piece 30-45 minutes. She made sure everyone participated and that themes within the feedback were synthesized. Everyone critiqued my work, wrote out their high level feedback and completed line edits when asked. The way she structured the time with everyone sharing their high level views, then detailed views, and then allowing the writer to ask questions was very efficient and helped the writer to truly understand the readers' experiences. Additionally, Lindsey read every submission twice and gave incredibly detailed, thoughtful, and knowledgable feedback. My work became so much better! I'm excited to take this class with her again. read more

I have taken classes with both Laird and Lizette at the Grotto and they have helped understand the business of a writer's world. I highly recommend them for anyone who is confused about what it takes to get published and paid to write. read more

I took Lindsey Crittenden's Imagery Intensive course, which was a one-day workshop. Lindsey's examples, instruction, prompts and feedback were just what I was looking for. I left the course with a packet full of prompts and exercises so that I can continue learning at home at my own pace. I also left with specific feedback on a few pieces of my writing and some breakthrough ideas on how I can improve my imagery in an essay that's in progress. It was a small class - seven of us - which I thought was a great size. We had a mix of individual, group, and whole-class exercises. The six hour day flew by. read more

I have taken personal essays class with Laura Fraser and it was very helpful. She was very detail-oriented and very generous about giving her personal feedback. She gave to all of us great insights and thoughtful suggestions on how to rewrite a paragraph or how to explore and emotion or an image. In addition to all that, the group was amazing. We helped each other a lot and we are still in contact, even thought the class ended months ago. I highly recommend Laura Fraser, she is a great teacher! read more

I enjoyed taking "Plan Your Writing Career" by Laird Harrison on 1/13/19. Laird provided many resources for professional networking for writers in various lines of work (freelance, fiction, journalism), and prompted us with thoughtful questions to uncover our various internal and external barriers to the next stage of career development in writing. read more

I attended the "Write A Winning Book Proposal" workshop at The Grotto yesterday with Julia Scheeres and it was informative, inspiring and very helpful! I've never written a book before, so the step by step guide for writing the book proposal was exactly what I needed. I also enjoyed Julia's teaching style which included a generous sharing of knowledge, insight, anecdotes and personal stories, all of which brought the material to light and truly helped me absorb the information. There was plenty of time for questions, and I walked away feeling well equipped to begin my proposal. I also met other interesting writers, and even walked away with a new writing/ accountability buddy! Well worth every penny. Thanks Julia, and thanks to everyone at The Grotto for creating a space for writers to thrive! read more

I took "How to Write a Children's Book" with Lisa Lerner and learned so much! She is an incredible teacher who is very experienced, lively, and really gets children and what makes a great children's book. She provided great examples, excellent handouts that were clear and useful, and gave detailed feedback. She's obviously a great children's book editor and writer. I had never delved into this genre before and give her a humongous, ginormous, fabulicious thumbs up! read more

I entered The Writer's Grotto not expecting anything, but what I got instead was inspiration. The walls in suite 200 490 Second Street displayed book covers of works of well known Bay Area writers who actually have office spaces in The Grotto. Some of their books are displayed on my very own bookshelves. I was in awe. I recently took my first writing class called Building a Great Memoir: The Nuts and Bolts with Louise Nayer at The Writer's Grotto. As a full-time working mom with two rambunctious and precocious young kids, who has never written anything other than essays in college, I was filled with trepidation, fear, insecurity and anxiety entering the class, which was comprised of a small group of very talented writers. When they read their work out loud, I was amazed at what they came up with in such a short amount of time that I thought I was going to have a heart attack and opted not to read my illegible chicken scribble, but Louise would not have it. She calmly encouraged me to read what I wrote and was willing to listen to what I had to share. She also gave very constructive feed back. The other students were very encouraging as well. I felt very fortunate for this experience. The class inspired me to delve deeper and pay attention to details that would define my story. Hearing the other students read their exceptional work inspired me to challenge myself and write better. I'm glad my first writing class was Louise Nayer's class. She was very patient, calm and positive that I felt comfortable. I am looking forward to taking more classes from Louise Nayer and The Writer's Grotto and maybe eventually grow a set of brassy balls to actually write something worth being published. read more

I'm a professional writer and editor and had been away from workshops for years, but took a writing class with Junse Kim and then a grant-getting class with Lizette Wanzer this spring. These are the best writing dollars I've spent. The classes are focused, very well facilitated, and SO HELPFUL. Junse Kim's emotion writing workshop was great for writers still learning their craft, and also a really helpful sharpening of the tools for advanced ones. Lizette Wanzer's grant-getting class was literally the best money I've invested in my career. It's about getting grants, but to teach that, it also covered artist statements, polishing up your online presence, making an effective business card, and writing proposals. It also introduced me to about six different tools to make submissions and proposals easier to manage. In short, it's been a turning point. read more

Chris Colin's "personal essay for publication" is a fantastic writing course. He's great at helping you pinpoint what you mean to say, and at nudging you toward ways of saying it that other people can relate to. The class is also structured well, with a focus on daily writing and quickly generating a full piece for review. A few months after I finished the class, I published two personal essays. Chris' direction had a ton to do with this--it gave me a mental frame for what the writing process is like, and the confidence to push through scary "I don't know what I want to say" feelings until I got to something decent. Good vibes and people at the SF Writer's Grotto. read more

I just finished Elizabeth Bernstein's Short Story workshop and had an excellent experience. Her class makes writing approachable. She was very encouraging without being too lenient on the feedback. She was smart, concise, well read, etc. One thing I appreciated was her openness to critique different voices and perspectives. I've taken classes before where you can tell based on a taste level if the teacher doesn't care for your genre. She was extremely open minded. take this class! I highly reco it. read more

I was a blocked writer for about 20 years or so until I saw a random ad for Method Writing taught by Alexandra Koutalous at the Writers' Grotto. Simply put this is a writing technique based on the principles of Method Acting as originated by Jack Grapes, a well known LA based writer, actor and teacher. This technique definitely altered my approaches to writing and unblocked my writing self. Instrumental to the content of the class is the awesome person, Alexandra Koutalous, a former Jack Grapes student, who spear heads the induction into the method. She is an awesome support and aid to the development of the deep voice. I can't recommend her enough as a teacher, support and mentor. Her humor, knowledge and insights put her in a category beyond superb! You can now find Alexandra Kostoulas at SF Creative Writing Institute, 25 Taylor Street, SF, where she still teaches this brilliant course! read more

Connie Hale presented a wonderful workshop that I attended a few weeks ago at the Grotto. It was called "Sin & Syntax" and was based on a book she's published about using grammar to improve prose. It was a fast-paced, fun, interactive session and I learned a *lot*! I think of myself as possessing excellent grammar already - but Connie really taught us how to use more active language and precisely crafted sentences to bring writing to life. I was so happy that I took the class and I definitely recommend her as an instructor. read more

I took a class over at the Grotto with Laura Fraser. It was super useful. We went over a ton of super useful tools to review writing and I came away with more than a few tips on how to simplify and clarify my writing. I would totally recommend it for people looking to spruce up their writing technically! read more

I've taken two classes at the Grotto (so far), and both were excellent. I most recently took Louise Nayer's memoir class, which gave me the chance to workshop a piece, meet fellow writers, and solidify some aspects of my writing practice. All that in two sessions! Louise provides a warm, thoughtful, and intellectual environment for trustful sharing. I've also taken Lyzette Wanzer's Building Your Career as a Literary Artists, a nuts-and-bolts and resource-rich class that will help you get organized on getting your work out and finding residencies. The class was not only helpful, but super fun. What's great about Grotto classes is that you get the expertise and intimacy you need to keep going with your work. I'm very appreciative! read more

creative writing class with Elizabeth Bernstein- Highly recommend it, the class size was small and level of writing high. ''continuing studies' classes I had taken in the past - my time was wasted waiting for a bunch of people to drop out the first few classes - this was not the case at the writer's grotto. Classmates were very committed as was the instructor. 5 stars. read more