On this page find information about classes I’m teaching that YOU can take!

I teach regularly for Creative Writing organizations, including Writespace, Grackle & Grackle, and WAN (Write About Now) Academy. The listings here are for classes that are coming up which are open to the public. Click the links in the class titles to find out more and to register for each course. In many cases — particularly with Grackle & Grackle and Writespace — scholarships are often available if you contact the organization and ask.

Classes listed here are offered on Zoom unless otherwise noted, which means you can take them even if you’re not in Houston, from anywhere with an internet connection.

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Attempts, Journeys, and Epiphanies: The Expanse of Possibility Within the Personal Essay (Grackle and Grackle)
8 weeks — Tuesday evenings beginning April 4th, 6:00-9:00 p.m. (central time)

The word essay means “to attempt or try,” and we often use the essay form as a path toward understanding. Writing an essay is therefore a journey in itself. And when we share our essays, they can, as Phillip Lopate suggested, make “the reader feel less lonely in their confusion and darkness.” But one doesn’t have to flounder in despair to engage in this complex and lovely form. In this course, we will use mentor texts on a variety of subjects and employ multiple forms in our writing. We will dive wholeheartedly into our curiosity. If you find the ordinary five-paragraph essay from your school days tedious, don’t worry. We’ll be experimenting with more exciting structures here. Bring your past experiences, bring your nascent ideas about concepts outside of yourself, bring your willingness to try new things. And definitely bring something to write with, because this course will be generative, each week. You’ll also have the opportunity in workshop to get feedback on your writing in a collaborative and respectful atmosphere.

Click this link for more details and to register.

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Beyond Shakespeare: Writing Sonnets for This Century
Saturday, April 29th, 1:00-4:00 p.m. (central time), on Zoom

Yes, the sonnet is an old form, but it’s been made new in a plethora of different ways in our modern era. For example, they don’t all have to be fourteen lines and about love anymore. In this generative workshop we’ll acknowledge the traditional masters of this art form while also exploring the many ways the sonnet has evolved. We’ll cover six different types of rhyme and the expanded range of subjects the sonnet now typically embraces, and we’ll dive into what it means when we say, “The sonnet is an argument.” This class will be a mixture of instruction and writing time, with the possibility of feedback on your work in a supportive atmosphere. This course is appropriate for all skill levels. 

Click this link for more details and to register.

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Read Your Way to Writing Well: Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus
4 weeks — Tuesday evenings beginning June 6th, 6:00-9:00 p.m. (central time), on Zoom

Erin Morgenstern’s highly acclaimed debut novel The Night Circus rocked the literary world with its lush writing, clever structure, magnetic characters, and gripping story. In this four-week course, we will explore some of the reasons why Morgenstern’s novel is so well written and use it as a mentor text to generate some innovative writing of our own. Expect to discuss various elements of the text and to write original creative work, using Morgenstern’s techniques for inspiration. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their writing for supportive feedback during each class session. Homework involves reading The Night Circus over the course of the month and working on your own manuscript.

This course is open to all levels of writing and literary analysis. Students should read the first 3 chapters of the novel before the first class.

Click this link for more details and to register.

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Happy Hour: Make You and Your Writing a Priority with Motivational Mondays
4 or 8 weeks — Monday evenings starting June 12, 6:30–7:30 p.m. (central time), on Zoom

You’re already a writer. You’ve got a manuscript of some kind you’re trying to get down on paper, but finding the time to do it in this modern life is a challenge. Or maybe you know you want to write something, but you keep getting stuck. False starts, mushy middles, and fade-outs dominate your manuscript, preventing you from making the progress you want.

Do these dilemmas sound familiar? Most of us go through them at some point or another, but maybe we don’t have to. Join master teacher Angélique Jamail for a Creative Writing Happy Hour once a week to trouble-shoot whatever you’re working on and get some writing in. This is not a workshop. It’s not a class. There’s no specific homework. You won’t be given prompts (unless you ask for one) and won’t have to produce anything for formal critique. Just show up with your writing, your questions, and whatever snack or beverage you want for a one-hour Zoom session to start your week off with a creative, nurturing vibe.

Each session will adhere to a basic structure:

• 15-20 minutes of trouble-shooting with a creative writing expert in which you can get your own questions answered and/or learn from others’ questions
• a 20-minute writing sprint in which everyone writes quietly on whatever they want to work on
• an optional 5-minute chat session in case any new questions have come up
• one more 15-20-minute writing sprint

You’ll be amazed by how much writing you can accomplish in 20 focused minutes!

All skill levels welcome. Writers can sign up for one month or both.

Click this link for more details and to register.