Live & Recorded Classes

Find community and grow your craft in our online workshops. We host both synchronous and asynchronous courses using Zoom and Canvas, an easily accessible, private online platform. Whether you’re a new writer or a well-published pro, you’ll find motivation, structure, constructive criticism, and a dedicated cohort.

Instructor: Chris Callison-Burch

Date: Sunday, March 30, 2-4 pm ET on Zoom

Can’t make it on March 30th? No problem. A recording will be sent to all registrants.

Cost: $60

Open to writers of: All Genres

This two-hour masterclass explores the impact of AI on the writing profession, from creative possibilities to practical concerns. Drawing on his expertise in AI research, Prof. Chris Callison-Burch will demonstrate key AI writing tools and discuss how writers might begin incorporating AI into their creative process. The session includes hands-on examples using popular tools like ChatGPT and Claude, strategies for using AI as a creative partner, and a frank discussion of AI’s limitations and ethical considerations. 

Topics include:

  • The state of AI writing technology
  • Hands-on demonstrations with popular AI tools
  • Creative applications (brainstorming, editing, research)
  • Maintaining creative control and authenticity
  • Future trends and preparing for change

Learn more about Chris Callison-Burch here.

Instructor: Tricia Park

Date: Sunday, April 27, 2-4 pm ET on Zoom

Can’t make it on April 27th? No problem. A recording will be sent to all registrants.

Cost: $60

Open to writers of: All Genres

What if the key to writing a great story wasn’t writing at all—but speaking? Inspired by the late great Peter Elbow’s Vernacular Eloquence, this workshop explores how storytelling begins in the voice, not the page. Through guided exercises in talking your stories aloud before writing them down, we’ll unlock natural rhythms, authentic emotions, and the freedom to shape our narratives intuitively.

We’ll also explore progressive distancing—a technique that allows writers to step back from personal experience, transforming raw memories into crafted fiction. By shifting perspectives and filling in the gaps with imagination, you’ll discover how to turn personal moments into rich, compelling stories without feeling trapped by “what really happened.”
 
This generative workshop is perfect for writers who struggle with self-consciousness, feel stuck in personal truth, or simply want a more fluid, natural approach to storytelling. Participants can expect to leave with new writing to take home and develop. Come ready to talk, listen, and discover the hidden fiction in your lived experience.
 
Learn more about Tricia Park here.

Instructor: Karen Rile, Cleaver Editor-in-Chief

  • Sunday, March 16, 2-3:30 pm ET on Zoom
  • Sunday, April 13, 2-3:30 pm ET on Zoom
  • Sunday, May 18, 2-3:30 pm ET on Zoom
  • Sunday, June 22, 2-3:30 pm ET on Zoom

Cost: $5

Open to: All writers, all genres, all humans

Embodied ResistanceIt’s a metaphor; it’s a concrete concept. Resistance training is the key to longevity and long-term mobility. Join us for a Sunday afternoon functional yoga class to reconnect your body to your mind. We’ll practice a combination of movement, bodyweight resistance, brain mapping, and breathing for a fun, low-impact, anatomy-based workout. This class is based on the LYT Method (pronounced as in “litmag”), which combines the mindfulness of yoga with the intelligence of physical therapy to improve core strength, flexibility, and balance for humans of every age. You don’t need to be a writer, and you don’t need yoga experience to attend. 

Our brains were designed to move; the better you move, the better you think.

This class will be conducted on Zoom. You’ll need a yoga mat and two yoga blocks. If you have knee pain, have a blanket or towel nearby. If your wrists bother you, you can use a pair of dumbells (any weight) for support. You don’t need to turn on your camera, but if you set up your mat and camera so I can see you, I may be able to give you live feedback. Questions? Email me. Each session costs $5 and happens on the third Sunday of every month. If cost is a barrier, email me directly and you’ll be added to the list, no questions asked. Make the commitment to yourself. Register here

90-Minute Sessions, hosted by Cleaver, on Zoom.

  • Sunday, April 6, 2-3:30 pm ET on Zoom
  • Sunday, May 4, 2-3:30 pm ET on Zoom
  • Sunday, June 8, 2-3:30 pm ET on Zoom

Cost: $5

Open to: All Writers

Are you struggling to find writing time? Showing up for your writing practice is the hardest part—life knocks you off track. 

Cleaver Magazine to the rescue! You don’t have to go it alone. Join us for our monthly Ass in Chair Sessions, a once-a-month, 90-minute commitment to your writing practice. With the communal energy that comes from writing together, you will make progress towards your writing goals, one word, one paragraph, one page at a time—by getting your Ass in Chair time. We’ll offer an optional prompt at the beginning—who knows where it will take you?

Each session costs $5 (because you’re more likely to show up for yourself if you have some skin in the game), and happens on the second Sunday of every month. Make the commitment to yourself. Register here. These sessions are not recorded.

BUILDING A REWRITING PRACTICE

Instructor: Megan Stielstra

Date: Sunday, August 24, 2-4 ET on Zoom

Cost: $60 (Signups not yet available)

Open to writers of: All genres

We write what is urgent to us; we rewrite to make it urgent for others. This lightning-bolt session examines rewriting as an invitation to invite other people—readers—into your writing practice and, in many ways, your own head and heart. What will they need to understand what you’re trying to share? What will they need to feel what you felt, see what you saw? Pulling from both literary and oral storytelling traditions, we’ll engage in activities asking us to consider the different stages of the rewriting process—are you diving back into the work to find its deeper meaning, or preparing it to share with others, i.e. submission and publication?

We all have hard drives and handwritten notebooks full of stories. We wrote them for a reason—let’s find it. Let’s share it. Let’s get at your stories. 

Read more about Megan Stielstra here.

Recorded Classes

Missed it? No problem. Buy the recording.

CLEAVER CLINICS

One-on-one editorial feedback for works-in-progress.

CLEAVER WORKSHOP FACULTY

Join our other 6,192 subscribers!

Use this form to receive a free subscription to our quarterly literary magazine. You'll also receive occasional newsletters with tips on writing and publishing and info about our seasonal writing workshops.