<![CDATA[Narratively Academy: Open Book 🎥]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/s/live-videoshttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZGCa!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9243be55-be3f-4abd-94cd-babfdeb6e934_578x578.pngNarratively Academy: Open Book 🎥https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/s/live-videosSubstackFri, 03 Jul 2026 14:00:04 GMT<![CDATA[WATCH: "How to Report on Family Secrets" with New York Times Contributor Susan Saulny]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-how-to-report-on-family-secretshttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-how-to-report-on-family-secretsSat, 06 Jun 2026 13:02:28 GMTHappy weekend, writers! What did you work on this week? Don’t forget to share your #WeeklyWins over in the Narratively Academy Chat.

The best thing I did this week was my chat with , the writer behind one of the most impressive feature articles I’ve read this year, the epic story, “A Family Secret No More,” published in The New York Times a few weeks ago.

In her story, Susan explores the dual life stories of her grandfather, George, who lived in the Jim Crow South as a Black man, and his lighter-skinned brother, Edward, who moved to Chicago and “crossed the line” to live as White. It’s a remarkable reported essay that I can only imagine took an immense amount of researching, reporting, and navigating complicated family dynamics to put together.

If you haven’t had a chance to read Susan’s story yet, here’s a gift link for you to catch up this weekend. Click play above to dive into our full conversation about how Susan put this incredible piece of storytelling together.

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]]><![CDATA[WATCH: Melissa Petro on How to Write a Hybrid Memoir]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-melissa-petro-on-how-to-write-38dhttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-melissa-petro-on-how-to-write-38dTue, 02 Jun 2026 14:02:31 GMTThis Open Book conversation with , author of Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification, is one that has been particularly helpful for a lot of writers in our community. So many of us have lots of material for a memoir but no firm concept about how that material comes together into a marketable book.

Melissa chatted with us about how she re-conceptualized her memoir into a hybrid book that feels very of-the-moment — and got a publisher’s attention with her new proposal. Give it a watch by clicking play above.

BTW, we have just a couple seats left in Melissa’s Nonfiction Book Development Boot Camp, which starts next week. If you’re ready to take on a full-length book—memoir, narrative nonfiction, or something in between—but you’re not totally sure how it takes shape, this two-day workshop is designed to help you transform your idea into a structured, strategic vision you can confidently pitch, write and publish.

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To make sure you never miss a post, become a free or paid subscriber to Narratively Academy.

]]><![CDATA[Writing + Publishing My Memoir at 75]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/writing-publishing-my-memoir-at-75https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/writing-publishing-my-memoir-at-75Sat, 30 May 2026 13:03:26 GMTThis was such a fun one! It was so inspiring to hear Laurie Garnier’s story of how, at age 40, she decided to change everything in pursuit of a better life—and how, at age 75, she finally wrote that life story and got it published.

The book is And Then There Was Paris and for those who didn’t have the chance to join us live, we’re making the recording free for everyone. Here’s to always chasing your dreams.

Happy weekend!

]]><![CDATA[Inside the Book Launch: How Hybrid Publishing Works]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/inside-the-book-launch-how-hybridhttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/inside-the-book-launch-how-hybridTue, 26 May 2026 14:03:45 GMTHello, writers! Hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing long weekend—or at least a not-so-miserable Monday if you weren’t lucky enough to have yesterday off. On Thursday we had a fantastic conversation with , author of the just-published memoir Widow in the City: A Memoir of Heartbreaks and Hookups.

We recently published an adapted excerpt of Amy’s memoir over on Narratively.com, and we wanted to chat with Amy to learn more about how she finished and published her book. Her memoir comes via She Writes Press, an award-winning hybrid publisher for women authors. Many of you have questions about how this model works, and Amy was kind enough to open up and chat about everything.

Paid members can watch the full conversation above.

Not a member yet? Sign up now to access our full library of “Open Book” videos, read all our StoryCraft articles, and get 20% off every Narratively Academy class.

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]]><![CDATA[The Secret Life of an Obit Writer]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-the-secret-life-of-an-obithttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-the-secret-life-of-an-obitTue, 05 May 2026 13:03:29 GMTThis week’s Open Book was one of my favorite yet. The great Lee Gutkind keeps reeling in fascinating guests, and the latest is veteran New York Times obituary writer Michael Roswenwald, who told us all about the craft of obituary writing—how he decides what to include, what to leave out, and how this work shapes the way we think about narrative, memory, and meaning.

Paid subscribers can watch the full conversation above.

(Not a subscriber and want to try it out? Drop us a line at academy@narratively.com and we’ll give you a free week’s access so you can watch this and our entire archive of Open Book videos.)

Watch more Open Book episodes from Lee Gutkind and Narratively Academy:

And if you’re new to Narratively Academy—or if you’re not!—a quick reminder that tomorrow is Writers’ Room, a virtual session we facilitate each Wednesday morning — at 8 a.m. on both the East and West coasts — in which writers of all genres gather to write together. We share what we plan to work on at the top, spend a majority of the time typing away and then check back in at the end to share how it all went. If you’re looking for accountability, inspiration or some semblance of a writing routine, this might be just the thing for you.

Click here to join for either session!

(If you are asked for a passcode, enter: 824784)

Want to receive text message alerts each week when we’re about to begin Writers’ Room, or add this weekly event to your calendar?

8 a.m. ET Writers’ Room: head here to (very easily) sign up for text alerts, and here to add the 8 a.m. ET Writers’ Room to your calendar.

8 a.m. PT Writers’ Room: head here to sign up for text alerts and here to add the 8 a.m. PT Writers’ Room to your cal.

]]><![CDATA[How to Be a Successful Freelancer With Amelia Edelman]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/how-to-be-a-successful-freelancerhttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/how-to-be-a-successful-freelancerSun, 26 Apr 2026 13:03:35 GMTEveryone likes to fancy themselves a freelance writer, but the reality of it can be kind of intimidating. Can you actually earn real money, where do you even begin, and once you do, how do you keep track of all your projects? We had a lot of questions. Lucky for us (and you!), one of our favorite successful freelancers, — whose work has appeared on/in The New York Times’ T Brand Studio, NPR, Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, Parents, and Gloria — agreed to join us for an Open Book chat so we could pick her brain about all of it. We learned about the importance of anchor clients and tapping your network, how to keep track of your finances and save for taxes (the fun part!) and how to get to work on things you want to work on. It was truly a delight of a conversation in which we learned so much. Click play above to watch the whole thing!

P.S. Just a reminder that all of our live videos are free, and the recorded versions of them are available to all paying members. Learn how to become one below!

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]]><![CDATA[This Week, 200+ Writers Gathered to Talk AI. It Sparked a Real Conversation.]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/this-week-200-writers-gathered-tohttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/this-week-200-writers-gathered-toFri, 24 Apr 2026 14:03:46 GMTOur live workshop this week with Jay Dixit drew over 200 writers for a spirited conversation about how to use AI without surrendering your creativity — or rendering your work ineligible for consideration from certain publishers. The key? Not using AI to write a single word. Ever.

Instead — and this is the heart of his six-week Socratic AI Intensive, beginning May 18 — Jay will help you train a chatbot like Claude to be your 24/7 personal sounding board, writing coach and thinking partner.

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Over the course of an hour on Wednesday, the questions from the crowd were sharp and Jay’s responses were insightful, thoughtful and surprising. Watch the full recording below.

If it resonates and you want to put these ideas into practice, Jay’s Socratic AI Intensive is designed to help you finish your writing project that matters most — with Jay guiding you every step of the way.

Early-bird pricing is available through Monday, with an additional 20 percent off for Narratively Academy members, as always. Reserve your spot here.

—Noah

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To learn more about Jay, this masterclass, and his methodology, check out his masterclass overview below. We hope you’ll join us on May 18.

Narratively Academy is a writer-supported community. To help us continue our work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

]]><![CDATA['A Better Literary World Is Possible': How to Get a Book Deal Without an Agent]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/open-book-a-better-literary-world-is-possiblehttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/open-book-a-better-literary-world-is-possibleSun, 22 Mar 2026 12:31:30 GMTAny writer knows that if you plan to work on a book — even if you’re just thinking about it — at some point the matter of whether to get an agent or not (or at least to try!) will come up. As much as you may want to put it off. 😉 There can be so much hullabaloo around it: How many agents will you need to get in touch with before securing one? What do you need to have completed before you reach out to begin with? And, like dating, the ever-looming question of, Is there even someone out there who is a good match for me?

Of course, some writers forego the whole agent-querying process altogether. With that in mind, we spoke to authors Bonnie Chau and Kristi D. Osorio about their experiences doing just that. We asked them about why they decided to submit without agents to begin with, how they got book deals on their own, whether they would do it differently again and more. Click play above to watch the whole thing!

P.S. And just a reminder that all of our live videos are free, and the recorded versions of them are available to all paying members. Learn how to become one below!

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]]><![CDATA[How to Write for "The Personals" at Narratively.com]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-how-to-write-for-the-personalshttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-how-to-write-for-the-personalsMon, 02 Mar 2026 16:00:09 GMTThe Personals is a Narratively.com series of sharply focused first-person stories that capture a single surprising unforgettable moment or event. We get a LOT of submissions for The Personals so we wanted to take some time to answer all of your questions about what we’re looking for here, and what will make us more likely to publish your story.

Click play above to watch, then send us your stories!

Submit to The Personals

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]]><![CDATA[Finding Balance in the Writing Business]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-finding-balance-in-the-writinghttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-finding-balance-in-the-writingSat, 21 Feb 2026 15:02:24 GMTAs many of you know, Jane Friedman is a leading voice in the publishing industry. Her newsletter, The Bottom Line, provides nuanced, transparent market intelligence to thousands of authors. This week, Lee Gutkind chatted with Jane about the state of the publishing industry and how writers can find the right balance of focusing on writing and focusing on business. Jane also answered your questions bout book proposals, building a platform and more. Click play above to watch the full thing.

Want more expert writing advice and guidance? Don’t miss our upcoming Narratively Academy classes!

Memoir With Magical Realism: Starts Feb. 24

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31 Days, 31 Revision Prompts: Starts March 1

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Verifying Family Lore: March 12

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The Power of Visual Language: March 19

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Launching a Book Without a Big PR Budget: March 28

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Speculative Nonfiction Workshop: Starts April 7

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Want to be the first to know about new live videos and class announcements—plus get 20% off every class you join? Sign up as a paid member of Narratively Academy

]]><![CDATA[How to Blend Magical Realism + Memoir]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/how-to-blend-magical-realism-memoirhttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/how-to-blend-magical-realism-memoirWed, 18 Feb 2026 15:02:17 GMTThanks to everyone who joined us for yesterday’s live interview with about magical realism and memoir. If you weren’t able to join, just click play above to watch the full interview.

And if you’re ready to dive into this world, don’t miss Jaz’s upcoming class, How to Write a Memoir with Magical Realism, an intensive six-week workshop in which students will learn how to shape an effective (and true!) memoir using fantastical elements borrowed from this beloved genre.

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Get full access to everything we publish at Narratively Academy—plus 20% of all classes—by becoming a paid member.

]]><![CDATA[How to Write an Autobiographical Novel]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/how-to-write-an-autobiographicalhttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/how-to-write-an-autobiographicalSat, 14 Feb 2026 15:02:45 GMTIn this week’s episode of “Open Book” author Rafael Frumkin tells us why they decided to write an autobiographical novel instead of a memoir—and explains how nonfiction writers can get started with turning their true experiences into fiction.

If you didn’t get the chance to join us live, just click play above to watch the whole thing, or listen in your favorite podcast player. We’re making this episode free to all.

And if you’re ready to make the leap into fiction yourself, don’t miss Rafael’s class—From Essays to Novels: Fiction Writing for the Nonfiction Writer—which kicks off this coming Thursday, February 19.

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Subscribe to Narratively Academy to make sure you never miss an episode of Open Book.

]]><![CDATA[How to Turn Your Essays Into a Collection With Nicole Graev Lipson]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/essay-collection-live-chathttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/essay-collection-live-chatSun, 08 Feb 2026 13:02:43 GMTI’m still pinching myself that I got to chat with the brilliant yet again, this time for our Open Book series about one of my favorite topics, the essay collection, or more specifically, the memoir-in-essays. Nicole wrote one of my favorites, Mothers and Other Fictional Characters, which was published last year. As promised, Nicole was a true open book about her experience, sharing how she started getting back to writing after having children, at what point she realized she might want to expand her standalone pieces into a collection, when she decided to look for an agent, what went into her book proposal and so.much.more. If you haven’t read her memoir-in-essays yet, I can’t recommend it enough — please buy a copy today. And if you’ve ever thought about penning an essay collection yourself, you won’t want to miss our recorded chat, which is available to all paying members. (See how to become one below if you aren’t already.) Enjoy!

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]]><![CDATA[How I Turned My Nonfiction Article Into a Book]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/how-i-turned-my-nonfiction-articlehttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/how-i-turned-my-nonfiction-articleFri, 30 Jan 2026 14:01:22 GMTWe love seeing writers expand their Narratively articles into published books! In this week’s episode of our Open Book video/podcast series, Ethelene Whitmire shares how she leveraged her article, The Gay Black American Who Stared Down Nazis in the Name of Love, to land a significant book deal with a major publisher. Paid members can watch the full video above. Be sure to order a copy of Ethelene’s The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram, set to be published by Penguin Random House next week.

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]]><![CDATA[New York Times Features Writer Steven Kurutz on the Fine Art of Story Hunting]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/new-york-times-features-writer-stevenhttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/new-york-times-features-writer-stevenSun, 18 Jan 2026 14:05:28 GMTThanks so much to everyone who joined our live chat on Friday with Creative Nonfiction founder Lee Gutkind and New York Times features writer Steven Kurutz.

Steven has written so many fantastic articles over the years, and it was incredible to get his insight into how to find great stories—and figure out how and where to tell each one.

(We had a few technical difficulties which meant Steven had to be off-camera, but we rolled with it!) Click play above to listen to the full conversation.

We’re making this video free to all. If you like it and want to see/read more from Narratively Academy, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

]]><![CDATA[How to Juggle Multiple Creative Projects at Once]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-how-to-juggle-multiple-creativehttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-how-to-juggle-multiple-creativeFri, 09 Jan 2026 00:00:42 GMTWhat an honor it was to chat with this afternoon and hear all about how she handles the logistical, creative and emotional complexities of working on multiple writing projects at once. Even if you’re not an essayist-poet-performer-educator-filmmaker-screenwriter-playwright-novelist like Caroline is, if you always wish you had more time and energy to get creative, her insights here are gold. Because this one is relevant to so many of you new year’s goal-setters, we’re making the full video free—click play above to watch, or listen in your favorite podcast player.

If you’re inspired to get even more insight from Caroline, her Personal Essay Incubator starts this Tuesday and there are just two seats left. This a unique opportunity for just six writers to work directly with Caroline in a small group setting this winter, with weekly classes and close editorial guidance on writing, pitching and publishing personal essays.

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Staying on theme, Caroline is teaching not one but two classes with us this winter. (She really does multi-task well!) If you’re just getting started with writing about very personal topics, be sure to grab a spot in her perenially popular class, Deeply Personal: Writing First-Person Essays on Raw and Difficult Topics. It’s been so wonderful to see the writers in this small workshop class develop close relationships while they explore writing *those* kinds of pieces — the ones you always want to write but that require a push to figure out how to tell them in the right way.

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]]><![CDATA[Award-Winning Novelist Kern Carter on Landing the Book Deal…and What Comes Next]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/award-winning-novelist-kern-carterhttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/award-winning-novelist-kern-carterTue, 30 Dec 2025 15:03:07 GMTYou may have noticed that this video with was one of our top 10 most-read Narratively Academy posts of the year, and it’s not hard to see why. We really appreciate it when a successful author can be wholly honest and transparent about all of the ups and downs of the industry, and Kern is nothing if not that. Kern has landed six separate book deals (yes, we said five when we promoted this chat; and yes, as he revealed in our live video, he landed yet another one since then!)

Next week at Narratively Academy, Kern will teach Telling Your Story: The 90-Minute Seminar for Kickstarting Your Memoir. He’s also one of the mentors for our 2026 Narratively Book Incubator. Kern is such a generous, kind and knowledgable writer, and we’re very lucky to have him as such an active member of this community. For our last post of the year, we decided to make this full video free to all.

Kern chatted with us about why he felt self-publishing was the perfect way for him to “practice in public,” how he crafted a pitch that got the attention of an agent, what happens after you sign a deal with a major publisher, and how he made the agonizing decision to walk away from one of his deals. Kern’s candor about how it all goes down is helpful advice for writers at any stage of their publishing journey. Click play above to watch the full conversation.

Ready to start writing your own memoir? Join Kern on Tuesday, January 6 for Telling Your Story: The 90-Minute Seminar for Kickstarting Your Memoir. He’ll talk through how to find your voice, identify the parts of your life worth sharing, and ensure that your memoir connects emotionally with readers. This fun, fast-paced 90-minute seminar will get your memoir juices flowing first thing in the new year.

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And if you’re thinking about going all in and finally writing that book in 2026, don’t miss your chance to meet Kern and our other 2026 Narratively Book Incubator mentors on Wednesday, January 6.

All the info about the 2026 Narratively Book Incubator can be found here.

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Happy New Year!

]]><![CDATA[WATCH: The Wild World of Travel Writing]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-the-wild-world-of-travel-writinghttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/watch-the-wild-world-of-travel-writingTue, 16 Dec 2025 19:25:23 GMTWhat a treat it was to chat last week with , a longtime travel writer whose writing has been published in Afar, Smithsonian, Oxford American, Missouri Review, Ploughshares and many other publications, and has been selected to appear in various anthologies, including six (!) editions of The Best American Travel Writing.

Thomas has been traveling the world and finding things to write home about for several decades, and he has the stories and scars to prove it. The full video of our live chat is available for paid members—just click play above.

And don’t miss Thomas’ memoir: Falling into Place: A Story of Love, Poland, and the Making of a Travel Writer.

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]]><![CDATA[How to Become a Prize-Winning Essayist From Prison, With Christopher Blackwell]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/how-to-become-a-prize-winning-essayisthttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/how-to-become-a-prize-winning-essayistSun, 07 Dec 2025 13:03:19 GMTI could sing Christopher Blackwell’s praises all day long. He’s a beautiful writer — he won the 2023 Narratively Memoir Prize, after all, for his moving essay, “Chaos and Noise: One Man’s Harrowing Stint in Solitary Confinement” — a podcaster, executive director of an organization that works to empower incarcerated people, co-author of a book about solitary confinement and so much more. All while being incarcerated at a prison in Washington state, no less. But it’s not just that he does all these things — it’s that he does them all with passion, heart and intention.

I was lucky enough to get to chat with Christopher for an Open Book episode about how he manages to be such a prolific writer from where he currently is, the range of writing he does and where his ideas come from — plus, his own words of wisdom on how to write a deeply moving memoir essay. (And his advice is seriously gold.) Give it a watch or a listen just in time to submit something of your own to this year’s Memoir Prize, whether it’s an essay that just needs a quick dust-off and polish, or something you’ve been thinking about for weeks and are finally ready to just.bang.out. Head here to submit your piece to the 2025 Narratively Memoir Prize contest by EOD today! And, go…

To watch all of our Open Book videos — and access everything else Narratively Academy has to offer — become a paid subscriber today. ❤️

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]]><![CDATA[How to Write About Your Most Vulnerable Experiences With Susannah Cahalan ]]>https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/open-book-memoir-judge-susannah-cahalanhttps://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/open-book-memoir-judge-susannah-cahalanMon, 24 Nov 2025 20:39:34 GMTFor someone as successful as Susannah Cahalan — she’s among a small pool of writers who actually once got to answer the question everyone always ponders, Who would play you in a movie? (Chloë Grace Moretz!) — she’s very humble. She’s this year’s Narratively Memoir Prize judge, and she’s not doing it merely as a favor — she genuinely can’t wait to read your memoir stories. Truly!

Susannah joined me in conversation for a live Open Book episode where she spoke openly about her experience writing her acclaimed memoir Brain on Fire, how it’s led to her illustrious career and subsequent books, what makes memoir stand out for her, plus what writers might do that will earn them bonus points. Don’t take my word for it — click play above to watch or listen to Susannah enthusiastically speak about what lights her up in memoir and answer audience questions to boot! (And then submit your essay to the 2025 Narratively Memoir Prize contest here by December 7!)

To watch all of our Open Book videos — and access everything else Narratively Academy has to offer — become a paid subscriber today. ❤️

While we have you… Wednesday is just around the corner, and you know what that means: Writers’ Room! If you’re anything like us, you’ll need this writing session more than ever as a chance to get something done before jetting off for the long holiday weekend. East Coast team: You’re in luck this week, as multi-hyphenate writer-artist-poet-performer-filmmaker and longtime Narratively alum will be bringing her unique pizazz as a guest host this week. And West Coast team, you’re in luck, too, because Narratively Academy editorial director Spiegel always brings his unique pizazz, which if you’ve ever joined, you know. 😉

Reminder about the details: Writers’ Room is a virtual space for members of our community to meet up to share and write together, and it takes place every Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. ET and again at 8 a.m. PT. You can choose to join whichever time works better for you — or even for both.

Click this Zoom link to join us for either session on Wednesday.

Click on this Zoom link to join!

(If you are asked for a passcode, enter 824784)

Want to receive text message alerts each week when we’re about to begin Writers’ Room, or add this weekly event to your calendar?

8 a.m. ET Writers’ Room: head here to (very easily) sign up for text alerts, and here to add the 8 a.m. ET Writers’ Room to your calendar.

8 a.m. PT Writers’ Room: head here to sign up for text alerts and here to add the 8 a.m. PT Writers’ Room to your cal.

Click play above to watch the full conversation. Thank you for your support!

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