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Cost: $95
Prose and poetry have a lot in common, and essayists in particular can learn a lot from poets. Developed by Narratively Chief Submissions Reader Amy Barnes, this fun and inspiring self-guided course is designed to help you break through writer’s block and figure out how to put your unique life experiences into words—with a little help from some of the world’s best poets. Each day we’ll share a poem or two on a theme, along with a quick prompt to help you get started on your own writing. Throughout the month, you’ll learn how to use poetry poetry as a jumping-off point to inspire your essays. Poems presented in the course will explore mostly contemporary poetry, on a variety of themes and topics, chosen to inspire class members in essay and memoir writing.
You’ll set aside a few minutes of your day to respond to that prompt and, if you choose to, share a short piece of writing with a supportive and encouraging community of writers. Your stories could be just a few sentences, or if you’re inspired, much longer. This is not an overly time-consuming class. The idea is to set aside half-an-hour each day to focus on your writing, and to make sure you write something. Much of what your produce will be rough drafts, ideas that don’t pan out, or just plain bad, and that’s OK! You are not required to participate every single day; the goal is to challenge yourself to write as much as you can.
By the end of the month you’ll have multiple solid essay ideas and a few early drafts. And you’ll vastly expand your knowledge of the personal essay marketplace via the daily readings, which will be chosen from 30+ different publications that are all open to personal essay submissions.
This is a self-guided class. You have the option to share your daily writing with the group and respond to your peers’ work, but there are no live meetings or feedback from instructors.
This class is right for you if …
You’ve written and published personal essays before and you need a fun kickstart to get back in the swing of things.
You have interesting life experiences that you want to share in essays but you’re not sure how to get started.
You want directed readings and inspiring prompts to get out of writer’s block and get moving on your memoir.
By the end of this class you’ll be ready to…
Finish and submit multiple personal essays this year, and/or move forward on your full-length memoir.
This is a 30-day self-guided prompt-based class, running from April 1 to April 30, 2026. Students can work at their own pace, at a time of their choosing, and are not required to write every day.
Instructor Bio: A Narratively editorial team member for the past eight years, Amy Barnes stepped into the new role of chief submission reader in 2024. Her third collection of fiction and essays, Child Craft, was published by Belle Point Press in September 2023. She has read over 2,500 essay submissions for Narratively, along with nonfiction and memoir stories as a reader and editor for sites and presses including Fractured Lit, Craft, The Porch TN, The MacGuffin, Orison Books, Ruby and Gone Lawn. She taught online courses for over 20 years for JER Group. Her own essays and creative nonfiction have appeared in many publications: McSweeney’s, JMWW Journal, SmokeLong Quarterly, Southern Living, Allrecipes, Motherly, Romper, Reckon Review, Simplemost, Forbes, Fodor’s, AARP, Business Insider, The Lonely Crowd, and others. She’s also been nominated for writing awards, including Best of the Net and a Pushcart Prize, was included in Best Small Fiction 2022, and longlisted for the Wigleaf Top 50 Very Short Fictions from 2021 through 2025
Registration Details: Seats in this class are limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Prior to the start of your class you’ll receive an invitation to access the virtual classroom and view all class materials.
Cancellation Policy:
Full refund when canceling 7 or more days before the class start date.
50% refund when canceling less than 7 days before the class start date.
No cancellations after the class start date.
Questions? Email us at academy@narratively.com.
More: Check out all of our Narratively Academy online writing classes here.