Announcing Our New Fall 2025 Narratively Academy Classes!
Whether you're itching to finish that book, adapt your story for the screen, or dive into genres like magical realism, autofiction and more, our fall class lineup has you covered.
Can’t believe summer is almost over! On the plus side, that means it’s back-to-school season and almost time for our fall Narratively Academy writing classes. We have some very exciting new classes covering experimental types of writing we’ve never done before, plus new sessions of our most popular sold-out favorites. Keep reading for everything we have on offer this fall—and to get 20% off all of these classes, be sure to become a Narratively Academy paid subscriber today.
If you’ve ever thought your life story—or a story you’ve written or hope to tell—belongs on screen, this first class is for you. Hollywood is in a golden age of demand for true stories, and this 4-part masterclass is your insider’s guide to seizing the opportunity. Narratively Co-Founder & CEO Noah Rosenberg adapted his own memoir piece into a scripted series developed with Warner Bros. and Robert Zemeckis, and has led dozens of story-to-screen deals with Amazon, Universal, Lionsgate, and partners like LeBron James and Emma Roberts. In this very special class, he’ll pull back the curtain on how the adaptation process really works—alongside top development execs, producers, and screenwriters who will share exactly what they look for in nonfiction IP, and how you can take advantage of this moment.
Magical realism—which blends fantasy with reality—is a wonderful genre in its own right, but it can also be used as a plot device in memoir and nonfiction to help emphasize otherwise complicated themes. Jasper “Jaz” Joyner used it to great effect in their Richard Wright Literary award-winning work, Pansy: A Black American Memoir, and we’re honored to have Jaz on hand this fall to teach an in-depth seminar on how to infuse your own memoir with elements of magical realism.
Ever struggle with writer’s block? We all have! But what practical, effective steps can you take so that it doesn’t get between you, your words and the page? This 90-minute seminar, led by award-winning author and Vanderbilt University professor Paul A. Kramer, is designed to help you develop the tools to confidently move forward with your writing at every turn, and maintain the motivation to finish your projects this fall.
We were so proud to launch our first-ever Queer Writers Workshop this spring, and it got unanimously ecstatic reviews from students who built a very tight-knight community and workshopped their memoirs-in-progress together. Thankfully, we were able to convince instructor Claire Rudy Foster to come back for another round this fall.
One of the most common thing I hear from writers is: I know I have a book in me, but I don’t know if it’s a memoir or fiction…or maybe somewhere in between. If that’s you, you’re going to want to check out this class. Instructor Rebecca van Laer is an acclaimed novelist and memoirist, and in this innovative Memoir vs. Autofiction writing workshop, she’ll lead writers in exploring the worlds of memoir (a story that’s strictly true) and autofiction (a story that draws on your own life but expands to include fictional elements), helping you decide which direction your story wants to go.
A Pushcart Prize-nominated writer whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, CNN and many other publications, Kavita Das also authored the book Craft and Conscience: How to Write About Social Issues. Basically, she’s *the* expert on how to craft this type of writing. Writers have loved the seminars on social issues Kavita taught earlier this year, and we’re thrilled to have her teaching a more in-depth 6-week workshop on how to write about social issues this fall.
We’re particularly excited to announce our first ever Personal Essay Incubator. This intensive 10-week program is a unique opportunity for just six writers to work directly with Narratively executive editor Jesse Sposato in a small group setting this fall, with biweekly classes and close editorial guidance. Over the course of the 10 weeks, you’ll learn the essentials of how to craft first-person pieces that resonate with editors and readers; develop an in-depth understanding of the personal essay marketplace; and learn how to refine your own work and polish it for publication.
One of our most in-demand courses is Abeer Hoque’s intimate workshop, The Insider's Guide to Writing Personal Statements and Applying for Grants & Residencies. Abeer is back for another round of helping writers perfect their personal statements and elevate their grant applications. This class is limited to just 8 students and sells out quickly.
One of our favorite things is when a longtime Narratively writer goes on to great success in publishing, then returns to share some knowledge with the rest of us. Melissa Petro’s critically acclaimed hybrid memoir, Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification is an incredibly moving book, and in October she’ll lead Writing the Unspoken: Crafting Stories from Shame and Silence, a three-part workshop that guide students on how to reclaim your stories from shame.
We’ve also very happy Caroline Rothstein will be teaching another session of her sold-out 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. You know, the ones you always want to write but that require a push to figure out how to tell them in the right way. This class is limited to 10 students and always sells out quickly.
Calling our journal-ers! Another of our most popular sold-out classes is From Journal to Memoir: How to Turn Your Side Scrawls Into Literary Gold. In this class, Rebecca Evans guides writers through how to get your writing journals organized, and explores a variety of methods that can help you shift your journals and notebooks into productive writing tools.
Back for the first time in a year is another one of our most in-demand classes, The Art of Writing a Nonfiction Book That Reads Like a Novel with Audrey Clare Farley. “Audrey has the rare ability to listen to each of her students, to synthesize their goals and questions and help find paths forward with our projects,” writes one past student in this class. If you’re aiming to get that big nonfiction or memoir book project moving this fall, this one’s for you.
Last but far from least, this is the one class more of you have requested than anything else. In How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal That Sells, Narratively Contributing Editor Shawna Kenney, who has published an award-winning memoir, authored two nonfiction books and edited an anthology, will guide you through how to write a compelling book proposal that will demand attention from publishers.
Questions about any of these classes? Drop us a line: academy@narratively.com