The pandemic has been a time of reflection for many, taking stock of our own lives as well as our place in history. Here at CALA, we have seen robust enrollment in our courses on personal essays and op-eds over the past few semesters. This fall, popular CALA instructor Estelle Erasmus will lead The Writer’s Craft Workshop Series: Articles and Essays for those interested in developing reported articles and personal essays and pitching them for publication. “I am excited to work on a group and one-on-one basis with students on their writing, developing ideas, and teaching the editing tips and tricks I’ve accumulated after over 25 years working in publishing as both a magazine editor, journalist, essayist, teacher and writing coach,” says Erasmus.
These affordable workshops of one session each are designed to be accessible to both experienced and novice writers. “I’m excited to take another class with Estelle,” says Juli Fraga, a successful freelancer. “It gives structure and thinking time and a way to stay fresh and keep myself accountable in this industry.”
Erasmus will lead students through four workshop sessions, open for registration as individual courses. The first of these, Writing Your Life, will focus on the process of finding and developing ideas drawn from personal experience. The next two sessions, Writing a Strong Introduction to an Article or Essay and Writing a Strong Ending to an Article or Essay, will provide students with tips and methods to use in order to create more engaging pieces of writing. In the final session, Editing Articles and Essays to Submit for Publication, Erasmus will give students an editor’s view of the process of readying essays and articles for submission based on her years of industry experience. In each session, students will be invited to apply what they have learned and workshop ideas with their peers and the instructor.
Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist and writing coach with a knack for helping her students place their work for publication. She writes the “All About the Pitch” column for Writer’s Digest Magazine, has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, WIRED, The Independent, Parents, GH, Vox Family Circle Magazine, Your Teen for Parents, Vox and more, and has been editor-in-chief of five national consumer publications. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Each workshop in the Writer’s Craft series will run from 7:00 – 9:30pm on Tuesdays in October via Zoom. Click here to enroll now!
