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Pennwriters, Inc.
P.O. Box 957
Somerset, PA 15501
info@Pennwriters.org

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Online Classes Overview

A Year's Worth of Classes

All Pennwriters Courses are conducted in a "live" presentation format utilizing the Zoom platform. If a conflict arises based on the required meeting times, please contact the instructor and Online Courses Coordinator to find a possible solution. ALL sessions will be recorded and will be available for students.

Please note that days and times of meetings vary each month. If you have further questions, please contact DJ Stevenson.

All Pennwriters events, including online classes and other meetings are easily found on the website calendar.



April Online Class: POV: Threat or Menace?
Instructor: Timons Esaias
Class Meeting Dates: April 7, 14, 21 & 28 on Zoom
7:30 PM to 9:30 PM (Eastern)
See details below
April Online Intensive: Stealing Fire: Essential Poetic Tools for Every Prose Writer
Instructor: Keith Kopka
Class Meeting Dates: April 25 on Zoom
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
See details below


 

Line Up of Classes for 2026


April Online Class: POV: Threat or Menace?
Instructor: Timons Esaias

Find all the details here: POV: Threat or Menace? with Timons Esaias - 4/7/2026

Course Details:

No subject in writing leads to such bitter arguments, such frequent fisticuffs, or so many duels, as POV. Books on writing contradict each other; critique partners disagree; and the “rules” never seem to be reflected in the latest best-seller. This workshop will try to explain what all the bruises and black eyes are about. We’ll address the wide variety of readers’ expectations, the hard truths of editors’ demands, and how you can keep up with changing techniques in your own genre. You’ll learn how to pick your POV, how to establish it, how to transition, and how to avoid embarrassing screw-ups. Tim Esaias promises to turn dull theory into a sharp tool, and give you conscious control of the cinematography of your narrative.



April Online Intensive: Stealing Fire: Essential Poetic Tools for Every Prose Writer
Instructor: Keith Kopka

Read all the details and register at this link: Stealing Fire: Essential Poetic Tools for Every Prose Writer with Keith Kopka - 4/25/26 

Course Details

Every writer faces the same challenge: how to make readers feel something profound in just a few words. Poets have been solving this problem for centuries, developing techniques that pack maximum emotional impact into minimal space. This course reveals their secrets and shows you how to apply them immediately to your poems, novels, memoirs, and short stories. Forget everything you think you know about poetry being "flowery" or impractical. We'll focus on poetry as. a precision instrument—a way of seeing and shaping language that can transform flat scenes into unforgettable moments. You'll learn how poets use concrete details to suggest entire worlds, how they create tension through line and sentence structure, and how they make abstract concepts feel viscerally real. Through guided writing exercises and analysis of texts, we’ll investigate techniques like strategic repetition, controlled pacing, and what poets call "the turn" — that moment when a piece pivots to reveal its deeper meaning. We'll explore how these tools can solve common prose problems: sagging middles, weak endings, and characters who feel like cardboard cutouts. You'll leave with specific strategies for revision and a new awareness of how language itself can become a character in your writing.




How do I register for an online class?


Calendar

Online Coordinator

I have a question about the fees for this or another class...


Any and all money questions should be directed to our Club Treasurer.

Treasurer