Last June, Hey Alma offered our very first writing class. “We’ve been publishing Jewish stories since 2017,” we thought to ourselves at the time. “What if we offered a class to help more people write their stories?” The response we got was heartening. We welcomed 180 people, from recent college graduates to seasoned authors in their 60s, who all came away with the knowledge of how to craft their own unique Jewish story.
We also heard from multiple people who couldn’t make the class, asking us to please hold this class again.
So we are! Hey Alma is once again offering our How To Tell Your Jewish Story virtual writing class taught by Vanessa Friedman. The class will be held over Zoom on Tuesday, March 4 at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET!
You can sign up for the class here.
Vanessa Friedman, deputy managing editor of Hey Alma and writing instructor with an MFA in creative nonfiction from Sarah Lawrence College, believes that everyone can be a writer. Storytelling is a natural human impulse, and if you want to tell your story, Vanessa wants to help you write it down.
In this one-hour class, we’ll read short pieces and excerpts to inspire us; we’ll brainstorm and unlock our creativity with fun warm-up writing exercises; and we’ll use prompts to start writing our Jewish stories. This is not a workshop, and you won’t be sharing your work with others in the class. But participants will leave the class with the start of an essay, the confidence to continue working on it independently, and the knowledge about how and where to pitch it if publication is the goal.
This class is open to all ages (18+) and all writing levels. Whether you have just graduated your freshman year of college or you’re in your 60s with many published books under your belt, we’re certain that if the idea of writing your Jewish story appeals to you, there will be something in this class for you. We are open to everyone and want to particularly encourage Jews to sign up who aren’t always heard enough in the organized Jewish world, including Jews of Color, queer Jews, Jews by choice, and Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews.
Short readings will be sent out in advance for accessibility. You are not required to read them before class, though you are certainly welcome to.
This class will not be recorded.
Click here to sign up for this class.
