Queer Joy and Sensibilities, StoryStudio Chicago, four-week, in-person class from September 18 – October 16, 2025. In this class, we’ll consider how/where we write from as queer writers working toward a personal sensibility and aesthetic–through the embodiment of the senses, the written expression of music, food, fashion, gardens, sports, and beyond, drawing from examples by queer writers who have come before. Register here.

Writing the Senses, Chicago Public Library West Pullman Branch, one-night, in-person workshop on September 17, 2025. We often think of imagery as visual, capturing color, shape, light and shadow, but in fact, “imagery” refers to descriptions drawing from all the senses. In this workshop, we will consider how the sense of sound works to establish setting. Alongside a sample reading, we will call attention to our sense of hearing and work with a generative prompt to consider how sound works in our sensibilities as writers. Register here.

Chicago: Writing Setting, Off-Campus Writers Workshop, one-day, in person or online, May 21, 2026. In poetry, lyric, and sloganeering, Chicago is often described as a town of swagger and bluster, violence and blight. But in storytelling, whether fiction or nonfiction, Chicago often appears to be a place of subtle contrasts, ever changing, and the city setting is often baked into narrative like character, influencing action and plot. In this class we’ll look at some examples of Chicago as setting, and write from prompts inspired by our readings to generate our own settings. Register here.