Keepin’ it Short Writing Workshop
Applications Now Open: (Only 10 spots available)
LIVE ON ZOOM | Saturdays, 1-3:00 pm Eastern | March 15th – April 19th
If you're not reflecting on your experiences, you're missing the key to driving personal growth and meaningful change.
Everyone’s story has the potential to not only transform how they see themselves, but also how they lead, communicate, and contribute to their organizations and communities.
Gaining confidence and clarity in your writing is a very vulnerable process, but with the right guidance and dedicated time and support, you can make significant progress on your writing goals.
This workshop is designed for beginning to intermediate writers who value targeted feedback, accountability, and a supportive community.
You will be guided step-by-step on how to clarify your message, write, and edit a publishable personal essay in six weeks, while building important skills, maintaining accountability and connecting with an intimate writing community.
You may already have an idea of what you want to write, but don't know how to get there. Maybe you have a draft or fragments of a draft but are struggling to make progress or see your project through to completion.
This 6-week workshop will equip you with the tools, support, and accountability needed to confidently write, refine, and complete a new piece of narrative nonfiction. By the end, you’ll have a polished work that not only reflects your personal journey but is also ready for submission to publication—if you choose.
Whether you’re writing for personal growth, professional development, or to inspire others, you’ll walk away with a piece that has the potential to resonate far beyond your own experience
Weeks 1&2: We’ll spend the first two weeks reviewing mentor texts, identifying structural approaches, and expanding/refining ideas.
Weeks 3&4: You’ll get the tools, structure, and professional support you need to compose your first solid draft.
Weeks 5&6: You'll get targeted feedback you need to revise and learn how to give valuable feedback to others. We’ll also discuss possible places for submission and demystify the submission process.
Over the course of the six weeks, participants will receive feedback on three ideas, one finished draft, and one revision.
Each session is designed to provide what you need to start and finish.
Sharing what you write is optional but highly encouraged to get the most out of the sessions and gain the greatest benefits from writing in community.
100% attendance is not required but being present will allow you to make the most progress.
Structured:
You’ll receive a tentative schedule on our first day together, and we’ll get started right away on setting our group and individual goals as well as a structured plan forward.
Generative:
We’ll spend the first two weeks mining ideas and expanding /refining ideas depending on your goals and you’ll write.
Guided:
We’ll spend time reviewing mentor texts and using specific lessons to guide your writing each time we meet.
*You’ll also receive guidance on the submission process.
Targeted:
You”ll give and receive specific and targeted feedback on your work-in-progress.
👉🏽The last two weeks of the class will be dedicated to revising and polishing your selected piece that will be between 1,000-2,500 words, and you’ll receive personalized feedback from me on the piece you complete.
You will …
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LEARN to develop ideas for pieces that are publishable, even before you’ve started writing
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SHARE your stories with others
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DISCOVER how to turn your aha’s into universal lessons and bring your characters to life
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EXPLORE the publishing landscape for personal essays and how they can impact your personal brand, organization or community.
This workshop is perfect for beginning and emerging writers, as well as professional leaders looking to break into writing or publishing personal essays. ✔
Whether you’re looking to strengthen your storytelling skills, contribute to a long-form project or book, or submit to literary magazines or contests, this workshop provides the tools and support you need.
-Closed captioning is available.
How do I apply:
Email: yclarkjackson@gmail.com to submit a piece of writing of 200-350 words with a note explaining why you think you would benefit from taking this workshop.
Be sure to write KIS.Submission in subject line. ✔
Why do I have to apply?
It’s about giving you the space to reflect and clarify your intentions before committing.
It's to ensure each participant knows why they’re here and what they want to achieve. That clarity is what transforms a writing workshop into a truly transformative journey.
There are no right or wrong answers as each response will be personal and specific to each participant.
Have a question, or need a payment plan? Email: yclarkjackson@gmail.com✔
*A detailed schedule and reading list will be given to accepted participants on the first day of the course. ✔
Applications close February 28th | Final Payments Due March 7
What if life gets in the way...
Life happens and plans sometimes plans have to change.
Before the first class, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).
After class begins, you may request credit for the remaining value of the course (less a $25 processing fee).
Credit may be applied to other course offerings but not one-on-one consultations.
Please keep in mind that no refunds or credits will be issued after March 22nd.
Yolande Clark-Jackson is a multi-disciplinary storyteller and teaching artist. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction and is an award-winning personal essayist and author of the award-winning children’s book, Rocko's Big Launch. Her non-fiction essay “How You Get There” was among the top twelve awarded in the 2021 Winning Writers contest. She is a 2021 Eckerd College McCartt Fellowship awardee and one of seven artists awarded the 2022 James Weldon Johnson Foundation artist-in-residency fellowship. Her nonfiction writing can be found in The HuffPost personal, Parents, Sisters Newsletter from AARP, Care.com, The University of Arizona’s Poetry Center, the Chicken Soup for Soul: I’m Speaking Now anthology, and many others. Yolande has taught writing for over twenty years and for the past five, she has worked with individual clients as an editor and writing coach.