Tuesday, May 26th, 2026

Live Seminar Via Zoom 7:00PM – 8:00PM Eastern

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Taught by New York Times Columnist and Novelist Diana Spechler (read two stories in The New York Times Opinion and a cover story in The New York Times Sunday Review). You can also find Diana's work in GQ, Esquire, Harper's, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. She writes a Substack about travel writing called Dispatches From The Road, and has taught a series of popular online workshops on writing personal essays for us since 2018.

This course is for writers with some interviewing experience, whether from Part I of this seminar or from conducting interviews on their own, who want to sharpen their technique. It's also for anyone who has done interviews that felt flat, stilted, or surface-level and wants to figure out why. You don't need to have taken Part I. This class functions as a follow-up, but it also stands alone.

Class Description

You know how to prepare a list of questions. But what do you do when they only give you rehearsed answers? When the interview is going fine, but it feels more like awkward small talk than a flowing conversation with depth and twists and turns? When you can feel something deeper is roiling just under the surface, but you don't know how to excavate it?

In Part II, we'll move past the fundamentals and into the moments that separate a good interview from a great one: how to ask the follow-up question that cracks a subject open, how to transcend PR speak, how to calm your own nerves, and how to handle a subject who gets emotional or evasive. We'll also talk about what happens after the interview: how to choose which quotes to use and how to weave them into your writing.

Whether you're writing memoir, journalism, or fiction informed by real people, this class will give you the tools to move beyond competent interviewing into the kind that produces beautiful, rich, and even shocking quotes. 

Writing Goals: 

Students will leave with advanced strategies for navigating difficult conversation moments, a sharper instinct for when a conversation has more to give, and the confidence to conduct a great interview.

Course Takeaways

• How to move past rehearsed answers and surface-level responses.
• How to use emotional connection and follow-up questions to reach deeper material.
• How to handle emotional, evasive, or overly polished subjects.
• How to choose and use quotes effectively on the page.

STUDENT TESTIMONIALS:

"I just finished my first class, Online Personal Essay with Diana Spechler. I’m happy this introduced me to essays and she was a great instructor. I would take this class again in a heartbeat!" -former student

"This class exceeded my expectations. I felt at ease writing about personal topics and especially enjoyed the community that Diana created." -former student

"This was the most engaging online class I've taken. Diana had the class provide narrative comments as well as mark-ups on our drafts. WOW! I got some really great feedback this way. She also was online commenting on our posts more than I have seen in other classes." -former student

"I just finished Diana Spechler's Introduction to Personal Essay. There was so much for me to learn that I decided to take it again one month later! When I began, I had not thought about writing since high school (a long time ago.) This class was both an introduction and an immersion into a writing style that was deeper and more truthful. Diana's choices of essays for us to read and analyze, her responses to our responses, the prompts she offered, and the sense of community she engendered made the sessions both marvelously difficult and simply engaging. And so useful. I was able to find stories I forgot I had, and language to describe them, and a deeper more honest foray into writing. Now, I need to take some grammar and punctuation classes (thank you Diana) and will be back. I recommend this class highly. Just take it!" -former student

"Diana's workshop was transformative—I've never felt more confident in sharing my personal stories." -former student

"Taking Diana's personal essay workshop was one of the best decisions I've made for my writing journey. The course material was rich and thought-provoking, and the feedback from Diana and my classmates was incredibly helpful. I learned how to navigate the complexities of writing about my own life with honesty and sensitivity. By the end of the six weeks, I had crafted an essay that I felt truly proud of and ready to share with the world." -former student

"I was nervous about writing personal essays, but Diana's guidance and feedback were invaluable. By the end of the course, I had a polished piece I was proud to share." -former student

"Diana Spechler's Introduction to Personal Essay Workshop profoundly impacted my writing. The weekly prompts and readings were both challenging and inspiring, pushing me to dig deeper into my own experiences. I left with not just one polished essay, but a newfound confidence in my ability to tell my story." -former student

"I completed my first Writing Workshops class with Diana Spechler and it was actually my first writing class ever! It changed my view on writing/my writing. Diana was such a positive force for authentically and constructively encouraging the writer in me. I am forever grateful." Angie S.

"This class was incredibly supportive and informative and absolutely exceeded my expectations. The content and exercises were well structured, and Diana's feedback was encouraging but instructive. I found Diana's inline comments so valuable. I also found the topics exploring different themes and conversations surrounding them really helpful." -Kelsie M.

“I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed my online class through Writing Workshops with Diana Spechler. I was encouraged, challenged and had a blast; and my writing is finally getting the workshopping it needs. Thank you Diana for creating such an incredible experience! Will definitely be taking more classes ASAP!” -Rebecca M.

“Diana’s personal essay workshop was a very good experience. It provided some good direction and structure for my writing, and that is exactly what I needed. I may want to repeat the course in the not too distant future in hopes of taking the next step with my personal essay writing.” -Heidi N.

"Diana's Personal Essay class was incredibly supportive and informative. The content and exercises were well structured, and Diana's feedback was encouraging but instructive. I found Diana's inline comments so valuable. I also found the topics exploring different themes and conversations surrounding them really helpful." Kelsie M.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

• Instructor: Diana Spechler 

• Tuesday, May 26th, 2026

• Live Seminar Via Zoom 7:00PM – 8:00PM Eastern