Sunday, May 17th, 2026

Class will meet for one session via Zoom on Sunday, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET

🌍 Class Times by Time Zone: Los Angeles (PDT): 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM / Chicago (CDT): 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM / New York (EDT): 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM / London (BST): 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM / Berlin (CEST): 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us. 

Abi Maxwell is the author of the novels Lake People and The Den. Her memoir, One Day I'll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman, explores parenting and transgender rights in rural America. After graduating from the writing program at the University of Montana, she spent many years working as a public librarian and a high school librarian in her home state of New Hampshire. She now lives in California, writing and advocating for transgender youth.

Who is this class for?

This online writing class is for all writers who want to learn to effectively use their voice to make an impact in their communities. Whether you've been wanting to speak up at a town meeting, submit an op-ed to your local newspaper, or advocate for a cause you care about, this seminar will give you the tools to do so. Open to all levels.

What to expect:

Do you want to speak up in your community but aren't sure how? In this one-day online nonfiction writing workshop, author Abi Maxwell will guide you through the art of crafting clear, concise pieces that can be used for written or oral testimony at local organizations as well as in newspapers. You'll learn how to channel your passion into persuasive, well-structured advocacy writing that connects with audiences and drives real change.

This writing seminar focuses on the intersection of the personal and the political—helping you find the place where your own story becomes a vehicle for community impact. Abi Maxwell brings a unique perspective to this work, drawing on years of experience testifying before state legislatures and advocating for social change. In this hands-on session, you'll explore the basic format of a testimony, discover how to tie personal experience to broader civic issues, and practice keeping your writing concise and powerful.

Students will be paired to share their work with each other during the session, creating a supportive space for feedback and collaboration. By the end of this Zoom writing class, you'll walk away with a draft you can put to immediate use in your community.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will leave with a 1 to 2 page draft that they can use for change in their communities. This may take the form of written testimony, an op-ed, a letter to the editor, or another piece of advocacy writing. Students will be paired to share their work with each other during the session.

COURSE OUTLINE

This is a one-day seminar. The two-hour Zoom session will cover the fundamentals of writing for social change, including the basic format of testimony, strategies for connecting personal experience with political or civic issues, and techniques for keeping advocacy writing concise and compelling. Students will draft and share their work during the session.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Understand the basic format and structure of a testimony
• Learn how to tie personal experience with political and civic issues for maximum impact
• Develop strategies for keeping advocacy writing concise and focused
• Leave with a 1 to 2 page draft ready to use in your community
• Gain experience sharing and receiving peer feedback in a supportive workshop environment

PAYMENT OPTIONS: