Begins Sunday, August 16, 2026

Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Sundays, August 16 and 23, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET

🌍 Class Times by Time Zone: Los Angeles (PDT): 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM / Chicago (CDT): 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM / New York (EDT): 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM / London (BST): 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM / Berlin (CEST): 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

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

Instructor Bio

Instructor Anne Stuart is a veteran Massachusetts-based writer, editor, instructor, storyteller, and former columnist. She's written about everything from entrepreneurship to higher education, but is currently focusing on regional lifestyle and travel stories, essays and opinion pieces, and profiles of people and organizations. Anne's work has been published by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, Boston Magazine, CFO, Fodor's Travel Guides, Inc.com, Newsday, Northeastern Magazine, Edible Berkshires, Seventeen, and many other print and online publications. She has also created business content for corporate clients and edited or contributed to books on business and history. She is working on a book about conducting journalistic interviews. Her stories have been featured on the Moth Radio Hour (PRX/NPR) and Stories From the Stage (PBS). She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Authors Guild, the Biographers International Organization, and the Society for Features Journalism. In her day job, she is a senior editor at MIT Sloan Management Review. Previously, she held senior editorial positions at MIT Technology Review, Inc., Harvard Magazine, and CIO, among others. She began her career as a reporter and editor for several daily newspapers and The Associated Press.

Who is this class for?

This online writing workshop is for anyone looking to write and publish their opinions in short formats — from letters to the editor as a quick-start exercise to newspaper op-eds and guest essays. It's designed for beginners, but more experienced writers looking to refresh or practice their skills are warmly welcome. All levels are encouraged to join.

What to expect:

Now more than ever, your words can make a difference — even if you've never published anything before. In this two-session online opinion writing workshop, you'll explore what distinguishes effective persuasive writing from simply complaining or ranting, and you'll review a wide variety of published examples to see how the form works in practice.

Across the two Sunday sessions, you'll brainstorm topic ideas drawn from your own interests, concerns, or areas of expertise, and learn how to back up your opinions with reliable facts. You'll discover how to anticipate and counter opposing arguments — a hallmark of strong op-ed writing — and you'll write at least one short opinion piece, such as an op-ed column or a guest essay. Those who choose can share their work for respectful, constructive feedback from instructor and peers.

This creative writing workshop also covers the practical side of publication: how to identify markets that match your piece, where to find writers' guidelines, and how to pitch or submit your work. You'll leave with a tip sheet, a resource list, and a clear plan for continuing on your own.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will generate at least one polished, fact-based opinion piece — such as an op-ed column or guest essay — and draft a letter to the editor as a quick-start warm-up exercise. The instructor will provide written feedback on both outlines and final drafts, with additional verbal feedback during workshop sharing. Personal essays (such as those in the New York Times' "Modern Love" column) and book or film reviews are outside the scope of this class.

Readings

Reading materials will be provided by the instructor as Word documents, PDFs, or links, and may include examples of successful op-eds, guest essays, and letters to the editor that illustrate the techniques and approaches covered in class.

COURSE OUTLINE

Session 1 — Sunday, August 16, 2026: We'll discuss what distinguishes effective opinion writing from ranting, whining, or propaganda; cover the different types of opinion pieces and analyze successful examples (sent in advance); and work together to identify and refine individual topic ideas based on participants' own interests, concerns, or areas of expertise. Time permitting, students will warm up by drafting a letter to the editor (submission optional). Each participant will then build an outline for a short opinion piece, including how to find key facts and how to anticipate and counter opposing views. Outlines will be shared for constructive peer feedback, in breakout rooms if class size allows.

Between Sessions: Students will write first drafts of their opinion pieces independently.

Session 2 — Sunday, August 23, 2026: Drafts will be shared for respectful, constructive feedback — participation is optional but strongly encouraged, and may take place in breakout rooms depending on class size. We'll then cover how to identify potential markets, obtain writers' guidelines, and submit your work, and we'll explore resources for learning more and continuing on your own.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Learn the difference between persuasive opinion writing and ineffective ranting
• Read and analyze examples of various opinion "vehicles" — op-eds, guest essays, letters to the editor, and more
• Identify and refine specific topic ideas for opinion pieces drawn from your own interests, concerns, or areas of expertise
• Find reliable factual sources to support your opinions
• Understand how to address and counter potential opposing arguments
• Learn how to identify appropriate markets and pitch or submit your opinion pieces

TESTIMONIALS:

"Anne was simply phenomenal. I was admittedly not looking forward to three- and five-hour classes, but Anne kept the class moving, provided interesting and applicable examples to the subject matter, fostered engaging discussion and shared an encyclopedic knowledge of crises and the communications responses. What an amazing professor!"

— Michael G., Former Student

"I truly enjoyed this class and wish it were longer! Anne is such a great professor and more importantly, she is a very kind and considerate person. The course was well-organized, had up-to-date material, and Anne structured it in a way that those long classes flew by. They were honestly fun and very interesting! Although we had only a few students in the class, it was nice because we really got to connect with Anne and were able to participate cohesively."

— Mike M., Former Student

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $180 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

• Instructor: Anne Stuart
• Begins Sunday, August 16, 2026
• Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Sundays, August 16 and 23, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
• Tuition is $180 USD.