Writing the New York Times Essay — 8-Week Online Nonfiction Workshop with Sarah Herrington Starts Tuesday, April 6th, 2027
New York Times Essay Writing Workshop | April 2027 Online
Writing the New York Times Essay: A Nonfiction Writing Workshop with Sarah Herrington
Begins Tuesday, April 6, 2027
Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Tuesdays, 7:00 PM - 9:15 PM ET
🌍 Class Times by Time Zone:
- Los Angeles (PDT): 4:00 PM – 6:15 PM
- Chicago (CDT): 6:00 PM – 8:15 PM
- New York (EDT): 7:00 PM – 9:15 PM
Now Enrolling!
Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.
Instructor Sarah Herrington is an essayist and a writing and yoga teacher. Her memoir, Breathing Lessons, is forthcoming from Trio House in fall 2027. It is a story of family, mental illness, and the search for belonging in yoga and Buddhist circles, where she found lineages of misogyny and abuse inside the very traditions that promised healing, and of her journey toward finding refuge in her own voice. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times (Modern Love, Anxiety, Solver Stories, and Op-Ed), the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Tin House, Slice, Nylon, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Interview, Poets & Writers, O, The Oprah Magazine, and other publications. She holds an MFA from New York University, where she was a Goldwater Fellow, and an MFA from Lesley University, and she teaches writing at Fordham.
Meet the Teaching Artist
On Writing the New York Times Essay: An Interview with Sarah Herrington
Who is this class for?
This online nonfiction workshop is for personal essayists who want to place their work in the New York Times. It is best for intermediate writers with some experience in workshop-style classes, and you are welcome to enroll even if you don't have a concrete essay idea yet.
What to expect:
The New York Times is a powerful place to launch your story into the larger world, but the path to publication can seem mysterious. This eight-week writing workshop will demystify and break down the process, helping you sense and craft the story only you can tell.
Together, we will study the shape and techniques of successful New York Times personal essays by column, including Modern Love, Solver Stories, Well, Letter of Recommendation, Opinion, and more. Each week brings readings with pointed elements to watch for, live discussion on Zoom, and workshop. You will read classmates' work in advance and come prepared with written feedback, building the skill of giving useful notes as well as receiving them. Each student also meets one-on-one with Sarah for a 30-minute phone or Zoom conversation about questions and essay goals.
The results speak for themselves. Two students have published New York Times Modern Love essays from this online writing class, and two more revised their work for the Los Angeles Times and got in.
What are the writing goals?
In this course, students will write one new personal essay and one full revision of that essay, with editorial feedback from Sarah and from classmates on both drafts. You will leave with clear directions for further revision and a plan for submitting your essay to the right Times column.
Readings
Readings may include past published New York Times essays from Modern Love, Solver Stories, Well, Letter of Recommendation, Opinion, and other columns. Sarah will provide links.
COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1: Introductions and discussion of individual intentions. An overview of the New York Times essay and how to sense the story you need to tell. We will look at a sample essay or two with an eye toward narrative arc and point of view in preparation for our own writing.
Week 2: Workshop #1. Discussion: balancing an "arc of change" with flashbacks, and balancing showing with telling (the building blocks of the journey).
Week 3: Workshop #2. Discussion: dialog, description, and other elements that make your essay shine.
Week 4: Workshop #3. Discussion: proportions. How do we decide how much of each element (dialog, description, backstory, showing vs. telling) to include? We will explore proportionality using examples to ground us.
Week 5: Workshop #4. Discussion: the art of revision, essay-style.
Week 6: Workshop #5 (revised essays). Discussion: openings, endings, and titles, and how the strongest Times essays land their final beat.
Week 7: Workshop #6 (revised essays). Discussion: matching your essay to the right column, including length, voice, and what each section's editors look for.
Week 8: Submission best practices, working with further revisions, and laying out the path ahead.
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
- One workshopped essay, shaped by focused instructor and peer feedback on both a first draft and a revision
- A deeper sense of what makes a personal essay compelling and a good fit for specific Times columns
- Best practices and a concrete plan for submitting your essay
TESTIMONIALS:
"Sarah's writing guidance was invaluable. Her notes were insightful and always encouraging. I grew as a writer and a person working with her on my essay."
— Former Student
"The edits and feedback from Sarah's course were both deep and concise and I felt supported to go deeper into my story and self while we worked together."
— Former Student
"Sarah offers a beautiful blend of supportive community, accessible tools, and time inside words. All goals and souls are honored in this space. Come curious, stay inspired, depart empowered."
— Former Student
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
Tuition is $595 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: Sarah Herrington
- Begins Tuesday, April 6, 2027
- Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Tuesdays, 7:00 PM - 9:15 PM ET
- Tuition is $595 USD.