Annual Summer 2025 Program Begins July 8th

The program will meet from July 8th to September 16th, 2025

Main sessions: Tuesday evenings, 7-9:15 PM EST

To keep us connected, a 24-hour “writer’s lounge” will be available online between meetings. Two one-on-one meetings will also be scheduled.

*This program is limited to 10 writers.

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

Led by Sarah Herrington, a writer and teacher whose work has appeared in the New York Times Modern Love, Anxiety, Solver Stories and OpEd columns, the LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Tin House, Slice, Nylon, Los Angeles Review of Books, Interview, Poets & Writers, O, The Oprah Magazine, and other publications. She's the author of four books on yoga and spirituality. She holds an MFA from New York University, where she was a Goldwater Fellow, an MFA from Lesley University, and teaches writing at Fordham. Her students have been published in the NYTimes, LATimes, won awards, and sold books to major presses like Dial and Simon and Schuster. In addition to teaching writing, she has taught yoga and meditation for fifteen years and will bring this lens to The Portal summer program.

The Portal features amazing guest teachers, writing workshops, community, & coaching.

The Portal is a summer space for writing, healing, and being in a powerful creative community with other women and female-identifying creatives. We focus on product (writing and publishing) and process (the journey of writing and self-care for the creative life). 

This immersive program combines writing workshops (where you get and give feedback), guest teachers, one-on-one coaching, generative writing, and a magical online space to create a container for summer writing in between sessions.

Writers from the Portal have published in Vogue, the New York Times, and explored new projects.

Think a nourishing summer adventure of craft and heart.

Alongside writing, learning about craft, and getting feedback on your work, you’ll be invited to several workshops focusing on “healing” or sustaining ourselves as creative practitioners (typical talks include:  meditation tools for writers, restorative yoga for writers, tarot for writers, how to care for yourself as an artist and more.)

This course combines the rigor of writing with the care we must extend ourselves to keep going as writers.

WHAT: An immersive summer program to change, expand, or grow your relationship with your writing. The goal is to complete a chunk of a current writing project OR create a packet of new work by the end of our session and establish a personal writing practice. You’ll be exposed to new forms of writing and ways to play and build through words. Write from the inside out.

HOW: This program combines writing workshops, constant community via our online space, and one one-on-one coaching session with visits from award-winning master teachers in both creative writing and healing modalities to expand your toolbox.

WHO: You! The Portal is open to both experienced and brand new writers. The Portal is a MAGICAL SPACE where we get to commune with our inner muse, inject poetry/prose into our lives, and get real work done. This is an open-genre course, and typically, writers working on nonfiction, fiction, and poetry all attend. You can hop into the Portal whether you have no writing OR a book draft on your laptop.

 WHY: You do not have to figure it all out alone. Sustain yourself as a creative in community.

WHEN: July 8th-- September 16th, Tuesday nights, 7-9:15 PM EST. A 24-hour “writer’s lounge” will be available online in between meetings to keep us connected. One-on-one meetings will be individually scheduled.

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ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM INCLUDE:

• Weekly Tuesday night Zoom meeting, 7-9:15 PM EST (a writing workshop or guest teacher workshop)
• Two one-on-one office hour on your work and creative process (basically coaching)
• Private Mighty Networks channel for community shares and conversation in between classes
  
• An accountability partner, someone also in the course to partner up with and write together.
  
• Publishing + pitching protocol advice
  
• Award-winning authors and experienced healing artists as guest teachers and writing workshops led by Sarah Herrington
  
• Closing reading and celebration of work
  
• Room to explore new types of writing + healing modalities
  
• AND the discipline to stay on track with your personal writing goal
  

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By the end of the program, you will…

• Have a completed portfolio as per your own goals (for example: a publishable-essay with a cover letter and plan for submission, an outline of your larger project, or two polished chapters.)
• Have a deeper relationship to yourself and your own creativity
• Have a new, supportive community of creatives
• Know how to move a piece from spark to publication
• Feel rebalanced in your self and your expression
• Have new writing

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Guest Teachers: (TBA)

TESTIMONIALS:

“The Portal is a page-producing, confidence-boosting, community-building celebration. The guest offerings sparkle and surprise, and Sarah’s warmth and expertise as a writer and teacher create a seasonal space for creatives to gather, grow, and generate. I left with feedback on my pages, precious writing friends, and a belief in my story and self that has enhanced my literary goals. Sarah is the real deal.” -Paige Lalain 

"I experienced Sarah's writing portal during a summer when I was going deep into my writing work. The focus on community and presence was exactly what I needed. The weekly classes were inspiring and thoughtful, and the always-available portal provided a home base for discussions and ideas. Sarah is a fabulous guide and has a talent for nurturing and creating bonds between writers." -Jennifer Cloer

“I reconnected with the craft of writing and my inner artist, guided and supported by Sarah and a team of guests.” -Former Student

“The Portal got me writing again! And the healing component helped me learn to write without being so hard on myself. I left the program with a draft of a picture book, an essay and a new dedication to writing practice.” -Former Student

“Step through The Portal. Trust me—-it’s great here on the other side.” -Former Student

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

This class meets weekly via Zoom. Come prepared for an engaging course with live interaction on Zoom each week and plenty of writing, reading, and talking!

• Instructor: Sarah Herrington + Guest Instructors
• Limited to 10 students
• The program will meet from July 8th to September 16th, 2025
• Main sessions: Tuesday nights, 7 - 9:15 PM EST
  
• Course is fully ONLINE.