Writing About Addiction 3-Week Nonfiction Zoom Seminar, Starts Tuesday, October 29th, 2024
Begins Tuesday, October 29th, 2024
Class will meet on Tuesday nights via Zoom, 2:30PM PST - 4:00PM PST / 5:30PM EST - 7:00PM EST
Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.
Instructor Katie Reilly is a freelance journalist based in the Bay Area in California. Katie's writing generally focuses on women's health and sports, mental health and parenting. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Elle Magazine, The Boston Globe, Newsweek, USA Today and HuffPost, among other publications.
Read an Interview with Katie on Writing About Addiction.
Almost 21 million Americans have an addiction, according to the Addiction Center, and according to a survey carried out by the Pew Center in 2017, 46% of adults in the US say that a family member or close friend is addicted to drugs or has been in the past. There are many addictions that one can face, and in that battle, many family and friends are often touched by that addiction.
For me, writing always helps to work though the many conflicted emotions that come up when facing an addiction or a family member battling one. Throughout the course, we will examine articles written on addiction by other authors to explore different types of addiction, different formats and approaches and the different experiences faced by each author. We will brainstorm ideas for topics for your essay as a group, and I will also provide personalized feedback.
Students can expect assigned weekly readings from a range of authors, weekly discussions and a supportive group to discuss issues that are coming up for you in the writing process.
We will also discuss how to get your story published, focusing on how to write and pitch to various publications. Throughout the course, each student will work on their own non-fiction addiction essay (up to 2000) words, which will be submitted in the last class.
I will provide individualized feedback on each essay as well as each student’s corresponding pitch if desired.
We'll read pieces by Cheryl Strayed, Melissa Febos, David Sheff, and Mitchell S. Jackson, among others.
COURSE OUTLINE:
- Week 1: Overview of Course & Workshop Ideas
- Week 2: Craft Tips & Focusing on Different Types of Addiction Essays
- Week 3: Pitching & Publishing & Remaining Questions
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
- Constructive feedback from me and your classmates on your essay idea.
- Analyze other addiction essays and learn the different types of essays that can be written about addiction.
- Learn how to write and pitch your idea to various publications.
- Edits from me on one draft (up to 2000 words) and a corresponding pitch.
- Put your feelings about addiction on paper and create a beautiful essay.
- New York Times Modern Love
- Salon
- HuffPost
- SheKnows
- Insider
- Today
- Good Housekeeping
- The Independent
- Well + Good
- Boston Globe
“Katie C. Reilly's writing distills the beauty, fragility, difficulty and wonder of what it means to be alive at this moment in history into clear-eyed, evocative and poignant essays. She tells personal stories that simultaneously feel both intimate and universal and thereby offer the rare gift of allowing the reader to learn about themselves while learning about her.” -Noah Michelson Editorial Director at HuffPost
“Katie deftly wove together her personal family history with ALS with that of another woman experiencing a similar diagnosis. She seamlessly alternated between her own story and the other woman’s, while incorporating statistics and important context for readers, resulting in a well-crafted, cohesive, and satisfying read. I admire Katie’s ability to mine such a deeply personal story in her professional writing. Readers will surely benefit from and relate to her important work.” -Kayla Adler Deputy Editor at Elle Magazine
“Katie Reilly has that elusive ability to write about the particulars of her own life in ways that feel universal. Her generosity and openness, combined with journalistic skill, is something all editors wish for in a writer. The idea of Katie passing this rare skill down makes me very happy!” -Meaghan O’Connell Features editor at Romper
“Katie Reilly has a generous approach to editing, always searching for ways to strengthen the writer’s voice and the reader’s experience. She has a keen eye for finding the sweet spot where personal essay and research intersect—a skill that makes a writer’s work stand out. As an editor, Katie offers valuable feedback rich with specificity and direction. She is not one to waste words or time and approaches a story with intention, pushing other writers to get to the heartbeat of their story.” -Jessica Ciencin Henriquez writer and author of the forthcoming memoir IF YOU LOVED ME YOU WOULD KNOW
“Katie asks thoughtful probative questions and provides honest feedback that helps me to effectively focus my writing. She recommends additional nonfiction readings that inspire deeper connections in my own work. Most importantly, as an effective listener she creates a safe writing community that encourages sharing, risk taking and is fun!” -Tara Van de Mark Writer & editor
"Katie Reilly's Writing Through Parenthood workshop was great. Her willingness to answer questions and the variety of readings made the class worth every penny. Also, Katie's feedback on my writing helped me tremendously. This is the second class I've taken with her, and highly recommend Katie as an instructor." -former student
"Katie Reilly was a wonderful teacher. She was so responsive to emails and student questions and her feedback on essays was masterful and so specific. I could tell that she really cared about each writer's journey and was committed to helping each student writer be better. She really took time to go above and beyond!" - former student
"Katie's class exceeded my expectations. I found all of the "nuts and bolts" information about submitting pitches to be incredibly valuable. I also found the 3 guest speakers who are editors at significant publications to also be a great addition to the class." - former student
"Katie is a very organized, compassionate, wonderful teacher." -former student
"I just finished Writing Through Parenthood with Katie Reilly. She is a great facilitator and very engaging. Between the the the wealth of resources, Katie's expertise and experience, the readings and encouragement on ways to grow and develop my writing, I can't recommend this class enough. I've taken a lot of classes through Writing Workshops, and this was one of the best. Thank you!" -former student
"I just finished Katie Reilly's Writing Through Parenthood class and it was a fantastic class. The small format made for an intimate environment lending to informed conversation and discussion. I missed one of the sessions due to a time conflict and I loved the ability to view the recording of the course so I would be fully prepared for the next class. I am always so thoroughly impressed with all the classes I take with Writing Workshops. Thank you!" -former student
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:
This class meets weekly via Zoom. Come prepared for a super fun class with live interaction on Zoom each week and plenty of writing, reading, and talking!
- Instructor: Katie Reilly
- Starts Tuesday, October 29th, 2024
- Class will meet on Tuesday nights via Zoom, 2:30PM PST - 4:00PM PST / 5:30PM EST - 7:00PM EST
- Tuition is $225