Monday, November 16, 2026

Class will meet once via Zoom on Monday, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET

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Instructor Bio

Instructor James Sturz is the author of the novels UNDERJUNGLE, set entirely underwater, and SASSO, set in the cave homes of Basilicata, Italy. His magazine and newspaper articles have run in more than 90 publications in the U.S. and abroad, including in The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The New Republic, Outside, Men's Journal, National Geographic Adventure, New York Magazine, Travel + Leisure, Playboy, Afar, Saveur, Organic Spa, and Yoga Journal, among many others. Sturz's work has been published in 18 countries, translated into nine languages, and anthologized in ITALY: THE BEST TRAVEL WRITING FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES and BEST FOOD WRITING 2007, among others.

Meet the Teaching Artist: 

Creating a Sense of Place in Fiction, Memoir, & Nonfiction with James Sturz

Who is this class for?

This online creative writing seminar is for fiction writers, nonfiction writers, and memoirists at all levels who want to deepen the way place functions on the page. If you've ever felt that a book, story, or film's location mattered as much as any of its characters — and want your own work to do the same — this craft class is for you.

What to expect:

Creating a compelling sense of place involves far more than a description of physical attributes. It can include the unusual occurrences that could only have happened there, the sounds and smells that tell you unmistakably where you are, the history that gave rise to the characters' personalities even without their knowledge, and the way characters transform as they move from place to place over time. In this two-hour online writing class, you'll learn to treat your settings as characters themselves — not as backdrops, but as catalysts for change and engines for your plot.

James Sturz learned his craft writing travel articles for the U.S.'s top publications, then applied those techniques to essays and fiction, including two novels. Over the course of this single-session Zoom seminar, he'll walk you through specific strategies for building settings that are multidimensional, sensory, and historically alive — settings that shape character and propel story rather than sitting decoratively in the background.

The seminar consists of a 90-minute lecture followed by a 30-minute live Q&A with the instructor, giving you direct access to ask the questions most pressing to your own projects in fiction, nonfiction, or memoir.

What are the writing goals?

In this seminar, students will gain a working toolkit for crafting place-driven prose: techniques for making settings multidimensional, methods for letting location shape character, and a sharper editorial sense for cutting superfluous description in favor of the details that do real narrative work. Students will leave with a clear approach they can apply to drafts already underway and to new pieces ahead.

COURSE OUTLINE

Segment 1 (90 minutes): Live lecture covering techniques for building multidimensional settings; using sensory detail, history, and unique-to-place occurrences as engines for plot; treating place as a character; and shaping characters through their movement across locations.

Segment 2 (30 minutes): Live Q&A with James Sturz.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Learn techniques for creating complex settings that come alive on the page
• Develop tight narratives that make use of a setting's most important features while eliminating superfluous description
• Recognize how settings shape and reveal character
• Understand the principle of never simply stating what a place is, but always evoking what it is like
• Build a transferable craft approach you can apply across fiction, nonfiction, and memoir

TESTIMONIALS:

"James was definitely more than qualified to teach this course, in terms of his vast experience and industry knowledge. He also made himself available outside the class by email." — Former Student

"James is an excellent instructor. He has the ability to size up a pitch immediately and identify its strengths and faults. He is also rigorous in his criticism, and he tailors his comments to the particular student's/pitch's needs very well. He also gives students a good idea of how editors will view pitches — what questions they'll ask, the kind of information they will want to know, what will grab their attention, etc. And he was open to questions throughout." — Former Student

"What I liked most was James' willingness to be completely candid. If an idea was lousy or a query off he just gave it to you straight and then helped you fix it." — Former Student

"James Sturz was a great combination of low-key and wildly helpful. During the break I asked him a question and he gave me a suggestion of where to pitch an idea. I liked the way Sturz described the difference between magazine stories and books involving travel. He also demystified the travel part of travel writing, and got me out of the amateur mindset of vacation vs. writerly travel thinking. Thank you! When I have more time, I'd happily consider taking Sturz' longer course." — Former Student

"The class with James Sturz is the most helpful Mediabistro event I have attended. It is clear that James really takes his duty seriously to educate students and that he cares about helping fellow journalists. He was very patient with questions. I have recommended one-night classes to people in the past, but not longer classes. I did not get as much out of my 12-week memoir class as I did with one night of listening to James Sturz." — Former Student

"James was great! He had valuable information and presented it in a very straightforward way. He was motivating and I'm so glad that I signed up for this class." — Former Student

"I really liked James Sturz; he came across as smart, caring, and soft-spoken. He respected all questions and questioners and was clearly well versed and experienced in the subject." — Former Student

"James' class was excellent. His material was perfect, he has a charming and pleasant manner, is certainly smart and accomplished and has great experience with which he is generous." — Former Student

"James' presentation was both interesting and informative. His delivery was very professional." — Former Student

"The teacher was very professional and knowledgeable. He had great comments on our work. James Sturz was a consummate professional and I did get value out of the class." — Former Student

"I thought James' talk was enlightening; he is a thoughtful instructor; he made good points about travel writing." — Former Student

"The class was inspiring. I got a lot of great tips on how to approach travel-writing." — Former Student

"I was very pleased with the seminar. James's presentation was pithy, frank, humorous and sprinkled with memorable anecdotes." — Former Student

"James was a great instructor — I appreciated his honest, straightforward delivery and really valued the experience of listening to a well-respected and talented writer speak." — Former Student

"You are an amazing writer and teacher, and I'm so glad our paths crossed." — Former Student

"Thank you for your guidance and inspiration." — Former Student

"James, many thanks for your expertise and guidance." — Former Student

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $99 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: James Sturz
• Begins Monday, November 16, 2026
• Class will meet once via Zoom on Monday, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET
• Tuition is $99 USD.