Begins on Sunday, September 13th, 2026

The class will meet weekly on Sundays via Zoom, 3:00PM - 5:00PM Pacific

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

Instructor Bio

Instructor Shelby Hinte is Associate Editor of Write or Die Magazine, where she edits essays and interviews. Her work has been featured in BOMB, ZYZZYVA, SmokeLong Quarterly, Hobart, The Rumpus, Witness, Electric Literature, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, HOWLING WOMEN, was published by LEFTOVER Books in 2025.

Meet the Teaching Artist: 

Shelby Hinte on Playing with Truth in Creative Nonfiction

Who is this class for?

This 9-week generative nonfiction writing workshop is for writers at all levels who want to explore and shape stories from their own lives. Whether you're new to creative nonfiction or looking to deepen your practice, this class invites you to experiment with a wide range of forms — from memoir and personal essay to braided essays and autofiction. No polished drafts required: just a willingness to write, play, and discover.

What to expect:

There are so many ways to tell a story. In this online writing class, we'll explore what happens when you change the frame — when you choose one detail over another, one form over another — and how those choices transform the story itself. Each week, in-class readings, prompts, and discussion will guide you toward finding the form that best suits the personal story you want to tell.

Drawing on work by writers such as Melissa Febos, Chris Kraus, Zadie Smith, Sean Enfield, and Vauhini Vara, students will move through a variety of creative nonfiction containers: memoir, found essays, portrait essays, braided essays, and autofiction. Feedback in this nonfiction writing workshop centers on "statements of meaning" — a method designed to spotlight moments in a draft that hold the most potential for deeper exploration, rather than prescriptive correction.

In the final two weeks of this creative writing course, students will shift from generation to revision, working toward a more polished second draft of a piece of their choosing. By the end of the course, you'll have generated multiple first drafts, experimented with multiple forms, and revised a single piece into something worth keeping.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will write one short creative nonfiction piece each week, inspired by the weekly readings and prompts. Students will generate multiple first drafts across a variety of nonfiction forms and, in the final two weeks, revise a single piece into a more polished second draft. Feedback will be provided by the instructor and peers throughout the course, with an emphasis on statements of meaning rather than line editing. Students will also receive written feedback on their weekly writing assignments.

Readings

Readings may include works by Melissa Febos, Chris Kraus, Zadie Smith, Sean Enfield, Vauhini Vara, Sennah Yee, Juliet Escoria, Brandon Stosuy, Sarah Rauch, Jane Alison, C Pam Zhang, Timothy Willis Sanders, Lidia Yuknavitch, and Julie Myerson.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Who We Are – Introduction to CNF – In our first week together we will consider how we fill our creative wells in order to produce written personal works. Writers will create a list of stories from their own lives they are interested in writing, and we will investigate the creative blocks that are common in writing about the self. Readings for this week include work by Melissa Febos.

Week 2: Filling The Creative Well – Found Essays & Lists – So much of writing is about observing and noticing. Exercises will focus on taking stock, making inventories, and collecting textual material. As such, week one emphasizes creating a practice around taking what we notice and putting it to the page. Readings this week include works by Sennah Yee, Juliet Escoria, and Brandon Stosuy.

Week 3: Write What You Know – Memoir – In week two, we will begin with what we have: ourselves and our stories. Writers will examine the events, ideas, and experiences from their own lives that they feel most compelled to write about. Exercises this week will focus on turning memory into story. Readings this week include works by Sarah Rauch, Jane Alison, and Vauhini Vara.

Week 4: Developing Images – The Essay as Portrait – How do we make ourselves and the people in our lives become as authentic on the page as they are in real life? How does the frame we choose to present people in impact the way they are perceived? What happens when we change the frame? In week three, writers will create portrait essays of themselves or others. The focus will be on details and perspective. Readings this week include works by Zadie Smith, C Pam Zhang, and Timothy Willis Sanders.

Week 5: Textures – The Braided Essay – In our everyday lives we are exposed to a constant stream of media: music, film, advertisements, headlines, literature, and more. These things can serve as backdrops to our day or be things that filter into how we act and think. In week four, writers will attempt to weave in materials from their lives, to create more textured narratives. Readings for this week include works by Sean Enfield and Lidia Yuknavitch.

Week 6: Tell it Slant – Autofiction – In Mary Karr's book On Memoir, she writes about personal truth through the example of a family telling stories at the dinner table. She remarks how common it is that members of a collective experience can disagree so thoroughly on the details of an event. This week, students will imagine into the events of their lives and explore how intentionally taking creative liberty with the "facts" might reveal certain emotional truths of their stories. Readings for this week include works by Julie Myerson and Chris Kraus.

Week 7: Revision – We will reimagine revision. Writers will take stock of what they've written so far and reflect on the forms that felt most authentic to their voice and story. Through creative revision exercises, writers will generate a second draft of a previously completed work.

Weeks 8 & 9: Revealing the Self – In our final two weeks together, students will share revised drafts of a single piece of writing from an earlier session.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Locate and outline events from personal experience that you want to shape into creative nonfiction
• Generate multiple first drafts of personal writing across a range of forms
• Revise a single piece into a more polished second draft
• Build knowledge of a variety of creative nonfiction forms, including memoir, found essays, braided essays, and autofiction
• Develop craft skills in storytelling, image-building, and narrative perspective
• Cultivate curiosity and play as core elements of your ongoing writing practice

TESTIMONIALS:

"This was my first workshop, and I found the exercise to be incredibly helpful in bringing my work forward. Outside of the workshop, Shelby held really informative and interactive sessions on different types of CNF which helped me have a well-rounded understanding of the type by the end of the class." — Former Student

"Shelby is an excellent teacher. She is knowledgeable, organized, kind, supportive, and has a notable abundance of energy!" — Former Student

"The in-class prompts were helpful and pushed me in ways that I needed." — Former Student

"Shelby does an excellent job of facilitating a space that helps writers to reach into their own creativity and find out what is important to them. Her astute feedback is also invaluable and pushes writers to their next level." — Former Student

"Shelby was incredible! She is very experienced in teaching, literature, and writing — and it showed. She exceeded my every expectation, and I learned a tremendous amount." — Former Student

"Shelby Hinte ran great classes each week — perfect mix of structure and freedom and always well organized and on time. Excellent communication before, during, and after class. I highly recommend her Toying with the Truth Generative Nonfiction class." — Former Student

"The best part about Shelby Hinte's Toying with the Truth class is how she facilitated a supportive community of writers. I learned so much, and enjoyed each week!" — Former Student

"I would definitely recommend Toying with the Truth with Shelby Hinte. I have already recommended her upcoming classes to others. I think she is not only a good writer, but an excellent teacher. She knows how to encourage, deliver, and inspire. Loved the exercises/warmups, Shelby's off-script advice, and the workshops." — Former Student

"In Toying with the Truth, Shelby covered so much — nothing left to be desired. What did I find most valuable? The community, workshop, and generative exercises." — Former Student

"Toying with the Truth is one of the best classes I've taken. Everything seemed to work so well together: the prompts, reading aloud in class, and Shelby's ability to teach so well. This is a very comprehensive class." — Former Student

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $575 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: Shelby Hinte
• Begins Sunday, September 13, 2026
• Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Sundays, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM PT
• Tuition is $575 USD.