RBWG Fall 2022 Classes
In Person and Online Via Email
Weekly Calendar
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Register Here Please register first with Maribeth at fischer.maribeth@gmail.com to make sure that the class is running (at times we do not have enough participants to make the class work) or is not already filled. Maribeth will respond to you within a day. Pay Here Because we are committed to keeping our classes small and because we can only continue to do this if participants commit to and pay for all classes, we ask that ONCE WE CONFIRM THE CLASS WILL RUN, you pay for the full class amount up front. If you are interested in a class and cannot pay for it up front, just send Maribeth an email and we’ll work out a payment plan. Please do not pay prior to hearing from Maribeth that the class is running and a seat is available. We are unable to make full refunds if payment is received without confirmation from Maribeth first.
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Our Instructors
Click here to read brief biographies for each of our instructors.
Special Writing Challenges
Promises to Keep: A Fourteen-Day Poetry Challenge — Gail Braune Comorat
When: Aug 21-Sep 3
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $50; Non-Members $60
"An ounce of performance is worth more than a pound of promises."
—Mae West
How many times have you promised yourself that you’ll write something every day? How often have you abandoned that promise? One of the most important things we can do as poets is to begin the lines for a new poem. We need to stop researching, stop editing, stop agonizing over word choice. Just sit in the chair and write. Even if it’s only for thirty minutes (an ounce of performance!).
For fourteen days, our challenge will be to write a poem a day, a great way to end the summer and to welcome autumn. Each morning, those who accept this challenge will get a short email offering a sample poem or a prompt idea for inspiration. Whether or not you follow the prompt is optional. Write anything you want to write. The point is to write, to create new work.
Each night, participants will email me one thing: the number of words written. There’s no critique or praise, no sharing of work, just a community of poets all vowing to make writing a priority for these two weeks. At the end of week one, we’ll tally how many writers succeeded in meeting the challenge (but no names; no shame if you missed a day or came up short. All that matters is that you commit to write). We’ll do the same at the end of week two, at which point I’ll ask each writer to send me one poem that was written during this challenge (this, too, is optional). I’ll share those examples with the group as a way to celebrate our accomplishment and get to know each other a little bit through our writing.
Fall 5,000: Ten-Day Writing Challenge — Maribeth Fischer
When: Oct 10-14 and Oct 17-21 (weekends off)
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $50; Non-Members $60
"What I have written must tell me what to write next."
—William Gass
For ten days (we’ll skip weekends), our challenge will be to write 500 words a day, so that before our lives (and time) disappear into the year-end chaos of holidays, we’ll have renewed our promise to ourselves to make writing a priority.
There are times when the most important thing we can do as writers is to get words on the page. Stop fussing, stop editing, stop agonizing over word choice. Just write. Create character sketches, describe landscapes, write a detailed outline of the entire memoir or story or essay or novel. Write the poem without line breaks. Make a list of scenes, then force yourself to pick one and dive in. It’s a fallacy to think you must have it all figured out in order to begin.
Each morning, those who accept this challenge will get a short email offering inspiration, maybe a few suggestions (that there’s no obligation to use). For those who did Jumpstart June, these are different prompts.
Each night, participants will email Maribeth one thing: the number of words they wrote. There’s no critique or praise, no sharing of work, just a community of writers all vowing to make writing a priority for these two weeks. At the end of week one, we’ll tally how many writers succeeded in meeting the challenge (but no names; no shame if you missed a day or came up short. All that matters is that you commit to try). We’ll do the same at the end of week two.
When: Aug 21-Sep 3
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $50; Non-Members $60
"An ounce of performance is worth more than a pound of promises."
—Mae West
How many times have you promised yourself that you’ll write something every day? How often have you abandoned that promise? One of the most important things we can do as poets is to begin the lines for a new poem. We need to stop researching, stop editing, stop agonizing over word choice. Just sit in the chair and write. Even if it’s only for thirty minutes (an ounce of performance!).
For fourteen days, our challenge will be to write a poem a day, a great way to end the summer and to welcome autumn. Each morning, those who accept this challenge will get a short email offering a sample poem or a prompt idea for inspiration. Whether or not you follow the prompt is optional. Write anything you want to write. The point is to write, to create new work.
Each night, participants will email me one thing: the number of words written. There’s no critique or praise, no sharing of work, just a community of poets all vowing to make writing a priority for these two weeks. At the end of week one, we’ll tally how many writers succeeded in meeting the challenge (but no names; no shame if you missed a day or came up short. All that matters is that you commit to write). We’ll do the same at the end of week two, at which point I’ll ask each writer to send me one poem that was written during this challenge (this, too, is optional). I’ll share those examples with the group as a way to celebrate our accomplishment and get to know each other a little bit through our writing.
Fall 5,000: Ten-Day Writing Challenge — Maribeth Fischer
When: Oct 10-14 and Oct 17-21 (weekends off)
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $50; Non-Members $60
"What I have written must tell me what to write next."
—William Gass
For ten days (we’ll skip weekends), our challenge will be to write 500 words a day, so that before our lives (and time) disappear into the year-end chaos of holidays, we’ll have renewed our promise to ourselves to make writing a priority.
There are times when the most important thing we can do as writers is to get words on the page. Stop fussing, stop editing, stop agonizing over word choice. Just write. Create character sketches, describe landscapes, write a detailed outline of the entire memoir or story or essay or novel. Write the poem without line breaks. Make a list of scenes, then force yourself to pick one and dive in. It’s a fallacy to think you must have it all figured out in order to begin.
Each morning, those who accept this challenge will get a short email offering inspiration, maybe a few suggestions (that there’s no obligation to use). For those who did Jumpstart June, these are different prompts.
Each night, participants will email Maribeth one thing: the number of words they wrote. There’s no critique or praise, no sharing of work, just a community of writers all vowing to make writing a priority for these two weeks. At the end of week one, we’ll tally how many writers succeeded in meeting the challenge (but no names; no shame if you missed a day or came up short. All that matters is that you commit to try). We’ll do the same at the end of week two.
Nonfiction
Overcoming the Fear of Writing Memoir — Judy Catterton (6 sessions)
When: Mondays, 10a.m.-Noon. Oct 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Nov 7
Where: Judy Catterton’s House, Kings Creek Community, Rehoboth Beach
Cost: RBWG Members $300; Non-Members $350
Does the notion of writing a memoir send shivers down your spine? Are you afraid you don’t have stories worth telling? Or you’re not a good enough writer to tell them? Maybe you worry about what the telling may reveal about you, your family, your past, your secrets?
Every one of us has stories to tell and a desire to tell them. Maybe you want to record reminiscences for your children and/or grandchildren. Or maybe you want to reach a broader universe of people. This class will give you an opportunity to flesh out the stories you want or “need” to tell. You will hear from others in the same boat—that shaky one that holds people who also wonder if they are “real” writers—what resonates with them, what intrigues them, what they want to know more about. You’ll get to experiment with various ways of telling your stories and no doubt see that your stories do matter and are worth being written. You might work on stand-alone, individual essays or one continuous narrative. In this class, we will consider: how to include research; develop dialogue (both internal and external); decide on the most effective voice; deal with elusive memories and awkward “truths;” and other issues that relate to how best to tell your personal stories. The instructor requires that all participants be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Yes, You Can! (Become a Blogger, That Is) — Elise Seyfried (5 Sessions)
When: Tuesdays, Sep 13, 20, 27; Oct 4, 11
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $250; Non-Members $300
"Sometimes I think of blogging as finger exercises for a violinist; sometimes I think of it as mulching a garden. It is incredibly useful and helpful to my “real” writing."
—Kate Christensen, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novelist
Curious about blogging (literally, “web-logging”, or online journaling)? Join Elise Seyfried in a fun, exhilarating, take-the-plunge adventure for beginning bloggers. Elise started her blog, “Working Title,” in 2011 as a total newbie, figuring she’d write a couple of posts (maybe), then quit. Instead, over the years, Elise’s weekly mini-essays have become vital to her writing life, and have inspired longer published essays too.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn about different types of blogs and the nuts and bolts of writing and maintaining a personal blog. Each student will set up his or her own blog, and the assignments (“finger exercises”) will be the initial entries. At the end of the five-week tutorial, students will have blogs they can continue posting on far into the future. Don’t be surprised if your blog becomes one of the most valuable parts of your writer’s toolbox!
Turning Points: Building Your Memoir from Life’s Pivotal Moments — Elise Seyfried (5 sessions)
When: Tuesdays, Sep 13, 20, 27; Oct 4, 11
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $250; Non-Members $300
"A memoir is more about what can be gleaned from a section of one’s life than about the outcome of the life as a whole."
—Gore Vidal
Memoir focuses on just a part of your life's journey. But where to begin? Which portion of your life has the richest material?
Looking back, we all have times when our life's course changed (for better or worse). The road taken (or not) in career, love life, education, etc. Moving to a new place. Starting a family. Suffering a loss. These moments help define us and are wonderful sources of material for memoir.
In this class you'll come up with some turning points you can use as you begin to craft your personal story. For each of the first few weeks, you'll explore one of your turning points, then select one that especially inspires you. By the end of the course, you will have written a memoir essay that can stand alone, or can be a springboard for a longer work.
Writing the Emotions: Essays in Creative Nonfiction — Maribeth Fischer (8 sessions)
When: Mondays, 3-5p.m., Sep 19, 26; Oct 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Nov 7
Where: Lutheran Church of our Savior, Bay Vista Road, Rehoboth
Cost: RBWG Members $400; Non-Members $450
"I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions."
—James A. Michener
This is a class without assignments beyond a broad invitation each week to begin an essay--in a style and format of your choosing—that begins with a specific emotion. The emotion will be decided each week: perhaps anger one week and one person will write an essay about an issue that angers him, while another might write a portrait of his father, who was often angry, while another might write a humorous list-essay of the things that make her angry. Next week the topic might be envy and one person will describe the relationship she has with a sibling while someone else might write a piece on aging, and her envy of those who seem to do so with a grace she struggles to find. The class is a workshop, so participants will bring in their essay drafts each week, with the goal of getting feedback on where to expand, where to add research, where we need more examples. Of course, we’ll focus on what the writer is doing well, too! Each week, the class will decide, as a group, which emotion they will focus on. The goal will be to start five essays and to revise one.
When: Mondays, 10a.m.-Noon. Oct 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Nov 7
Where: Judy Catterton’s House, Kings Creek Community, Rehoboth Beach
Cost: RBWG Members $300; Non-Members $350
Does the notion of writing a memoir send shivers down your spine? Are you afraid you don’t have stories worth telling? Or you’re not a good enough writer to tell them? Maybe you worry about what the telling may reveal about you, your family, your past, your secrets?
Every one of us has stories to tell and a desire to tell them. Maybe you want to record reminiscences for your children and/or grandchildren. Or maybe you want to reach a broader universe of people. This class will give you an opportunity to flesh out the stories you want or “need” to tell. You will hear from others in the same boat—that shaky one that holds people who also wonder if they are “real” writers—what resonates with them, what intrigues them, what they want to know more about. You’ll get to experiment with various ways of telling your stories and no doubt see that your stories do matter and are worth being written. You might work on stand-alone, individual essays or one continuous narrative. In this class, we will consider: how to include research; develop dialogue (both internal and external); decide on the most effective voice; deal with elusive memories and awkward “truths;” and other issues that relate to how best to tell your personal stories. The instructor requires that all participants be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Yes, You Can! (Become a Blogger, That Is) — Elise Seyfried (5 Sessions)
When: Tuesdays, Sep 13, 20, 27; Oct 4, 11
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $250; Non-Members $300
"Sometimes I think of blogging as finger exercises for a violinist; sometimes I think of it as mulching a garden. It is incredibly useful and helpful to my “real” writing."
—Kate Christensen, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novelist
Curious about blogging (literally, “web-logging”, or online journaling)? Join Elise Seyfried in a fun, exhilarating, take-the-plunge adventure for beginning bloggers. Elise started her blog, “Working Title,” in 2011 as a total newbie, figuring she’d write a couple of posts (maybe), then quit. Instead, over the years, Elise’s weekly mini-essays have become vital to her writing life, and have inspired longer published essays too.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn about different types of blogs and the nuts and bolts of writing and maintaining a personal blog. Each student will set up his or her own blog, and the assignments (“finger exercises”) will be the initial entries. At the end of the five-week tutorial, students will have blogs they can continue posting on far into the future. Don’t be surprised if your blog becomes one of the most valuable parts of your writer’s toolbox!
Turning Points: Building Your Memoir from Life’s Pivotal Moments — Elise Seyfried (5 sessions)
When: Tuesdays, Sep 13, 20, 27; Oct 4, 11
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $250; Non-Members $300
"A memoir is more about what can be gleaned from a section of one’s life than about the outcome of the life as a whole."
—Gore Vidal
Memoir focuses on just a part of your life's journey. But where to begin? Which portion of your life has the richest material?
Looking back, we all have times when our life's course changed (for better or worse). The road taken (or not) in career, love life, education, etc. Moving to a new place. Starting a family. Suffering a loss. These moments help define us and are wonderful sources of material for memoir.
In this class you'll come up with some turning points you can use as you begin to craft your personal story. For each of the first few weeks, you'll explore one of your turning points, then select one that especially inspires you. By the end of the course, you will have written a memoir essay that can stand alone, or can be a springboard for a longer work.
Writing the Emotions: Essays in Creative Nonfiction — Maribeth Fischer (8 sessions)
When: Mondays, 3-5p.m., Sep 19, 26; Oct 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Nov 7
Where: Lutheran Church of our Savior, Bay Vista Road, Rehoboth
Cost: RBWG Members $400; Non-Members $450
"I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions."
—James A. Michener
This is a class without assignments beyond a broad invitation each week to begin an essay--in a style and format of your choosing—that begins with a specific emotion. The emotion will be decided each week: perhaps anger one week and one person will write an essay about an issue that angers him, while another might write a portrait of his father, who was often angry, while another might write a humorous list-essay of the things that make her angry. Next week the topic might be envy and one person will describe the relationship she has with a sibling while someone else might write a piece on aging, and her envy of those who seem to do so with a grace she struggles to find. The class is a workshop, so participants will bring in their essay drafts each week, with the goal of getting feedback on where to expand, where to add research, where we need more examples. Of course, we’ll focus on what the writer is doing well, too! Each week, the class will decide, as a group, which emotion they will focus on. The goal will be to start five essays and to revise one.
Fiction
The Next Step: Novel Workshop — Maribeth Fischer (8 sessions)
When: Thursdays: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sep 15, 22, 29; Oct 6, 13, 20, 27; Nov 3
Where: Lutheran Church of our Savior, Bay Vista Road, Rehoboth
Cost: RBWG Members $400; Non-Members $450
"That words on a page can contain the feeling of lived life seems impossible, a kind of miracle, yet again and again, these books move me and make me feel more for the real world."
—Stewart O’ Nan, The Writer’s Chronicle, December 2016
This is a class for those who have either a) completed "Graduate School in a Box" and/or at least one of the “Driving a Car at Night: Exercises in Fiction Classes,” or b) taken an in-person novel class with Maribeth previously. You are now ready to step away from the assignments and exercises and just write the novel you’ve been wanting to write. There are no assignments in this class beyond writing up to 2,000 words a week (2,000 words is NOT a requirement; some will write fewer words and this is fine. 2,000 is simply the limit of what you can give Maribeth for critique). You’ll also bring to the in-person classes about 750 words of your novel that you’ll share with your classmates. There’s nothing like having a group of writers looking at your writing and weighing in, telling you what makes them curious, what makes them want to keep reading, and yes, where they’re a little confused. The best is when that group starts talking about your characters, your made-up characters as if they were real! If you have been writing in isolation, think about taking this next step and sharing your work with a slightly larger audience.
When: Thursdays: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sep 15, 22, 29; Oct 6, 13, 20, 27; Nov 3
Where: Lutheran Church of our Savior, Bay Vista Road, Rehoboth
Cost: RBWG Members $400; Non-Members $450
"That words on a page can contain the feeling of lived life seems impossible, a kind of miracle, yet again and again, these books move me and make me feel more for the real world."
—Stewart O’ Nan, The Writer’s Chronicle, December 2016
This is a class for those who have either a) completed "Graduate School in a Box" and/or at least one of the “Driving a Car at Night: Exercises in Fiction Classes,” or b) taken an in-person novel class with Maribeth previously. You are now ready to step away from the assignments and exercises and just write the novel you’ve been wanting to write. There are no assignments in this class beyond writing up to 2,000 words a week (2,000 words is NOT a requirement; some will write fewer words and this is fine. 2,000 is simply the limit of what you can give Maribeth for critique). You’ll also bring to the in-person classes about 750 words of your novel that you’ll share with your classmates. There’s nothing like having a group of writers looking at your writing and weighing in, telling you what makes them curious, what makes them want to keep reading, and yes, where they’re a little confused. The best is when that group starts talking about your characters, your made-up characters as if they were real! If you have been writing in isolation, think about taking this next step and sharing your work with a slightly larger audience.
Poetry
The Importance of Form II: Writing Form Poems — Gail Comorat (4 sessions)
When: Tuesdays, Oct 18, 25; Nov 1, 8
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $200; Non-Members
"The more emotional the content, the greater the need for form to stabilize it."
—Billy Collins
Have you ever begun a poem and wound up abandoning it? Sometimes, when we try to control what we want to say in a poem, we feel that the poem isn’t doing the work we want it to do. Turning to poetic forms can help us make sense of experiences that have disturbed us or ones we don’t fully understand. Through writing poems with strict rules, we no longer try to control the poem and its journey. Form poems can guide our writing and help us to tell the stories that we’ve been trying to write.
During this four-week online tutorial, prompts will be sent every Tuesday and weekly assignments will be due the following Monday. Feedback will be provided for each assignment along with answers to whatever questions you have about poetry.
Each week we’ll read example poems and write our own versions of Sestinas, Centos, Golden Shovels, and a newer form. We’ll follow rules as we play with language and repetition. We’ll focus on content and substance while we write, but because we will be inexperienced with these forms, we’re going to give ourselves permission to write bad poems as we learn more about ourselves as writers.
When: Tuesdays, Oct 18, 25; Nov 1, 8
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $200; Non-Members
"The more emotional the content, the greater the need for form to stabilize it."
—Billy Collins
Have you ever begun a poem and wound up abandoning it? Sometimes, when we try to control what we want to say in a poem, we feel that the poem isn’t doing the work we want it to do. Turning to poetic forms can help us make sense of experiences that have disturbed us or ones we don’t fully understand. Through writing poems with strict rules, we no longer try to control the poem and its journey. Form poems can guide our writing and help us to tell the stories that we’ve been trying to write.
During this four-week online tutorial, prompts will be sent every Tuesday and weekly assignments will be due the following Monday. Feedback will be provided for each assignment along with answers to whatever questions you have about poetry.
Each week we’ll read example poems and write our own versions of Sestinas, Centos, Golden Shovels, and a newer form. We’ll follow rules as we play with language and repetition. We’ll focus on content and substance while we write, but because we will be inexperienced with these forms, we’re going to give ourselves permission to write bad poems as we learn more about ourselves as writers.
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