Has your nonfiction project lost momentum? Are you doubting your own writing judgment? Do you want to get something finished for once? Show up and sit down (virtually) with a small, focused workshopping group overseen by The Reader teacher, editor and author, Susanna Forrest. Susanna will draw on twenty years’ experience to provide guidance and feedback on your work at every session and help you build a writing mode that fits into your life. Working together in a group of five, we can
— generate thoughtful writing that deepens organically;
— create impetus rather than chasing word counts;
— find the stories underneath the stories; and
— enhance your self-editing skills.
Email us at hello@thereaderberlin.com to sign up!
The six sessions will be flexibly arranged on weekday mornings with adequate writing/editing time, so get in touch with Susanna via The Reader to sign up and arrange an initial meeting in early February. Workshop Groups will be limited to five participants, and more than one workshop group will be established if there is demand. The cost is €250 (inc VAT) for six sessions. The Creative Nonfiction Lab is for writers who have material to hand rather than those looking for generative prompts.
Susanna Forrest is the author of two critically acclaimed nonfiction titles that incorporate history, travel, memoir and reportage. The Age of the Horse was described as “superb” by the Economist, and If Wishes Were Horses drew praise from Jilly Cooper and Carnegie Medal winner K M Peyton. Susanna has written for publications including the Paris Review Daily, Long Reads, the Atlantic, and NPR. She has won the Sophie Coe Prize for an essay on food history and the John Heygate Award for travel writing from the Society of Authors.
TESTIMONIALS:
After doing two courses with Susanna, I can say that she single-handedly inspired me to keep writing. She has a keen eye for what works and what needs tweaking, a knack for finding the right words to motivate you, was always fair and considerate to everyone in the room but still managed to give hugely important criticism, did not talk for the sake of it but only when it mattered — in short, she is an absolutely fantastic and gifted teacher!”
– Lucy Jones
Susanna’s CNF group was my introduction to “writing the real.” I wanted to experiment with my writing voice, deepen craft skills and form writerly friendships. One happy customer here. Plus, I am very proud of the piece I wrote with Susanna’s expert feedback.
– Clementine Burley
I did Susanna Forrest’s Creative Non-Fiction parts one and two, and it’s honestly not an exaggeration to say it was life-changing. She led us through discussions that made me interrogate my own work in new ways, and taught me how to continue learning from the writing I admire. The energy in those sessions has carried through and our group are still meeting to share work and talk ideas many months after the end of course. I think we’re all very grateful to Susanna for bringing us together!
– Ruby Russell
I took Susanna Forrest’s advanced nonfiction class and it absolutely exceeded my expectations. She provides an excellent structure and class environment in which to explore, ideate, and of course get down to work. The readings and other materials she provides are exceptional and never excessive, and her feedback is always astute, on point and encouraging. I started the course with a very rough draft and ended it with something ready for submission. I would highly recommend the course, and Susanna as an instructor.
– Maree Hamilton
I just wanted to write to say how much I enjoyed the Reclaim Your Writing Brain course by Susanna Forrest. This was the first time I had taken a writing course and I had no idea what to expect, but from the very start I found myself both inspired and motivated. I had wanted to take the course to kickstart a writing habit which had long since fallen by the wayside. It was a great success, and I find myself writing mostly every day now. I also came out of the course with an improved mindset for combatting the time sink that is modern digital life, as well as a new-found joy in writing essay style observational non-fiction – something which I hadn’t even thought about taking on before.
I feel like I’m well set up with ideas and approaches for maintaining and growing a writing habit.
I’d also like to say that Susanna was very friendly, personable, and relatable. The course work was easy to follow and thought provoking, and encouraged input from all the students.
Highly recommended, and a huge thanks to Susanna for her patience, advice, and guidance.
– Alex