***If these times don’t suit, please get in touch about a potential morning edition that Susanna will launch later.***
Like the proverbial frogs we’ve been sitting in a pot of slowly boiling water for years, and now we find ourselves spending hours gazing at scrolling screens, handing over our attention in return for brain fog, anxiety, and a perpetual feeling of not being enough. Social media has gone from a tool that connects people to an addictive drain that pushes us to form relationships with AI personas and watch videos of things that never happened. We’re starting to lose ourselves.
This course is about taking the pot off the boil, stepping away, and reclaiming our writing brains. The goal is to reduce numbing screentime and replace it with slower, deeper observation of the world around us and a durable creative writing practice. We’re aiming to create a kind of literary permaculture where we generate ideas with both immediacy and longevity in a sustainable fashion. We seek the kind of intellectual friction and effort that helps the brain grow and writing deepen without succumbing to self-doubt spirals and distraction.
We’ll meet online for two hours once a week for seven weeks to learn techniques and tactics, do writing exercises, get inspired, and set goals. You can also get regular personal feedback on your work from me.
Email us at hello@thereaderberlin.com to sign up!
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