Blue Stoop

Stitch research into the fabric of your work in this free, hourlong skill share with storyteller Svetlana Binshtok! ( ) Participants will learn new strategies to blend research seamlessly into their projects and create rich emotional narratives through a brief craft lesson, discussion of example texts, and writing exercises. Novices and writers at all levels of experience are encouraged to attend.

Learn more and RSVP at bluestoop.org/events.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual skill shares led for and by writers in our community. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal sessions are sure to shake up your Thursday routine.

Read. Write. Daydream. Join Blue Stoop Wednesday, 9/23, from 3:30-5:30pm ET for a free, virtual coworking session. RSVP at bluestoop.org/events

Don't miss your chance! Registration for Language of Symbolism closes on Tuesday, 11/10.

Malachi Lily is a neurofunky, liminal Black person rooted in Lenape-Hoking (Philly.) Lily writes speculative fiction through magick, Black-anarcho politics, and nature wisdom to decompose colonial fears. In 2023, they were a Tinhouse and Roots.Wounds.Words. fellow, and in 2024, Lily was a writing resident at Stove Works. In 2025, Lily became a Science Fiction and Fantasy Association Fellow and a Trans Journalism Association Fellow. Currently, in 2026, they were a fellow at the Narrative Shifts residency, a columnist at Inglenook Lit, the spec-fic scholar fellow for the McCormack Writer Center, and the editor-in-chief of Black and Pink Magazine.

In this generative, interactive lecture, we will break down the language of visual symbolism for both the written and illustrated page. This language is derived from the study of folklore, fairytales, divination, and magick as they show up in patterns of visual artwork. We will study pieces of artwork and use them as prompts to create written works of symbolism, as ekphrasis or just inspiration.

For authors of poetry, prose, and comics, this virtual class will give you a sharper toolset in your creative arsenal to support you in sharing the story you want, translating the message you want your reader to receive, and electrifying your prose with potent visuals.

Registration closes Tuesday, 11/10 (or when the class is full). Financial aid and payment plans available, learn more at bluestoop.org/classes

Want to learn how to promote your book? Unsure how to navigate the world of publishing? Bring your questions to this free, hourlong skill share with publicist Andrea Thatcher. Participants will learn about the current state of the publishing industry and have the opportunity to engage in a robust Q&A session. Writers of all genres and levels of experience are welcome.

Learn more and RSVP at bluestoop.org/events.

Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual skill shares led for and by writers in our community. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal sessions are sure to shake up your Thursday routine.

Don't miss your chance! Registration for Writing by Needle closes on Friday, 11/6.

Ebs Sanders ( ) co-edits the tiny with Gina Myers. They are the author of Low Ecstasies (blush lit, 2025) and A Fallow Channel (Gauss PDF, 2020). Their work can be found in Blue Bag, Cul-de-sac of Blood, Keith LLC, Mercury Firs, peel lit, the Rumpus, and Tripwire, among others. They are one of ten 2025 Convent Arts fellows, teach for Vocational Poetics and facilitate a reading group for the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Hosted at South Philadelphia’s historic Fleisher Art Memorial, this class examines a historically under-appreciated craft as an alternate means for written expression.

We’ll investigate how embodied text-making alters the experience of expression, reading excerpts from Anne Boyer’s Garments Against Women, Karen Brodine’s Woman sitting at the machine, thinking, T Fleischmann’s Time is the thing a body moves through, Isabella Rosner’s Stitching Freedom: Embroidery and Incarceration, andMC Hyland’s The Dead & The Living & The Bridge. We’ll examine Agnes Richter’s autobiographical strait jacket, the arpilleras of artists living under Pinochet’s regime in Chile, Karan Al-Maloukh’s embroidered books, and Ray Materson’s baseball player portraits made with found materials during his incarceration.

Students will come away equipped to create a stitched text of their own. All supplies will be provided.

Registration closes Friday, 11/6 (or when the class is full). Financial aid and payment plans available, learn more at bluestoop.org/classes

Don't miss your chance! Registration for Poetry as Resistance closes on Friday, 10/30.

Saskia ( ) is a writer, educator, and social scientist from Philadelphia by way of Haiti. A master of economics with accolades in research and poetry, she has written essays, reports, and poems across publications. Her work explores global inequality, economic mobility, community development, and comparative politics. Saskia currently serves as a visiting professor, research consultant, organizer, and teaching artist. She is the curator of both Sunset Saloon and The ThinkPeace and sits on the programming committee of the Painted Bride Art Center. More from this eldest daughter at bysaskia.co.

Informed by and committed to the Black radical tradition, “Poetry as Resistance” is a transformative 3-week, in-person course that delves deep into the power of revolutionary literature. Participants will explore the works of courageous poets and writers who have used language to advocate for justice, liberation, and change.

Each week, we will focus on a different set of figures, examining their contributions and how their words continue to resonate today. Writers studied have included June Jordan, Audre Lorde, Refaat Alareer, and aja monet. Participants will engage in critical analysis, facilitated dialogue, and generative writing exercises that respond to historic and contemporary forms of political repression. This class is open to writers of all backgrounds and experience levels.

Registration closes Friday, 10/30 (or when the class is full). Financial aid and payment plans available, learn more at bluestoop.org/classes

Don't miss your chance! Registration for The Art of the Chapbook closes on Wednesday, 10/14.

Yasmine Ameli (she/her) is a q***r biracial Iranian American writer and fiber artist whose publications appear in Poetry Magazine, The Sun, The Southern Review, and elsewhere. She teaches creative writing workshops and the business of thriving as an artist as well as works with writers and artists one-on-one. She is the author of the monthly newsletter Word Play: Your Guide to a Sustainable Writing Life, and she makes and sells crafts in Philadelphia, where she lives. Learn more at yasmineameli.com.

Learn the process of writing, ordering, and editing a poetry chapbook in this virtual 6-week workshop. Suitable for writers at all stages of the manuscript writing process, this class will encourage participants to explore Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process as well as writers’ individual writing manifestos as ethical compasses for learning how to ask for, offer, and consider consensual feedback. Participants will have the opportunity to share up to 5 pages of poetry for peer feedback and to schedule an optional one-on-one 15-minute conference with the instructor. By the end of this course, students will have learned the history of the chapbook, the basics of publishing in literary journals and small presses, a writer-centered approach to workshopping, and what resources to turn to next as they continue their journey.

Registration closes Wednesday, 10/14 (or when the class is full). Financial aid and payment plans available, learn more at bluestoop.org/classes

Don't miss your chance! Registration for Unlocking Grief closes on Friday, 10/9.

Naila Francis ( ) is a certified grief coach and death midwife, ordained interfaith minister and writer/poet. She provides grief and loss support through one-on-one coaching, workshops and rituals. Naila is also a co-founder of Salt Trails, a Philadelphia collective honoring grief through community rituals. Her poetry album, "Wonder Unsung," a collaboration with producer-guitarist Paulito Muse, is available on streaming platforms, and her poetry has appeared in Wild Greens, Healing Verse Poetry Line, ONE ART and Braided Way. Learn more at www.thishallowedwilderness.com.

Grief is a natural human response to the significant losses and changes in our lives. Yet many of us spend more time resisting and avoiding our grief than engaging it with curiosity and compassion. In this virtual, 3-week class, we’ll explore and respond in writing to poems by Ross Gay, Michael Kleber-Diggs, Danusha Lameris, Denise Levertov, Mahogany L. Browne and others that journey through the landscape of loss — from the shattering and breaking open to the small steps forward we take to build a life around the ache.

Registration closes Friday, 10/9 (or when the class is full). Financial aid and payment plans available, learn more at bluestoop.org/classes

Don't miss your chance! Registration for Genealogy of the Spirit closes on Thursday, 10/8.

Wancy Young Cho ( ) is a Pushcart Prize nominee for short fiction, the recipient of a Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle Award for traditional fiction, a first-place Written Image Screenwriting Award winner for feature-length screenwriting, and a Jack Straw Writing Fellow. His stories and essays appear in The New Orleans Review, NBC’s THINK, The Stranger, Salon, and elsewhere. He is an instructor for Stanford Continuing Studies, The School of The New York Times, The University of Chicago Graham School Writers Studio, Hugo House, and Blue Stoop. Wancy holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University. He lives in Chicago with his dog Tiki.

In this 6-week virtual craft workshop, we'll examine popular works of fiction with autobiographical elements from writers like Bruno Schulz, Imogen Binnie, Roberto Bolaño, Alexander Chee, Julie Hayden, and Jhumpa Lahiri. Each week, we'll discuss an element of craft, from the big ones (time, point of view, dialogue) to the smaller, more sublime ones (word choice, omission, voice) to employ in your own work, which we'll also share and discuss in the community of our classroom.

Registration closes Thursday, 10/8 (or when the class is full). Financial aid and payment plans available, learn more at bluestoop.org/classes

Don't miss your chance! Registration for Tackling NaNoWriMo Together closes on Tuesday, 9/29.

Kale Choo Hanson ( ) is an educator, writer, and editor. Their work has appeared in Peatsmoke Journal, The Good Life Review, Glassworks, and Thirteen Bridges Review. They hold an MFA from Temple University and are currently instructing at Widener University.

Every November, thousands of writers attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in a single month. This 9-week, in-person course will guide students through the process with motivation, information, and accountability.

Perfect for those with a novel idea, a work in progress, or the desire to start from scratch, this class will include tips on building a routine, outlining (or not), and revision. Students can expect interactive craft lectures, regular progress check-ins, individualized support, short readings, community-building discussions, and a private end-of-semester reading with snacks.

Registration closes Tuesday, 9/29 (or when the class is full). Financial aid and payment plans available, learn more at bluestoop.org/classes