Upcoming Classes

  • Unearthing the Deeper Story: A Revision Workshop

    Sunday, May 3 @ 1-4pm ET, on Zoom (with recording)

    When revising a piece of writing, we must endeavor to see our work with fresh eyes again and again. Even more importantly, we must unearth the deeper story – the story beneath the story, longing to be revealed. But how? In three-hour workshop, we’ll learn transformative revision practices that will help you realize the fullest, most potent expression of your story. Bring in up to 5 pages of a piece of writing that feels stale or stuck, and together, we’ll explore how to breathe new life into it through solo practices, generative writing, and demos. Using these concrete techniques and the supportive container of the group, you’ll walk away with new insights about the story you brought in, renewed energy around the revision process, and revision tools that you can use anytime to become your own best editor. This class is open to all genres.

    Read more here.

    Sign up here

  • A Room of One's Own: Demystifying Artist Residencies

    Saturday, May 16 @ 1-4pm ET, on Zoom (with recording)

    *Offered in partnership with WritingWorkshops.com

    Dreaming of uninterrupted writing time in a cabin in the woods, a villa in Italy, or in your favorite city? Artist residencies offer writers what Virginia Woolf knew we needed: dedicated time, space, and freedom to dive deep into our work, along with the gift of artistic community. In this 3-hour online writing class, we'll explore the transformative world of artist residencies and how to open these doors for yourself. You'll learn what residencies are and why they can be pivotal for your creative practice, how to choose programs that resonate with your vision, and what makes an application truly shine. We'll discuss crafting compelling work samples, project plans, and artist statements that capture the essence of what you want to create. Whether you're applying for the first time or seeking fresh perspective, you'll leave this creative writing workshop inspired and ready to take the next step.

    Sign up here

What people say about Arya's classes

  • “Arya's class transformed my understanding of writing. I generated new material beyond the boundary of my own expectations” 

    —Mara K.

  • “Of all of my teachers in my adult life, Arya’s classes have been the most life changing I have had. I am endlessly thankful for her kind, grounded presence in my life as a mentor and an inspiration for my writing and professional life. Her workshops created such a precious space for true creativity, vulnerability, and deeper realizations about the truth behind the art we create.”

    — Julia P.

  • “I've always disliked writing, but Arya somehow miraculously helped me find joy in writing. She encouraged me to write like I painted and celebrate the quirky. Can we all learn to write?  Yes, if Arya is your teacher”

    — Sal S.

  • “Thank you for creating this opportunity where frequent writers and never-before writers and everyone in between can feel at home.”

    — Jenn B.

  • "Arya's class doesn't just help you probe the edges of your writing. It explores the core of you as a person. The community she cultivated was warm and encouraging. I left feeling connected to a group of total strangers as well as myself in ways that floored me. I genuinely shed a tear when the class ended because it was such a fantastic experience." 

    — Charlotte L.

  • "I would recommend Arya Samuelson's courses to any writer who is haunted by their inner critic. Arya does not teach how to write, she teaches the way to writing." 

    — Ganzfield B.

  • “Arya is a humorous, articulate, experienced writer and excellent creative guide. She listens deeply, acts compassionately, and brings her considerable knowledge to the table with every workshop participant, with writers both experienced and fresh” 

    —Emily S.

  • “Your approach is as much creative caregiver as teacher. You create a loving, intimate space for participants to truly show up, play, become inspired, and reach new milestones, without ever being talked down to or shoehorned into a certain style: a truly rare and beautiful thing. I've recommended your classes far and wide!”

    — Lex M.

  • “Arya's ability to cultivate writing communities that are at once challenging, meaningful, and supportive is truly unparalleled. In her classes, you'll explore depths that you were unaware your writing even had, sit with the awe, wonder, and discovery, and then probe the walls of the labyrinth even further. Through it all, you'll be seen, held, and heard by a community of diverse and talented peers.”

    — Julia P.

  • “Writing is one of my oldest and dearest dreams, one that I nearly allowed to die. This class revived that dream into a confident possibility and changed the way I look at the creative process, giving me a dynamic range of possibilities for revision. Arya guides with a gentle, nurturing hand and a wonderful sense of humor.”

    — Charlotte L.

A selection of past classes

I am available to guest-teach, customize a class, or adapt any of the following workshop to present to your community, institution, or organization. Please be in touch if you have an opportunity that you’d like to discuss.

  • Pleasure, Illness, and Memory: The Art of Embodied Writing

  • Braiding Paradox: How to Weave Complex Truths

  • Your Body Must Be Heard: Listening for the Songs of Your Self

  • Keeping the Channel Open

  • Writing Towards Wildness: A Non-Linear Approach to Writing Memoir

  • Muscle Memory: Writing from the Body

  • Metaphors of Our Lives: Capturing Core Themes of Our Lives

  • Write Your Way Out of a Rut: A 21-Day Generative Course

  • Unearthing the Deeper Story: A Revision Intensive

  • How to Write the Story You’re Afraid to Write

  • Where I End and You Begin: One-Day Memoir Workshop

  • How to Begin (Again and Again): The Craft of Narrative Openings

  • Pleasure as Resistance: Writing Joy, Liberation, and Beauty

Contact me