Teaching History

I have taught creative writing at Stanford Continuing Studies, UC Berkeley Extension, Left Margin Lit, Book Passage, The San Francisco Grotto and elsewhere around the Bay Area for over twenty years. I teach private workshops in person and on Zoom, and I also work one-on-one with students as an editor and coach.

Consistently praised by my students for being both supportive and critical, my conference-style method of teaching promotes both close reading as well as learning through student interaction. I want my students to learn how to learn. I’m proud of my many students who have gone on to publish and teach. I’m equally proud of those who continue to write for personal pleasure. 

If you don’t seen any upcoming classes that suit you, feel free to contact me to find out what else is upcoming and how else you could work with me. I teach memoir, short fiction, essays, micro nonfiction, revision, working through writer’s block and grief, as well as children’s picture books.

Upcoming classes

Don’t see a class you want here? Send me an email. I’m always scheduling new classes.

Free Drop-in Children’s Picture Book Group

Picture Book Club for Grown-ups. Mr. Mopps’ Bookstore. Drop-in discussion group. In person, in Berkeley. Fourth Sunday of every month, 3:30-4:30. Starting in January 2024!

Free Memoir Masterclass

National Association of Memoir Writers. “Spinning Straw into Gold: The Magic of Memoir.” Feel free to listen to the audio recording of my master class here.

Free Writing Podcast

QWERTY: Episode 53: On curating your own life. Listen to my interview with Marian Roach Smith here.

Student Testimonials

"As a student 'curious' about writing, I came to Monica's class with an open mind and some ambition. In the course of those few months my mind took on galaxies of fiction, as we discussed and understood craft, voice, style, tone and tension, and my ambition soared. To this day, because of Monica's instruction and inspiration, as long as I am reading, I am writing."

Laleh Khadivi, author of The Age of Orphans and The Walking

"I couldn't have found a better introduction to the craft of writing. Monica's warm personality, clear insightfulness and guidance, and firm insistence on the intimate connection between reading and writing was the perfect combination. The books we read and the pieces I wrote have grown with me in the years since taking her class. And I am grateful -- for the class, yes, but also for the way Monica introduced me to the possibility inherent in a committed writing life."

Paige Eve Chant, writer and blogger

"Monica is a wonderful teacher--involved, encouraging, and genuinely interested in helping her students to produce their best work." 

Jaqueline Luckett, author of Passing Love and Searching for Tina Turner

"Monica taught me to take risks in the development of my writing by experimenting with the structure of those stories I most admired."

Annemarie O'Brien, author of Lara's Gift  

"Her wit and warmth foster a stimulating classroom community, so we both have fun and learn!" 

Dr. Valerie Broin, Professor of Philsophy, CSU Stanislaus

 “Thank you for an AMAZING class yesterday. I went from knowing nothing, to a head so full of ideas that I almost exploded. You’re such a great teacher! Then, when I got home, I wrote the picture book draft I wanted.”

Jeanne Panek, a mountains-kids-climber-wilderness-storyteller