The San Francisco Creative Writing Institute (SFCWI) serves writers of all levels from any background through a wide variety of classes and programs with an emphasis on uplifting the voices of emerging artists and artists who identify as women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or immigrants. For our students, our unique offerings guarantee that each writer always receives 1) personalized edits and feedback, 2) a forum to perform in front of a live audience, and 3) an opportunity to publish their work with us.
Our classes are offered online and in-person at the Harvey Milk Recreational Arts Center and in afterschool programs for the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). We also partner with local nonprofits such as SAFEhouse Arts, CounterPulse, and the SF Public Library to coordinate and develop accessible creative writing programs for communities throughout the Bay Area.
In addition to classes, SFCWI produces literary readings across the Bay Area at venues such as Medicine For Nightmares Bookstore & Galleria, and the Harvey Milk Recreational Arts Center featuring the work of our instructors, our members, and well-known local artists such as SF Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin, former SF Poet Laureate Kim Shuck, Pulitzer Prize finalist in drama Kristina Wong, and WGA Screenwriter Michelle Amor.
SFCWI also provides after-school enrichment programs at Schools of the Sacred Heart and SFUSD elementary schools.