Free writing workshop series for 2026!

Happy new year, everyone! I hope you’ve already kicked off your writing years. As I start my fresh year of All Things Writerly, I have a new program to announce: in the place of my monthly chats with authors, agents, and publishing peeps, in 2026 I’m going to curate a monthly free workshop for writers instead. It’s not a huge difference: there was already something to learn from every interview. But what is being taught, and how, is going to get a little more focused.

We’re starting off with Michael David Lukas, award-winning novelist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Creative Writing at San Francisco State University. He has also taught at the University of San Francisco, the University of the Pacific, and 826 Valencia. On January 29th, Michael is kindly coming to give us a free revision workshop centered on a few simple questions that might save you a lot of time.

The proof of Michael’s revision pudding is the success of his books, The Oracle of Stamboul and The Last Watchman of Old Cairo, which between them have picked up a slew of awards and been translated into a dozen languages.

If you’d like to learn from someone with these writing chops (and there’s more—check out his website), save your seat here for A Few Simple Questions that Might Save You a Lot of Time, 5:30-7:00pm PT, Thursday January 29th, 2026.

Coming up after Michael is Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, who has just launched her third YA thriller, The Tresspassers, and pulled off a second successful genre-jump (she started in MG) by selling her first adult thriller. On Thursday, February 26th, from 5:20-7:00pm PT, Jennifer will be offering a free workshop, Twists and Turns: How to Write a Thriller. You can save your seat here.

And in March, we’ll be in the good company of Lynn Rankin Esquer. The second book in Lynn’s Order Out of Chaos Mysteries series, Murder, Hijinks, and the Peridot Cuff Links, launched on January 2nd and quickly became Amazon’s #1 New Release in psychic mysteries. On Thursday, March 26th, from 5:30-7:00pm PT, Lynn will be offering a free workshop on self-pub marketing, Increasing Exposure: What I’ve Learned So Far as a Self Published Author.

So, lots to learn ahead, and great company to learn it with. I hope you get the most out of this community over the coming year, and wish you the best of luck with your resolutions and projects. If you have anything you’d like to share, or anything you’d like to teach, feel free to drop me a line.

Hope to see you on Thursday, January 29th with Michael David Lukas. Until then, happy new year, and happy, happy writing!

Shirin