Writer’s Lab with Prof. Suki
$356.19
“I loved to write even before taking this course, but Writer’s Lab changed my entire perspective on writing! I loved the teacher, students, and topics. I enjoyed the reading and discussing the writing style of the book. What was the most meaningful to me was how the class focused on the art of writing. Before taking this class, I had great plots, but not many artistic touches to my writing. Now my writing has greatly improved, and I can’t wait to take this class again in the fall!
Prof. Suki is really supportive. Even if the entire piece of writing isn’t good, she can always find something good about it, which makes me feel better and less self conscious about my writing. She also has great teaching skills and always handles things well. She is funny, kind, supportive, and I really enjoyed having her as a teacher. I’m looking forward to having her as a teacher again in the future.” ~ Student K.V.
Enrollment
Available
Step 1: Register Your Student
Step 2: Enroll Your Registered Student
| Instructor | Prof. Suki Wessling |
| Content Levels | Grades 6-7 • Middle School Grades 7-8 • Junior High Grades 9-10 • Lower High School |
| Course Length | 16 weeks |
| Live Webinars Held On | Wednesdays, 2:00 - 2:50 PM Pacific - 8/27/25 - 12/17/25 |
There aren’t any literal beakers and bunsen burners in this online writing lab, but Writer’s Lab is a vessel for cooking up literary concoctions and inspiring growth and community. Designed to integrate writers of all ages and abilities, Writer’s Lab focuses on three key components of healthy writing: fluidity, advancement, and community.
Fluidity
You can’t write if you can’t write. So many students feel blocked by traditional writing instruction, which focuses on setting ground rules before writing. In Prof. Suki’s Writer’s Lab courses, we move in the other direction. We focus on producing writing of any sort and of any quality first. Our motto regarding first drafts is No Value Judgments! and we take that motto seriously. Students learn techniques to produce writing with ease and fluidity. You can’t improve if you don’t write, so the first building block of advancement in Writer’s Lab classes is having the raw material to work with.
Advancement
The Writer’s Lab process helps students take the raw materials they have produced and find what’s good in it. Because the focus is on positive progress, the students find motivation to improve their work and build on it. We also focus on craft separate from the students’ own writing, learning to “read like a writer” and analyze the approaches of published authors. Students work in community to build the skills they need for all types of writing, from creative to academic.
Community
Writing is at its core communication, and communication happens best in communities. That’s why our Writer’s Lab courses feature a collaborative, supportive approach. Because students tend to continue from semester to semester, the course builds a sense of camaraderie unusual in online courses. Graduates of our series have created friendships that endure into adulthood. But even students who just drop into a semester find that the support of a healthy community is what they need to find inspiration and see growth in their writing.
Further enrichment activities: Writer’s Lab courses also include a book club where students “read like a writer” and learn about writing by discussing published works. Each semester our creative writers come together to publish Athena’s Quill, our literary journal. We spend the last few weeks of the semester learning about editing techniques and revising our writing for publication.
- This continuing semester-long course can be repeated as often as a student would like.
- This class is discussion-based and encourages students to engage actively in the webinars and in the asynchronous classroom.
- Writer’s Lab is suitable for students of all ages, as long as they can type or dictate fluently. Teens looking to write more challenging work should enroll in Teen Writer’s Lab.
- This course requires use of multiple tabs in a browser, so students need to attend on a computer with a keyboard. Attendance on a tablet is not recommended.
Taught by Prof. Suki Wessling
What to expect in the Required section in the classroom each week:
- Students are expected to post writing on our forums and offer supportive comments on other students’ work.
What to expect in the Highly Suggested & Optional sections in the classroom each week:
- Curated resources, including websites & videos, are provided to excite learners and to add depth to the subject matter.
What to expect during the weekly webinar:
- Weekly webinars are 90 minutes long. Webinars are recorded and are available for students with schedule conflicts.
- The webinar forms the core of this course and students should plan to attend every week if possible.
- Active Participation (via the microphone and chat) in online class discussions.
- This class is discussion based. Only students who are ready to use the microphone in an online class should enroll.
- This course requires use of multiple tabs in a browser, so students need to attend on a computer with a keyboard. Attendance on a tablet is not recommended.
Before taking this course, students should be able to:
- Read at a solid 7th-grade level or above.
- Type fluently.
- Be comfortable sharing unpolished, raw writing.
- Be prepared for an active, participatory environment.
Students should be willing to:
- Be prepared for the webinar.
- Actively participate (via the microphone and chat) in the class discussion.
- Verbally participate in webinar discussions – this class is discussion based.
- Encourage class discussion by adding their questions/ideas in the chat window during the webinar.
- Respond with positive and encouraging comments on their classmates’ posts in the classroom forums.
Required books & materials:
- New books are chosen each semester. Please check the Introduction tab on the classroom page for this semester’s book choices.