Teaching Philosophy

I have been teaching creative writing for a decade. I’ve taught at the University of Minnesota, Hennepin County Libraries, Jack Pine Writers’ Bloc, and StoryStudio Chicago, and I’ve led writing workshops across the country. I currently teach online and at The Loft Literary Center, where I have been teaching since 2006.

Students are drawn to writing because they want to tell a story or because language excites them. My goal is to tap into that energy and help each student, regardless of ability level, make discoveries through language. I strive to establish a nurturing classroom environment where students feel safe sharing their work and ideas and can grow as writers.

Upcoming Classes, Workshops & Retreats

Motherhood & Words Workshop at Madeline Island School of the Arts

Madeline Island, WI – June 17 – June 21, 2013

I am thrilled to be teaching a five-day intensive Motherhood & Words Workshop at the gorgeous Madeline Island School of the Arts, located on Madeline Island, part of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior.

Description:

All mothers have stories to tell. Whether we tell these stories is another question. Join me for a workshop that will jump-start your writing and help you write the stories you need to write. In this workshop, we will spend time discussing how to ground your writing in sensory details, how to craft the people in your life as three-dimensional characters on the page, and how to fit writing into your busy life. Learn how writing the dark and the humorous sides of motherhood can combat the myths of motherhood still perpetuated in our society and spark discussions about what it’s really like to be a mother. Workshop time will include lecture, discussion, writing exercises and optional sharing of your writing in a supportive group of mothers.

For more information, click here.

Lodging and food is separate from class registration. To learn more, click here.

Tailored Workshops

I am available to lead writing workshops for students, writing groups, and book clubs. I provide guided writing exercises, craft discussions and writing critiques. I will tailor the workshop to meet the needs of your group.

Editing and Individual Consultation

I offer editing and manuscript critique for writers of all levels and backgrounds. I provide a respectful, professional critique that focuses on craft and structure. I am particularly excited when I can help a writer uncover the “real story” in a piece.

Manuscript Critiques: I provide comprehensive critiquing and editing for short and long prose pieces. I prefer to work on an hourly basis, and charge $65/hour, depending on your specific needs and time constraints.

Individual Consultations: I meet one-on-one with writers of all levels who are interested in beginning new writing projects or taking their current writing to the next level. I am a supportive reader and teacher, striving to establish a safe and nurturing environment where creative work can take place. You may set up individual meetings with me, in which we will focus on your strengths as well as the challenges you face with your writing. I charge $65/hour for individual consultations.

What students say about working with Kate:

“Kate is warm, funny and full of great ideas to help writers of every level. I loved her organized syllabus, the breadth of the essays/passages she had us read outside of class, the free-flowing discussions, and the homework assignments that generated unexpected results in my own writing. Kate creates a classroom that encourages students to open up and share their stories, both in the form of conversation and the written word. I was truly delighted by [her class]. My writing went deeper than I expected, and I felt really inspired by the quality of the work Kate helped me produce.” –E

“Kate is a gifted and lively teacher, coach, and guide. She’s got a knack for finding the creative threads in a piece, then helping students weave them together to create something beautiful. I always felt supported and encouraged in her class-which is why I took it three times! The woman is awesome!” –P

“Kate has a way of reading your writing for what it truly is and wants to become. In this way she infuses new excitement into your work and stretches you as a writer in new ways.” –K

“Our classroom quickly became a community of mothers writing about every range of experience in motherhood, from infertility to SIDS. Kate’s steady presence, her preparation of selected readings designed to prompt memory as well as writerly analysis, and her gentle critical responses to our work fostered an environment that nurtured creativity, experimentation, truth-telling. Several students were repeating the class for the third time, learning new approaches and diving deeper into their own stories of motherhood. Yes, Kate Hopper IS that good!” –G

Feel free to contact me if you have questions about any of the classes I’m teaching.