Downtown Writers Workshop is a New York City-founded online writing community, dedicated to honing craft, building meaningful connections, and helping writers generate new work.

We teach craft-based virtual writing classes for all experience levels.

What We Offer

Online Writing Classes & Workshops

We offer virtual creative writing classes and workshops for adults of all experience levels (beginners welcome), lifestyles, and work schedules. Whether you’re just starting out or have been writing for years, all you need is a passion for writing and a desire to hone your craft, develop new skills, and make writing a regular practice.

Writing Gym (Monthly Writing Workshop)

Writing Gym is our online writers group where like-minded creatives get together to practice free-writing to prompts in a supportive environment. You’ll connect with other writers, learn craft skills, and develop a consistent writing habit. Some of our Writing Gym students have come up with book ideas in this generative, low-pressure weekly class.

Complimentary Virtual Writer’s Retreat

If you’re seeking a free writing workshop, our 14-day online writing retreat is for you. Begin a new project or start a weekly journaling habit with writing prompts delivered twice weekly to your inbox.

EXPLORE UPCOMING CLASSES

"Almost exactly one year after my first Downtown Writers' Writing Gym, I sold my nonfiction book proposal in a bidding war after years of secretly dreaming of writing a book. I know for certain this impossibly rapid, almost miraculous turn of events never would have happened without this group: the confidence I gained as a writer, the brilliance and generosity of my fellow writers, whose feedback became indispensable, and the guidance, connections, and occasional witchcraft of Katie and Emily, who somehow transformed a private fantasy into a publishing deal. Cannot recommend Downtown Writers highly enough."
— Russell Brown
"The idea for my novel began in one of Katie and Emily’s Writing Gym sessions and from that point forward, they have both been instrumental in helping me finish my manuscript. Their expertise in plotting, dialogue, developmental editing, and investment in my story have been invaluable."
— Liz Hammond
“My book These Bones Are Real (HCI Books, 2027) probably wouldn’t exist without Emily and Katie and Writing Gym. Their craft lessons transformed my writing, and the community of thoughtful, supportive writers kept me going through every stage of the process.”
– Anna Sullivan Reiser
“Crafty didn’t just enhance my narrative, but the direction of my whole book. I have taken many writing classes, but this one was the most impactful. The examples, the prompts, the diagrams (who doesn't love a good flowchart?) changed how I viewed my own story. It was as if I were in a dark room, feeling my way around, and someone flicked on the lights. Eureka…”
— Lorraine Parrish
“Katie and Emily are a dream team sent down to us on earth from the writing goddesses above. They know how to coax truth and poetry from emotion and trauma, how to help turn mere journaling into universal stories, and how to get you to love every step of the process. They are dialogue doulas, narrative midwives, plot princesses, scene and character nurses and true writing angels among mere mortals. You will emerge from their classes with a much stronger and better developed skillset, and a passion for telling the tales you NEED to tell.”
— Sarah Hoover, Author of The Motherload, Simon & Schuster (Simon Element)
“Emily and Katie turned me into a writer. My book is a reality thanks to their incisive comments, clear, digestible direction, and endless patience. Scene Study gave me the tools and confidence to write my first book.”
—Ilana Snider
“These sessions have greatly influenced my writing and my approach to my novel. I'm also just more excited about writing than I have been in a very long time.”
— Alyssa Farquhar