In this class, each student will write and fully edit a short story for publication in a class-wide anthology. This is an excellent class for students who want to pursue careers in writing, as they’ll get to experience firsthand the process of writing, revising, editing, designing, and publishing their work, as well as a real publishing credit to their name.
Students will be held to a high standard in this class– we will not publish writing with grammatical, formatting, or spelling errors, and we also have to enforce strict deadlines to ensure we can publish the book on time! That said, young authors will absolutely be supported, encouraged, and celebrated for their writing. It’s a hard class–but the hard is what makes it great!
Weekly Breakdown:
This class meets once weekly over the course of twelve weeks for approximately 45 minutes per session.
⭐ Week 1: We’ll discuss expectations for the class, the schedule, deadlines, and strategies for coming up with a story.
⭐ Week 2: We’ll go over any conventions of genre or style for the given anthology’s theme.
⭐ Weeks 3: This week, students will turn in a loose outline of their story and receive personal feedback. In class, we’ll go over common developmental pain points in stories and how to avoid them while drafting.
⭐ Weeks 4-6: Students will work on their first draft during these weeks; class sessions will be student-led discussions as we help one another through the drafting process. We’ll also discuss cover possibilities! Students will turn in their first draft by week six.
⭐ Weeks 6-9: Students will receive professional-caliber feedback and editorial comments by week seven. Class sessions will be student-led discussion to support students through the editorial process.
⭐ Weeks 10-12: We’ll discuss copyedits, final page proofs, and finish up with publication of the anthology!
After publication, the book will be available to purchase online in ebook or print format; each student will receive one copy in the format of their choice (included with tuition of this class). All proceeds from book sales will go to a secular reading-related charity that the class selects as a group.
Each session has a general theme or genre that students will connect their story to, though this is fairly loose and open to interpretation. Here are our upcoming themes:
💕 Spring/January 2026 theme: Our January/Spring 2026 anthology theme is LOVESTRUCK—romance stories! All kinds of (teen appropriate!) romance are welcome.
📖 Summer/June 2026 theme: Fairytales retold! Students will be retelling a fairytale. Any genre or style works.
This is a challenging class—the end anthology is not a recital, but a professional publishing credit. Please ensure your learner has a good experience by taking their larger schedule, writing process, and ability to work under a deadline into account. Reach out if you’re not sure if this class is a good fit for your learner–we’re happy to discuss!
Check out our previous anthologies:
Everything That Was Alive (Fall 2025)
The Weight of What Will Be (Summer 2025)
Of Dark and Broken Things (Spring 2025)
