Write the book you’ve been trying to write.
A craft home for picture book, middle grade, and young adult writers. Workshops, mentorships, and retreats taught by award-winning authors, editors and faculty from the country's top MFA programs in writing for children and young adults.
WHAT IS WHALE ROCK?
WHAT WE DO
We help you write your best book.
You have a draft, or pages, or a manuscript you've been working on. Whale Rock is where you make it better.
Our workshops, seminars, mentorships, and retreats are built around close teaching from working authors, editors, and literary agents.
And when your manuscript is the best it can be, our immersives and intensives put you in front of the agents and editors who can take it further.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Access matters to us.
Great books happen when writers get the chance to learn. We work to keep that chance available through early bird pricing, sliding scale workshops, discounts for educators and librarians, and scholarships for writers with underrepresented stories and voices.
OUR PROGRAMS
Single Day Seminars
Live 90-minute sessions on a specific craft question. A focused way to sharpen one skill.
Weekly Classes
Deeper work on structure, voice, revision, and the long arc of a manuscript.
Week-Long Workshops
Immersive programs that run across a full week, often in person.
Retreats
Small-group immersives with one-on-one access to our faculty.
Mentorship
Months of one-on-one work with an award-winning author or editor on your book.
THE FACULTY
Taught by writers you’ve read.
Our faculty includes Gary D. Schmidt, Shelley Tanaka, Patti Gauch, Erin Dionne, Nancy Werlin, Chris Tebbetts, Laurie Calkhoven, and Karen Krossing, along with visiting agents and editors. Many teach or have taught at the country's top MFA programs in writing for children and young adults.
"The writing matters. So does the writer."
A note from Shari
Dear Friends,
I started Whale Rock because writers for children and young adults needed something that didn't yet exist. MFA programs are expensive. Conferences are short. Online courses can feel impersonal. I wanted a place in between, where writers could work closely with great teachers, and where the people running it knew your name.
That's what we've built. We're small on purpose. It's how we stay close to our writers.
I'd love to meet you.
Shari Becker
Founder, Whale Rock Workshops
What writers are saying
"AMAZING. My mentor's comments were kind, thought-provoking, and gave me the boost in confidence I needed to do the work."
— Kim P.
"The mentorship helped get me back on track. I was paralyzed in my creativity. My mentor was available, prompt, and reassuring, but also read with a critical eye, which I appreciated."
— Mary C.
“"The atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming. The course material was rich and insightful. Brainstorming with Gary D. Schmidt was surreal."
— Maria M.
Ready when you are.
Reach out today to learn more about our programs, mentorships, scholarships and more!
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