Upcoming Programs
2026 Workshops
Summer Letter Series Fundraiser - Coming Soon
July - August, 2026
Help support our 2027 scholarship fund through this summer’s letter series fundraiser. Receive a new letter in your inbox each week for eight weeks! Each letter, written by a Whale Rock faculty member, is crafted to help you stay connected with your writing, your inspiration, and your voice.
These emails are not promotions, blog posts, or worksheets. They are real letters, thoughtful, personal, and full of heart with each including a writing prompt, reflection, and/or creative invitation to help you return to the joy of writing. Whether you are mid-draft, revisiting an idea, or simply trying to maintain your writing practice, this series is designed to meet you where you are.
Whale Rock Mentorships 2026
Whale Rock Faculty
January - December 2026
Build Your Own Schedule
Level: Advanced
Our Mentorships are immersive, writing experiences designed to offer writers one-on-one attention, feedback and skill building from expert, MFA-level faculty members.
New for winter 2026, we’re introducing a build-your-own mentorship to meet your unique needs. Some of you have sought the opportunity to have a mentor read your entire novel. Others of you hoped for a mentorship where your mentor could read your work, offer feedback and then re-read your work with revisions. This winter we’re experimenting with a mentorship model designed to meet you exactly where you are, to meet your individual needs, on your schedule. Whether you’re working on picture book, middle grade, or young adult, our mentors are here to help you reach your goals.
We Are Worldbuilders: A Generative Setting Session
Evan Griffith
Thursday, May 28, 2026
7:00 - 8:30 PM EST | Online | Recorded
Level: All Levels
Is your novel’s world coming together in a believable way? The term “worldbuilding” is most commonly used in the creation of fantasy, sci-fi, and speculative stories. But ALL of us, whether we write realistic fiction, historical fiction, or even—yes—nonfiction, are builders of worlds. In this highly generative and interactive session, we will adapt and apply fantasy worldbuilding tools to any kind of settings we are currently building across form and genre. Our varied settings will deepen in specificity and emotional resonance, becoming more immersive worlds for our young readers (and for us!). Come prepared to think, write, and play.
Don’t Stand So Close to Me: Unpuzzling Psychic Distance
Deb Noyes
Thursday, June 25, 2026
7:00 - 8:30 PM EST | Online | Recorded
Level: All Levels
There’s nothing we love more than sinking our teeth into craft. Join former Candlewick Executive Editor and former VCFA faculty member, Deb Noyes for this MFA-level seminar about psychic distance in writing.
We all know that narrative point of view impacts voice, but how does its wily cousin, psychic distance—also known as narrative or emotional distance—figure into the equation?
Together, we’ll look at an array of middle grade and YA books with John Gardner’s spectrum of distance in mind to see how writers in all genres shift seamlessly from far to near and back again, measuring distance to control tone, tracking the psychology of characters, and upping the emotional stakes in a story.
The History of Children’s Literature, Fall 2026
Gary Schmidt
Tuesdays, August 25 - October 13, 2026
7:00-8:30 PM EST | Online | Workshop recorded
Level: All Levels
Are you interested in exploring and understanding children’s literature more deeply? Perhaps you’re feeling uninspired in this moment in history, and you’re looking for new ways to access your craft. Maybe you seek a little bit of both.
Here at Whale Rock we regularly turn to mentor texts as part of our curriculum. In January 2026 we're taking mentor texts to a whole new level. Join Gary Schmidt for eight weeks as he brings his many years' of experience teaching literature to both undergraduates and to MFA students to explore the history of children's literature through your lens as a children's author or illustrator.
You’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of the purpose children's literature has served both for young readers and for the culture as a whole, personal insight into your role as a children's author at this moment in time, and new story ideas and inspiration
Landing Work-for-Hire Contracts
Lydia Lukidis
September 9, 2026
7:00 - 8:30 PM EST | Online | Recorded
Level: All Levels
Looking to expand writing opportunities beyond traditional publishing? This workshop explores the world of work-for-hire projects — from educational publishing and branded content to IP-based series and licensing opportunities. Authors will gain a realistic, behind-the-scenes look at how these markets operate, what publishers and content developers are seeking, and how to position themselves for contract work. Learn practical strategies for finding opportunities, building industry relationships, sharpening versatility as a writer, and creating additional streams of income through freelance and collaborative publishing projects.
Registration details coming soon.
Feeling It: Creating Emotional Depth in Your Novel
Instructors: Karen Krossing & Laura Shovan
Wednesdays, September 16 - October 7, 2026 7:00-8:30 PM EST
Online | Workshop recorded | $499 Early Bird Pricing*
Level: All levels
*Price increases after August 16, 2026
Emotionally deep stories grab readers’ attention and encourage them to care about the characters and their world. Learn to craft that readers (and agents and editors) connect to. Join Whale Rock faculty Laura Shovan and Karen Krossing for a deep dive into getting your characters’ emotions on the page.
Bring a chapter from a novel at any stage of development, and explore different ways to achieve emotional depth, whether you are connecting emotionally to your writer self, your characters, or your story ideas. Sessions will include exercises, side-writing assignments, and take-home work.
Participants will walk away with new skills and techniques and will be able to submit ten double-spaced pages and receive Zoom feedback from one of the instructors.
Encounters of the Close Third Kind: Exploring Point of View
Sundays, October 4 & 18, 2026
1:00 - 3:30 PM ET | Online | Workshop recorded, Group conversation in session 2 is not.
Level: All Levels
Whether you’re writing a picture book or a novel, first person point of view is often seen as the best way to ensure readers can get emotionally close to your protagonist. But is it always the best choice?
Senior Editor Karen Boss invites you to take a fresh look at close third point of view—and how it can deepen perspective, sharpen voice, and strengthen your manuscript.
Join us this fall for a two-part intensive designed for writers ready to geek out on craft and take a focused, practical look at the differences between first person and close third.
Critical Questions: Getting to the Heart of Your Story
October 14 - November 4, 2026
7:00 - 8:30 PM ET | Online | Workshop recorded
Level: All Levels
We all start our novels bright eyed and inspired. But somewhere along the way we begin to feel a little lost in the weeds. Was that really what the protagonist needed? Did I want my antagonist to take that action? And how the heck did my characters land up on a boat in the middle of the ocean?
This workshop is designed for novelists who are drafting and/or revising who want to pause and make sure their manuscripts are still on track or who need to get their stories back on track. Each week, MFA-level instructor and award-winning author Leah Henderson will look at a different part of your manuscript and yep, ask you to consider a whole slew of critical questions you need to answer to make your story work. Leah Henderson will also use prompts, texts and exercises to help you develop, reflect upon, and enhance your current project.
Registration details coming soon.
Newsletters 101: Why, How, and What
Erin Dionne
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
7:00 - 8:30 PM EST | Online | Recorded
Level: All Levels
You’re an author, maybe you’re published, maybe you not. Everyone tells you you need to start some sort of newsletter. But why? What does a newsletter actually do for you and your books? How do you start one? What should you include in a newsletter and how often should you send them out to your list?
Join Erin Dionne to work through all these questions and more. She’ll including content ideas, what newsletter services are available, and how to get yours off the ground. Participants will leave with resources and ideas to think through and develop their own newsletter style.
Caboose Farm Retreat
Faculty: Liz Bicknell, Kathy Erskine & Gary Schmidt
Sunday, November 1 - Friday, November 6, 2026
All day | In-Person | Caboose Farm
All Levels
Join us for our beloved Caboose retreat, where participating authors not only get more words on the page but also enjoy genuine bonding time with our incredible faculty. Our home for the week, Caboose Farm in Sabillasville, MD, offers lovely lodging in small homes at the foot of the Catoctin Mountain Park. We guarantee you’ll leave the week feeling connected and inspired, with more words on the page, and with a full belly.
Participants are guaranteed cozy dinners and thoughtful one-on-one time with each instructor.
In-Person Master Skills Workshop
Patti Gauch and Gary Schmidt
Sunday, November 8 - Saturday, November 14, 2026
All day | In-Person | Caboose Farm
Level: Advanced
Join Patti Gauch and Gary Schmidt for the famous Whale Rock event that started it all. Join your fellow children’s and teen’s literature authors for a week designed to help you dive deep into your craft and take your writing to the next level. Each year, our instructors bring new lessons, new prompts and new exercises to help you master your craft.
Registration is closed.
Ongoing & Past Workshops 2026
Craft and Career: A Spring Writer’s Intensive
Alyssa Eisner Henkin & Acclaimed Author and Agent Guests
Sunday, May 17 – Friday, May 22, 2026, Online
Level: All Levels
This workshop is full, but you may add your name to the waitlist.
The work of writing a book is about much more than putting words on a page. It involves developing yourself as an author, understanding your creative strengths, honing your craft, and learning how your work fits into the ever-changing publishing landscape. It also requires resilience, curiosity, and the ability to keep going even when the path forward feels uncertain. New, this spring, we’re bringing you this weeklong intensive designed with all of that in mind.
Join Alyssa Eisner Henkin, the literary agent behind Wonder and many other bestselling and award-winning titles, for a six-day creative immersion that blends craft lectures, writing prompts, industry insight, and lively conversation. There will be time to write, time to think, time to ask questions, and time to connect with other writers.
Participants have the unique opportunity to submit 20 pages for editorial review with two, 30-minute one-on-one meetings AND may purchase one additional re-read or new read post-event.
*Canadians may pay for this event in Canadian dollars, at par. Email us for more information.
Industry Guests
Ruth Behar, Meghan P. Browne, Lisa Greenwald, Bobbie Pyron, and Monica Rodriguez
Revise Your Picture Book Manuscripts:
A Faculty-Led, Writer-Centered Critique Group
Karen Krossing
Wednesdays, April 22 - June 24, 2026 (No session May 27)
7:30 - 9:10 PM EST | Online
Level: All Levels
This workshop is full
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! Do you have picture book manuscripts that you’d like to revise with a small, committed group of writers dedicated to helping you produce your best work? Join award-winning author and MFA-level instructor Karen Krossing for this in-depth, hands-on, nine-week workshop limited to eight participants. You’ll use your own manuscripts to explore picture-book craft/revision, you'll discuss craft elements you can apply to your own manuscripts, and you’ll participate in weekly online discussions that dive into picture book craft topics.
The Page Turner's Toolbox: Revising for tension and flow
Chris Tebbetts
Tuesdays, April 14 - May 5, 2026
7:00-8:30 PM EST | Online | Workshop recorded
Level: All levels
This Workshop is Full
Join best-selling author and teacher Chris Tebbetts for this four-week generative, craft-focused workshop that will focus on tools and techniques for creating stories that keep readers engaged and … well … turning pages.
We’ll kick off our workshop with sentence -level revisions,and subsequent sessions will examine scene-level, story-level, and thematic revisions. The final session will include additional time for an optional open mike and sharing of work.
Perfect for authors who wish to tighten their prose, figure out plotting, and/or who gravitate towards propulsive, immersive, and fast-reading fiction. You’ll walk away with newfound revision skills that include knowing how to keep your readers turning those pages, the ability to spot redundancies, the ability to make your prose work for your story, and more.
Digging Deeper: Using Subtext to Add Depth to Your Story
Laurie Calkhoven
WHEN: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
7:00 - 9:00 PM EST | Online | Recorded
$35
Do you wonder why some passages in novels resonate more than others? Are you sometimes blown away by the meaning and metaphors found in a piece of writing? Do you wonder whether you will ever be able to write like that?
Subtext, the true meaning simmering underneath the surface, adds depth and layers of meaning to our scenes. Often what’s missing from our work is the most important part—the motives, thoughts, emotions, and human truths that resonate with readers and offer multiple interpretations.
Join former editor and author Laurie Calkhoven to explore how contemporary authors use subtext in their writing and then engage in exercises that will help you infuse subtext into your own.
The Short Novel Writing Workshop
Gary Schmidt & Shelley Tanaka
Sunday, Feb 8 – Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026,
3:00- 5:00 PM EST | Online | Workshop recorded
Level: Advanced
Short novels are in demand. Teachers want them, librarians want them, and kids want them. And yet authors continue to churn out 200-page-plus books for young readers.
Now in our second year, this unique offering brings together beloved faculty members Gary Schmidt and Shelley Tanaka to walk you through the process of writing a short novel (approximately 80-120 pages) from beginning to end. That’s right, you will come up with a novel premise and by the end of the workshop you should be able to write the full manuscript with the help of these two amazing mentors.
We can only accept ten students for this intensive workshop. Registration opens December 1, 2025 and closes January 9, 2026.
The Graphic Novel Writing Workshop
Elizabeth Bicknell & Eugene Yelchin
Sundays, Feb 22 - June 14, 2026
3:00-4:30 PM EST | Online | Workshop recorded
Are you an author interested in writing a graphic novel? Maybe you’re an illustrator looking to explore the genre. Or, maybe you are an author/illustrator already working on graphic novels, and you want to hone your skills even more. This workshop is for all of you!
Graphic novels keep readers of all levels engaged and entertained. And as writers that is exactly what we want to do. Our graphic novel intensive is designed for both authors and author/illustrators who wish to develop their graphic novel writing skills and write a graphic novel with the support of expert mentors.
New for 2026, join Elizabeth Bicknell, faculty member and former Executive Editorial Director of Candlewick and award-winning author illustrator Eugene Yeltsin for this unique opportunity to plot, lay out, and write the script for a complete graphic novel. That’s right, you will come up with a graphic novel idea, and by the end of the workshop you should be able to write the full manuscript with the help of these two amazing mentors.
We can only accept ten students for this intensive workshop. Registration opens December 1, 2025 and closes January 16, 2026.
The History of Children’s Literature
Gary Schmidt
Wednesdays, January 14 - March 4, 2026
7:00-8:30 PM EST | Online | Workshop recorded
Level: All Levels
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
Are you interested in exploring and understanding children’s literature more deeply? Perhaps you’re feeling uninspired in this moment in history, and you’re looking for new ways to access your craft. Maybe you seek a little bit of both.
Here at Whale Rock we regularly turn to mentor texts as part of our curriculum. In January 2026 we're taking mentor texts to a whole new level. Join Gary Schmidt for eight weeks as he brings his many years' of experience teaching literature to both undergraduates and to MFA students to explore the history of children's literature through your lens as a children's author or illustrator.
You’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of the purpose children's literature has served both for young readers and for the culture as a whole, personal insight into your role as a children's author at this moment in time, and new story ideas and inspiration
Republishing your Backlist: Adjusting your mindset
Erin Dionne & Nancy Werlin
Sunday, January 25, 2026
7:00-9:00 PM EST | Online | Workshop recorded | $40
Level: Published authors or those interested in understanding publishing rights
The publishing industry often feels like a rollercoaster. It may seem like the biggest hurdle is getting published, but a huge post-publishing challenge is sustaining the life of your stories. Many backlist books dwindle, selling only one or two copies a year. Or worse, the books just go out of print. But authors are not powerless!
Join Erin Dionne and Nancy Werlin, two published authors who have taken control of their backlists by reclaiming their rights and republishing and reissuing their work. This intensive session will introduce participants to the possibilities of republishing your backlist and the process of regaining your copyright for out-of-print titles. Participants will have a 30 minute Q&A period when they can ask additional questions. You will leave with a step-by-step template to guide your journey.
Beyond the Hero’s Journey: Exploring Story Structure
Erin Dionne
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
7:00-8:30 PM EST |Online | Workshop recorded | $35
Level: All levels
We’re all familiar with the hero’s journey, but there are many other paths our stories can take. More and more, novels are pushing the boundaries, exploring new ways and structures with which to tell stories.
Explore a the different types of story structures, including fishbone, “little e,” braided narratives, the heroine’s journey, spiral structure, and others. You’ll review these structures, identify their unique elements, and assess what types of projects they may each be best for.
Whether you’re drafting a new manuscript, whether you’ve completed a draft, or whether you simply want to have a deeper understanding of craft, don’t miss out on this seminar, designed to add more tools to your writer's toolbox.
WRITE! NOW & WRITE NIGHT!
Winter 2026 Write Now!
WHEN: January 13 - April 30, 2025
Tuesday & Thursday mornings
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM ET
PLEASE NOTE: There is no Write Now! on:
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Our schedule may be impacted if an in-person event is scheduled.
WHERE: Online
There’s nothing like a regular meeting time and space to keep your writing commitments honest. Our Write Now! groups are FREE and offer the support you need to show up and work each week. (Note: You must be a newsletter subscriber to participate in Write Now!)
Winter 2026 Write Night!
WHEN: January 13 - April 28, 2026
Tuesday evenings 7:30 PM ET
WHERE: Online
There’s nothing like a regular meeting time and space to keep your writing commitments honest. Write Night! offers the same creative space and community of Write Now! - reimagined to spark evening energy.
Every Tuesday, we will kick off the night with conversation - sharing goals, questions, book recommendations and more. Weekly prompts will be designed to jumpstart ideas, and from there, we will log off and begin writing. Write Night! is intentionally open-ended, giving writers time to remain in flow state if desired, and flexibility to write for as long as they’d like (or as long as they can stay awake).
Our Write Now! and Write Night! groups are FREE and offer the support you need to show up and work each week. (Note: You must be a newsletter subscriber to participate.)