Writing and Ideas

Discover more great classes about writing and ideas from people we admire.

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Rabih Alameddine

Five Things I've Learned About

Being Grumpy

Join internationally-acclaimed writer Rabih Alameddine, and discover the few things he’s learned about the elasticity of identity and imagination.

Isabel Allende

Five Things I've Learned About

Writing Fiction

Join Isabel Allende, one of the most widely read and acclaimed authors in the world, and discover the Five Things She’s Learned about writing fiction, discovering your voice, and writing the work you were born to...

Steve Almond

Five Things I've Learned About

Where Stories Come From

Join bestselling writer and teacher Steve Almond, and discover the Five Things he’s Learned about the powerful emotions that serve as the engines of our storytelling – and about the ways that these emotions show...

David W. Blight

Five Things I've Learned About

The Challenges and Triumphs of Writing Biography

Join acclaimed teacher, scholar and public historian David W. Blight and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about the ways that biography can help us better learn about thinking, writing, and living well.

Judith Curr

Five Things I've Learned About

How Publishing Works

Join celebrated President and Publisher of the HarperOne Group, Judith Curr, and discover the Five Things She’s Learned about the power of storytelling and the joys of publishing – plus the behind-the-scenes...

Elizabeth George

Five Things I've Learned About

Editing My Own Work

Join New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George, and discover how the Five Things She’s Learned about self-editing can help you to recognize what works in your own writing – and to fix what doesn’t.

Don George

Five Things I've Learned About

How to be a Travel Writer

Join the author of How to Be a Travel Writer, Lonely Planet’s best-selling guide to travel writing, Don George, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about what makes a great travel story — and how to...

Janine di Giovanni

Five Things I've Learned About

Writing Narrative Non-Fiction

Join multi-award winning journalist and author Janine di Giovanni, and discover the Five Things She’s Learned about writing — and appreciating — narrative non-fiction and memoir.

Pico Iyer and Michael Shapiro

Five Things I've Learned About

The Art of the Interview

Join acclaimed writers and interviewers Pico Iyer and Michael Shapiro, and discover the Five Things They’ve Learned from experience about the Art of the Interview.

Steven Johnson

Five Things I've Learned About

Where Creativity Comes From

Join best-selling author Steven Johnson, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about the critical tools innovative thinkers use to nurture their creative practice – and the five key questions consistently...

Catherine Grace Katz

Five Things I've Learned About

Writing the History We Think We Know

Join acclaimed historian and writer Catherine Grace Katz, and discover the Five Things She’s Learned about how to uncover and share the stories that challenge our ideas of history.

Phil Klay

Five Things I've Learned About

Thinking and Writing about Citizenship

Join U.S. Marine Corps veteran, writer, and teacher Phil Klay and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about American citizenship – what it means, the obligations it places upon us, and the uglier way our shared...

Rebecca Makkai

Five Things I've Learned About

Getting Unstuck

Join best-selling novelist and teacher Rebecca Makkai, and discover the Five Things She’s Learned about breaking free of the ideas, fears, and ambitions that can block creativity – and about how artists of all...

Roosevelt Montás

Five Things I've Learned About

Self-Transformation, by Reading Ancient Books

Join writer, author, and professor Roosevelt Montás and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about the transforming power of the Great Books—and why the ideas and passions within these ancient sources still...

Russell Shorto

Five Things I've Learned About

Writing Family History

Join New York Times bestselling writer Russell Shorto, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about diving into your past and bringing the story you find there to life.

James Surowiecki

Five Things I've Learned About

How to Write about Ideas

Join journalist and author James Surowiecki and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about how to write about ideas – how to take complicated concepts and make them accessible; and how, in the process, to...

Jonathan Taplin

Five Things I've Learned About

The Future of Media and Democracy

Join acclaimed producer, executive, professor, and author Jonathan Taplin, and discover the Five Things He’s Learned about the tenuous link between media and democracy – and what the continuing convergence of...

Brooke Warner

Five Things I've Learned About

What It Takes to Get Published

Join editor and publisher Brooke Warner, and discover the Five Things She’s Learned about what agents, editors, and publishers look at when considering a new manuscript – and all they’re really looking for.

Brooke Warner

Five Things I've Learned About

How Women Writers Thrive

Join editor and publisher Brooke Warner, and discover the Five Things She’s Learned during her nearly two decades of leading and championing women-only publishing about the ways that women writers work,...

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