Elizabeth Stark

I took a rewriting class with Elizabeth Stark at a writers’ retreat, and she was fantastic. I’ve taken several writing classes over the years, but I’ve never been taught the process she used. Elizabeth has a sharp, supportive way of helping you to analyze your work. It truly helps you see what’s really on the page. I can honestly say that her insight is helping with a project I'm currently developing. Her feedback is thoughtful and encouraging. She creates a space on the page where you feel safe to revise boldly and explore new ideas. She’s a great teacher, and YES, I would gladly take another class with her.

Elizabeth Stark lives and breathes creativity and she had us do so many fun writing exercises right there in the classroom, claiming a level of freedom and permission I really needed. It went by so quickly, as time does when you're having fun, and now I have lots of fresh pages of writing and the tools to turn them into novel chapters. I cannot recommend her enough.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for who you are, for your wise, exuberant style of teaching, and the wealth of knowledge and skill you bring to the classroom. Your sessions are inspiring, and your exercises are creative and relevant to our work. The takeaways to apply at our own desks promise to move our writing forward.

Lisa CW

Elizabeth was our fearless leader who really had to step up her leadership presence as Ellen stepped back due to health concerns. As a workshop leader, that would have rattled me. And I mean, yes, the show must go on, but it was a lot, and she stepped up in a way that was seamless, as if this was the way it was supposed to be. So huge kudos for that.

I loved the material that Elizabeth presented. It was concrete, useful and rendered immediate results. My ONLY complaint is that the pace felt super rushed. But does one scale back all the juicy material one wants to offer, or does one proceed at breakneck speed? The dilemma of probably every presenter under time constraints, I would imagine. I'm grateful for all the material covered and the handouts were super helpful. I'm glad I had handouts to take with me to study again after the retreat. AND I'm looking forward to taking additional classes with Elizabeth in the Berkeley area in the near future. Elizabeth is a writing instructor with keen insights into your writing and she asks the right questions to ensure you're on a fruitful path with your writing project. She left me wanting more of that.

Elizabeth Stark teaches writing workshops and classes in which writers are offered prompts to cue off of for deepening the scenes of their stories. Elizabeth shares techniques she's identified in the work of published writers, breaks them down, and gives writers a chance to try them out for their projects. The right questions trigger writing experiences that improve with each practice, and then they add up. Elizabeth's teaching is valuable for new and experienced writers alike.