Dear Gotham,

In Fall of 2007, I was twenty-one years old and living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I’d undergone some heavy changes that summer—my brother, who was also my roommate, moved to Europe, and a close friend of ours took his life a few days later. Writing in my journal was something I started to rely on, and it brought me joy. I worked in Manhattan, and one night I took one of the Gotham newspapers out of the yellow box and brought it home. I signed up for a Creative Writing 101 class with Sarah Grace McCandless and begged my parents to help me pay for it.

In Sarah’s class we did a mixture of fiction and nonfiction exercises, and it became clear to me that nonfiction came more naturally to me. I think the most interesting part of this story is that my book-to-be-published will be with the same press that published Sarah’s first book: Future Tense Books. One day she brought her book into class and all I could think about was how lucky she was—how I too, one day, wanted to write a book.

My boss where I worked saw how happy writing made me, and for Christmas she bought me my next Gotham class: Memoir I, with Katherine Dykstra. This class was a turning point for me. I realized I wanted to be—and I could be—a more serious writer. I wrote two essays in that class so unabashedly that they break my heart now.

Since that class taught me so much, and I could truly see myself becoming a stronger writer, I took Memoir II, with Cheryl Burke. Cheryl was a kind and down-to-earth teacher, almost like a broken-in friend. She was living proof that being a writer was a real thing—that it could be a career just like anything else.

I left New York for the West Coast after that, having some writing skills under my belt. I wrote in Seattle, Washington for one year until I went back to Brooklyn. I didn’t feel finished with Gotham, so I took one more class, with Gotham teacher Melisa Febos, where we fine-tuned my essays, and I began lining them up like a collection.

While in Seattle, a friend told me that Kevin Sampsell of Future Tense Books might like my work. I emailed Kevin and he said, yes, he liked my work, but that he already had the next three Future Tense Books lined up. He told me to keep in touch. A little over one year later—when I knew my manuscript was ready yet didn’t know what to do with it—Kevin Sampsell emailed me asking me to send him my manuscript and told me that he was interested in hearing what I was up to. He decided to publish my book of essays.

Since then, I’ve learned about the book process and my life has progressively changed. Had I not invested so much time at the Gotham Writers' Workshop, I highly doubt I would be in this position. Gotham graced me with skills, encouragement, and confidence in my writing. It was a vital period in my life and I am grateful to Gotham from the deepest part of my heart. My book of essays, Legs Get Led Astray will be released in April of 2012, and it is now ready for pre-order. The book will include some of my work that I wrote during my Gotham classes.

Chloe Caldwell
www.chloecaldwell.com

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Dear Gotham,

Five years ago, I was a stay-at-home mom caring for my twin daughters. As of August 3, I became an officially published author!

My debut novel, Georgia’s Kitchen, published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, can be found at bookstores everywhere … and even in Target. There’s no doubt in my mind that had I not enrolled in that very first Fiction I class with Dave Koch, I wouldn’t be obsessively checking my numbers on Amazon (a dreadful habit, and one of which I’m not proud), and I certainly wouldn’t be working on my second novel.

After that first class, I was lucky enough to enroll in Susan Breen’s fabulous Fiction II class. I don’t know if all classes are like ours, but something about our group just clicked, I think for all of us. We were a diverse bunch, ranging in age from 22 to 70 (that’s a guess, Jo!), arriving from uptown, downtown, Queens, Brooklyn, Connecticut and upstate.

That three-hour session was the highlight of my week. After, a classmate and I would walk back to Grand Central, talking about authors we loved and writing. The camaraderie was just what a fledgling writer who’d recently left the city for the solitude of the country needed. And the instruction was top notch: Susan is a sharp, insightful, encouraging and funny teacher, who made the experience of being critiqued enjoyable (yes, enjoyable) and positive. It was in Susan’s class that I realized my novel-in-progress had a shot at being published, not a big shot, but a shot nonetheless.

Thank you, Gotham, for giving me deadlines and providing a classroom where I could hone my voice, test out characters and work through plot points. I recommend your classes to everyone I know and to anyone who’s ever felt they have a story to tell, but needs help getting it on the page.

Cheers,

Jenny Nelson
jennynelsonauthor.com

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Dear Gotham:

When I signed up for my first Gotham Writer’s Workshop online course in 2007, I was feeling discouraged.

In 2006, in a previous fiction workshop, I submitted the first chapter of my historical thriller, set in Tudor England, for feedback. I got pretty good comments from my fellow aspiring novelists. But this is the email I received at the end of the class from the instructor, herself a novelist with an MFA: “I’d love to see you produce some more material that seems a little ‘closer’ to you personally, closer to the bone. I mean, you’re writing crime thrillers and historical novels, but how about trying to write a story that was closer in spirit to your own time, your own place, your own experience? I’m just saying, Please don’t be afraid to write your fiction of your own sense of character and personal concerns: these genres feel a little uncomfortable to me, and perhaps you haven’t really discovered what your subject matter as a fiction writer is. All Best, T.”

This is not the sort of email a budding novelist wants to get.

Yet I kept working on my historical thriller. This is what I wanted to do. I was working fulltime as a magazine editor—I was the articles editor of Ladies’ Home Journal and then the deputy editor of InStyle magazine—and I desperately needed deadlines imposed on me to keep going on my novel.

I enrolled in Greg Fallis’s Mystery Writing class online. Greg had been a medic in the military, a counselor in a women’s prison, and a private detective. Yes, the man had lived. To my tremendous relief, he didn’t look down on my book. In fact, he liked it. A lot. I worked on my chapters and read Greg’s assignments—novelists ranging from Dorothy Sayers to Walter Mosley. I learned about clues, about how to handle sex and violence. About pacing and crafting interesting characters in a fast-moving plot. I took two classes with Greg.

I have two children, and between work and kids, life got too crazy for a time. My novel went into the proverbial drawer for a number of months. But then I thought, “How can I live with myself if I don’t finish this book?” So I signed up for Gotham’s Advanced Novel class with Russell Rowland, I looked him up after I put through payment: He had an MA in creative writing and had written two highly respected modern novels: In Open Spaces and The Watershed Years.

“Oh, no,” I said. “He’s going to hate me!”

But in Russell’s classes I finished my book. With his encouragement and constructive advice I got the momentum I needed. In his class, I found a group of fantastic writers who gave me valuable input.

I finished my book in June 2010, I signed with a literary agent on July 4, 2010, and Touchstone Books bought my book in an auction at the end of July.

Last night I had my first public reading, in the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble, and shared with the audience my love of the historical fiction genre. I read aloud the first three paragraphs of my book.

And I had a fleeting memory of that early teacher, “T,” who told me to try something else. I’m really glad I didn’t!

Nancy Bilyeau
www.nancybilyeau.com

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Dear Gotham,

When I signed up for my first Gotham course, Science Fiction/Fantasy I, I read some success stories from other students that were inspirational. I thought I would now share mine

My SF I class was a Christmas gift from my wife who demanded that I follow the path my increasingly boisterous creativity demanded. The class was such a great experience, I followed it up with SF II the next year. Both classes honed my writing skills and introduced me to some amazing fellow students. The classes also taught me how to get published, where to find markets for short stories, and how to prepare a manuscript. The business side of writing wasn’t the mystery it used to be.

Within a few months of the end of SF II, I had a short story published. A few months later, a second. In December, a third was released as a podcast by Tales of Old. I will be able to brag to my musically talented brother that I am on iTunes before he is.

But the most amazing development came from an opportunity our instructor brought to our attention. She told us about an open call for novel manuscripts at Samhain Publishing, where Don D’Auria was starting a new horror line. I applied what I had learned in class to polish a story and then submitted it. Well, I nearly had a heart attack when it got accepted. So my novel Dark Inspiration went on sale in November in e-book format and will be released in paperback in February 2012. Yesterday, my second novel Sacrifice was also accepted for publication in 2012.

Gotham classes made the success I have today possible. But it isn’t just me. When class ended, six other Gotham grads and I formed the Minnows Literary Group, in order to continue sharpening our skills. Members of that group have since won multiple poetry contests, published short stories, and been invited as guest writers for online magazines.

Anyone out there wondering if an online writing class can really be worthwhile should wonder no more. Gotham is the place to be.

Russell James

Visit Russell online at www.russellrjames.com

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Dear Gotham,

I knocked on your doors when I decided to learn the art of screenwriting. And gladly I landed in a group that was mentored by Pete Jensen. Hence my journey began with the basics of screenwriting.

Just in 10 sessions, Pete very simply put us through some innovative exercises that helped us navigate the structure and process of screenplay writing. I managed to finish a couple of synopses in that semester.

And it seemed like a great idea to join the Advanced Screenwriting, which I did. The goal in Advanced Screenwriting was to at least finish the first draft of the screenplay. The focus was to study and discuss a film script, followed by a discussion of a student’s developing script. This whole method turned out to be a great exercise, which not only provided insights but also was very motivating. I managed to finish the first draft of what was then called Four Boys From Dehli (now called Shuttlecock Boys), and I had some valuable feedback from Pete and my other colleagues.

I returned to India and made the film. The film is currently doing the rounds of film festivals in India and the US. It recently played at film festivals in Chicago and Seattle and New York. It is scheduled for a theatrical release in India in early 2012. More about the film can be found here: www.shuttlecockboys.com

When I look back at the whole learning period, I can’t thank Pete and my colleagues enough for their encouragement. And thanks to Gotham Writers’ Workshops for providing such a tremendous platform.

Hemant Gaba

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Dear Gotham,

I started writing when I was thirteen years old and actually got a short story accepted into the San Francisco Examiner. I thought I was Dostoevsky at that point. Alas, I had a reading disorder (dyslexia) that stopped me from reading enough to be able to learn how to write well. That disorder has improved with tons of reading and I am now a licensed Ph.D. in clinical and forensic psychology who must read constantly!

I was already a published author when I came upon the Gotham ads. I am the author of a how-to book based on my psychology practice, Act It Out: 25 Expressive Ways to Heal Child Abuse, which was published by New Harbinger Publications, Inc. in Oakland, CA and that book was in print for nine years. It is a very well respected publishing house, but I thought I could just make the transfer to another genre without problems.

After enjoying many thrillers and mysteries, I came on John Grisham and decided “I can do that!” Oh, yeah, sure. I started writing, copying his style and believing I would put out a book such as one of his. Un un. You actually have to learn the craft no matter how inventive and interesting your story. After five long years of stopping and starting and finishing two novels, with three others “in development,” meaning in various stages of being a mess (but with interesting, disjointed scenes), I came upon the Gotham ad and decided to take a chance.

Boy am I glad. I got wonderful, terrific, unbelievably talented (you think I’m overdoing it? I’m not) Carole Bugge, who kindly, lovingly and thoroughly set me straight about plot, character, logic, words and researching my story. It was thrilling in itself and my last novel was presented at Thrillerfest in New York.

Since that time (although I will be taking her class again as well as another—I’m hooked on Gotham), I got a short story sold to the prestigious Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, and have gotten both a manager and a “possible” agent. I have learned so much in these last five years and have enjoyed the process so much I cannot even tell you. I am most grateful to the teachers and staff at Gotham and intend to continue working with the school many years after I’ve “made it” in the publishing world. Thanks so much.

Stefanie Stolinsky, Ph.D.

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Dear Gotham,

A year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to take the Stand Up Comedy Class with Dave La Barca. I am an actor who has had some success in the theater world having booked two national tours and an Off Off Broadway play in my first year two years in New York.

More and more time started to pass without another acting job and I wanted to stop relying on directors and casting agents to give me the chance to perform. Stand up comedy is one of the most terrifying things you could ever do, so learning to write material in a class setting was very beneficial. Not only did I learn principles of writing comedy, but I was forced to write material every week for others to hear, the most important lesson.

Since the final class performance, I have kept momentum by regularly attending open mics around the city to work on new material and, after a few months, was offered 10-minute spots at CB’s Comedy Club and Eastville Comedy Club. After working on a solid 10 minutes of material, I got in contact with a manager who I invited to one of my shows. She enjoyed my set, and we have been working together ever since for auditions in theater, film and comedy opportunities. My original goal was to progress in the acting world by performing stand up and in less than one year I have already seen that happen.

Thanks, Gotham, for offering this class that forced me up onto that empty stage for seven minutes.

Kevin Doyle

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Dear Gotham,

It has been just over two years now since the first words hit the paper of my feature screenplay David. Like many aspiring writers in my position, there is a desire to make your first feature film, but, as we all know, it starts with page one. And page one can be daunting, especially knowing there are 90-plus more pages waiting right behind it.

I had passed the Gotham newsletter booths about a hundred times since moving to the city and this time decided to take one of the pamphlets. Easy enough. A new quarter of classes were starting the following week, the price was very reasonable, with a one day a week commitment…so I joined.

What started out intimidating quickly gave way to camaraderie as the whole class structure was designed around peer support. It was a ten-week course and we were expected to write ten pages a week equaling a first draft of a script by the end of the course. Michael Eldridge, an acclaimed writer in his own right, had such a knack for teaching. There are many talented writers out there that can’t teach, and vice versa, but he had both skills and really put in the extra effort. He had a way of encouraging his students to not give up and to keep pushing forward, yet gave very helpful critiques that always seemed right on.

Right now, the film is completed and recently won the Audience Award at the Brooklyn Film Festival. It’s also showing at the Montreal World Film festival. And it’s opening at the Quad Cinema in Manhattan on September 9th for a one-week run. I look back with gratitude on my experience with Gotham and Michael. I invite all Gotham folks to come out to the screening. All the info is available on the website address below.

Sincerely,
Joel Fendelman
Director/co-writer of David
www.david-themovie.com

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Dear Gotham

I just thought I’d write to let you know about the success I’ve had as a writer after taking my first online Gotham Workshop with Chip Livingston in mid-2005. The feedback that I got from the Booth sessions with Chip and the other students was invaluable and I placed my first story, “Hijos de la Chingada” with Espresso Fiction before that first course had even finished.

Buoyed by that success, I carried on reading and writing and the following year enrolled in Michaela Roessner’s Science Fiction/Fantasy I class, which was a marvelous experience, so much so that I took the Advanced class next. I really can’t praise Michaela enough. She is a wonderful teacher, a generous mentor and great fun as a collaborator. Again feedback from the Booth sessions was a key part of the creation and revision process for me, and as a direct result of those classes, I’ve since had the following pieces published:

“The Light Pours Out of Me” – Everyday Weirdness (2009)
“H=G+V+C” – BFS’s New Horizons (2010)
“An Unnatural History” – Derailed (Inwood Indiana Anthology 3, 2011)
“Boys Keep Swinging” – Silverthought Press (2011)

So I’d just like to thank Gotham for running such practical and fun workshops and especially thank Michaela for being such an exceptional and inspirational teacher. Keep up the good work.

Regards

Phil Suggars

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Dear Gotham,

I started thinking about writing my food memoir four years ago. Two years ago, I read an ad in the NY Times about GWW and knew that my first step would be an online food writing class with Gotham. I wasn’t wrong. My instructor, Fran McNulty, was patient, supportive, critical and encouraging. All of that, including an incredibly fun group of foodies, created a successful recipe for my future in food writing. I’m now writing as a contributing food writer for edible Orlando.

I had so much fun in Fran’s class, I decided to take my second step and enrolled in the Memoir class with Kyle Minor the following session. That class proved to be another base ingredient, blending my desire with my craft to create my food memoir. Kyle stressed the importance of reading and offered publications that mirrored my work. He encouraged me to “show” not “tell”.

When I saw that Gotham offered a Book Proposal class, I jumped right in, no more playing in the shallow water for me. I wanted to swim in the deep end. I was amazed at how a three hundred word catalog copy helped shape my story. Talia Rosenblatt Cohen gave me concrete ideas, solidifying my strengths and also expressed concerns where they were warranted.

As a result of the Nonfiction Book Proposal class, I knew I needed a platform to help support my memoir. I had already established a blog, but wasn’t comfortable with it. I enrolled in the Blog class and found that the instructor, David Title, and the weekly sessions, were the right mix for me. I’m more focused as a result of this class. I tweaked my theme to create a fresher look and changed my motto to Cook. Eat. Write. Repeat. I invite you to my blog, SeafoodLadyOrlando.com.

With my collection of Gotham tools in hand, I’m now polishing my book proposal for two agents, one in California, the other in New York.

Thanks Gotham for your support, encouragement and motivation to follow my dreams

Warmly,

Maureen Cavanaugh Berry

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Dear Gotham,

It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago I was a bored attorney working 80 hours a week in a windowless office. Back then, I wrote mainly memos and briefs—those tedious legal documents that require you to eradicate all aspects of creativity or humor from the page.

As a person who loved creative writing, being a lawyer wasn’t fulfilling for me. I knew I needed a change. The idea of combining my love for creative writing with my love of television had always been a dream of mine, but I never knew where to start.

Lucky for me, I saw posters advertising Gotham Writers' Workshop while walking in the Village one day. I signed up, and was even more fortunate to get Jim Mendrinos as my teacher. Jim was funny and engaging and he taught me about television writing from the ground up—how to write a spec, the painful but sometimes necessary task of “killing your darlings”, how to structure a scene in order to make a joke “pop”… he was great. Moreover, the class was invaluable in launching my career as a television writer. I used the lessons learned from Gotham to write my first spec—the spec that got me into the Warner Bros. Writers Workshop and also got me my first interview for a television show.

Now, I’ve graduated from writing legal briefs to writing scripts. And as a writer on ABC’s Castle, I get to use all the flowery adjectives and colorful humor I want.

Thanks Gotham, for helping make my dreams a reality.

Best,

Shalisha Francis

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Hello Friends at Gotham,

I’m writing to share my good news: I am a published author! I was offered a book deal two and a half years ago with a small press (Tell Me Press), and now my book is a reality.

I was a little surprised how easily the book deal came to me, but I had a story to tell, I have a voice (as I am a songwriter and humorist), and I had a platform (my existing fan base from 10-plus years as a touring humorous singer-songwriter). All these things, as I have learned, are what publishers are looking for.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write a collection of funny, helpful essays about dealing with chronic illness. I’ll help people, make them laugh, collect all my thoughts in one place. It’ll be great! But wait... Um, I don’t know how to write a book.

The first draft of my book came from the blog I had been writing for two years. I compiled all the entries and cleaned them up a bit, then wrote a few more chapters and submitted my first draft.

Then I promptly signed up for some writing classes at Gotham so I could learn to be a writer while I was waiting for the manuscript to come back to me with suggested edits. I took the 6-week Creative Writing 101 course, the 10-week Humor Writing course (online), and the one-day Personal Essay writing course. The classes were all great. And, when my manuscript came back from the editors, I had a dozen new essays to add to the book, and a lot of improvements to make on my existing material from the first draft.

End result: after three drafts and much rewriting, I now have a book I’m really proud of: How Can You *Not* Laugh at a Time Like This?

Thanks so much for the high standard you set for both your teachers and your students. I am already signed up to take another Gotham class—“never stop getting better” is my motto.

Carla Ulbrich
Humorous songwriter, speaker
Author of How Can You *Not* Laugh at a Time Like This?
www.thesingingpatient.com

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Dear Gotham,

Only two things thrill me more than the fact that my Gotham teacher wrote for the New York Times. 

Following on from the online Article writing course, I get a cover story in Nylon magazine. And I’m currently freelancing for an editor who himself writes for New York Times.

Talk about hitting the big time headlines, and without even leaving the provincial suburbs of London. It’s all done remotely.

At present I’m spending a few months lecturing at a university on magazine journalism and fashion writing. (I went and got a journalism degree upon completing the Gotham course.)

I can honestly say that my ten weeks at Gotham are just as relevant as my degree, and it also underpins my own current teaching manifesto today – that anyone can write, they just need the confidence to do so.

Next stop, write my book. Where do I sign up?

Erica Crompton

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Dear Gotham,

I wanted to let you know that I recently had a short story, “The Dive,” published online at notesfromtheunderground.co.uk. The story was first workshopped in Dominic Preziosi’s Fiction I class at Gotham. I made some changes based on useful feedback from Dominic and the class, but I would never have had the confidence to try to get it published if Dominic had not encouraged me to do so. In fact, I had very little confidence at all in my writing until I took the Gotham class.

I would advise anyone who thinks they might have it in them to be a writer, but is not sure how to start, to give Gotham a try. I found Dominic’s class invaluable; I went on to take a second class with Carol Bugge, and I am still in touch and sharing ideas with several people from the first class nearly a year later.

Keep up the good work!

Best wishes,
Anthea Morrison

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Dear Gotham,

I wanted to let you know that I recently published my first book, The Pale of Settlement (University of Georgia Press, 2007). It won the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, the Glasgow Prize for Emerging Writers, and the Reform Judaism Prize for Jewish Fiction.

It’s been a while since I first picked up one of Gotham’s newsprint flyers from a sidewalk box and enrolled in Adam Sexton’s fiction class back in 1995. But without Adam’s encouragement and the support of my Gotham classmates, I would never be writing today. Adam’s class inspired me to quit my job and leave New York City to get my Ph.D. in Creative Writing at the University of Utah. I now teach creative writing at Denison University, in Granville, Ohio, as well as in the low-residency MFA program at Queens University. My stories and essays have appeared in such literary journals as Conjunctions, The Gettysburg Review, Shenandoah, Prairie Schooner, The Western Humanities Review, and many others. Thanks to Gotham, writing is now my life and my career.

I have recommended Gotham to many friends, as my class there was one of the best writing classes I’ve taken. It’s the model I still hold in my head as I teach today. There is nothing better than a smart, supportive, challenging group of writing peers.

Thanks so much.

Keep up the great work!

Margot Singer
www.margot-singer.com 

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Dear Gotham;

I wanted to send you a note and let you know that I just published my first book, The SIN of Addison Hall (Block Island Books).

I took both group and private classes at Gotham and I can honestly say that I could not have written The SIN of Addison Hall without Gotham’s help. In the group classes I workshopped my story for consistency and credibility, and in my private instruction I worked on craft to develop my characters and tell my story in a compelling way.

I have taken several different writing classes over the seven years it took me to write The SIN of Addison Hall (yes I said seven years!) and the instruction I received at Gotham was unsurpassed. Rather than try and “shoehorn” me into their preferred writing styles, my teachers allowed me to develop my own unique voice, which one described as a “blend of Vonnegut, Orwell and Atwood.” I am humbled by the comparison.

I hope The SIN of Addison Hall resonates with readers. I am proud of my accomplishment and grateful to Gotham for helping me realize a dream I had since completing a book report on Orwell’s Animal Farm (complete with a shoebox diorama) as a high school sophomore. Now if they could just help me achieve some of my other goals—play the entire soundtrack to Disney’s High School Musical on the glockenspiel, juggle a chain saw, a raisin and a feather and win the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island. Do I ask too much?

All the Best,

Jeffrey Onorato
Author, The SIN of Addison Hall
Available at: blockislandbooks.com

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Dear Gotham,

Last summer, my agent and I were discussing final steps before submitting Confections of a Closet Master Baker to publishers. Should we send it in “as is” or was it begging for another polish? What to do, what to do?

It’s a lonely vacuum, this writing life. And even with a wonderful agent, sometimes it’s tough to look at your work objectively after staring at all those words for months on end. It all melts into a phonetic pile of blah blah blah after a while. I just wanted to be done with it. But I thought of Kathleen. I might have another revision in me and I could wait to send off my first book into the publishing abyss for a few more months if Kathleen Finneran was able to take a look at it and give me her thoughts and notes.

Mind you, I’ve never met Kathleen. Not physically. But in the cyber world, she has become a writer and teacher I admire and from whom I learned to trust my writer’s voice.

I signed up for a nonfiction class with Gotham when I was searching for a way to harness my writing into something coherent and entertaining. As a grown woman with a law degree and a corporate gig, there was only so much time to devote to a pipedream. Because honestly, if I was meant to be a writer of worth I’d have found my way to the pen in college and have my MFA and my first novel behind me, right? But there was something about this place, a learning haven on the Internet, where I could participate on my own time and where I’d essentially be anonymous with no one to judge my sad ambition to better myself in prose.

Gotham and Kathleen gave me a swift kick in the writer’s arse. It’s never too late to learn, not if you’re willing to put the work into your passions. And there are teachers and mentors who will come into your life long after your days of formal schooling are over to guide and inspire you, if you let them.

What Kathleen taught me at the ripe old age of “none of your business” changed my life when I believed there wasn’t much left to change. Thank you Kathleen and Gotham for setting me on the path to being a writer.

Gesine Bullock-Prado

http://confectionsofamasterbaker.blogspot.com/

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Dear Gotham,

I’ve loved to write from the first day I could do it, as a young child, and I’ve written with some consistency since then.  But it was only when I took a Gotham Fiction Writing class, taught by Carole Bugge during the winter of 2008, that I wrote a story worthy of publication. And it was published!

My short story, “Tough As Diamonds,” has recently been published in issue #2 of the Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine. The story is about a private investigator who can spot a client’s lie or pull the rug out from under a guilty man’s best alibi quicker than you can say Hammett or Chandler.

I wrote and workshopped the story in Carole’s class, and she suggested I submit it to SHMM.  So I owe Gotham, especially Carole Bugge and my classmates, a huge thanks for helping me find my voice as a writer, write a story others seem to enjoy reading, and get published.

Anyone interested in reading my story can find a copy of it in issue #2 of the Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, available on amazon.com.

Many thanks,

David Waxman

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Dear Gotham,

Almost five years ago, I completed the first draft of what has turned out to be my first novel, Amish Snow, picked up by Sabellapress. Like so many other authors’ works, the manuscript kind of languished, and I realized I would have to do something if I seriously wanted a publishing contract. So I signed up for Fiction Writing I online taught by Irene Zabytko. I don’t think I would have been published without Irene’s expert hand and the feedback from other aspiring authors. I went on to take Fiction Writing II online taught by Terri Brown-Davidson, and How to Get Published online taught by Daniel Lazar. I’ll be back for more courses.

Anyway, I’m excited! I’m about halfway through the first draft of my second novel, and am juggling my time between working on it and helping to promote Amish Snow. I think I’ll start with some of the usual marketing strategies, you know, an Oprah appearance, a White House book signing . . .

Ciao,

Roger Rheinheimer, Author (I love saying that!)

www.rogerrheinheimer.com
www.sabellapress.com

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Dear Gotham,

I took Gotham's How to Freelance featuring the New York Times taught by Cindy Price with New York Times editor Mike Hale answering questions from the class in the final week.

The class provided information and support beyond my expectations. Cindy was an incredible instructor: knowledgeable, supportive, and kind. Her lectures were informative and covered all the information I needed to get started in freelance writing. The week of questions and answers with Mike Hale was informative and offered a fascinating look into the world of the New York Times.

For one of the class assignments, I created a query for Brain, Child: The Magazine For Thinking Mothers. Cindy liked it, made some suggestions to make it even better, and encouraged me to submit it to the magazine, which I did after the class ended. I am happy to say that, thanks to Cindy and to Gotham, my piece, Remembering Mr. Wrong, was published in Brain, Child’s Winter 2009 Edition.

Thank you, again, to Gotham, and thank you to Cindy Price and my other wonderful Gotham instructors for teaching me that there is always more to learn.

Linda Pressman

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Dear Gotham,

I’m a physician in Washington DC who was introduced to Gotham Writers’ Workshop through a local course that used the GWW book, Writing Fiction. It was so good, I started to plan trips to New York to take some of your one-day intensives. My first one, in 2008, was on essay writing, taught by Kelly Caldwell.

Kelly is a superb teacher. Her down to earth style combined with huge enthusiasm made the class last far longer for me than the hours I spent in class. Months afterward, I contacted Kelly once more for help composing a query letter. She generously gave her time and expertise.

This year, I've taken her excellent teaching to heart and published opinion pieces—on medical and non-medical issues in the news—in several outlets, including the New York Times, McClatchy News, the Stockholm daily The Local, and, most recently, the Washington Post.

It’s been a good year for writing for me, and I’d like to thank Gotham Writers’, and especially Kelly Caldwell.

With best wishes,

Andrea Meyerhoff MD

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Dear Gotham, 

I’m a former student who took Romance I in 2005 and Romance II in 2008, both taught by Leigh Michaels.  Just wanted to share my good news!

My dark Crusader romance The Devil’s Temptress, about a disgraced Muslim knight and an ardent Christian lady at Eleanor of Aquitaine’s court, recently sold to Dorchester and will be a November 2010 release. The deal was agented by JD DeWitt at The View Literary Agency. And The Devil’s Mistress, a dark Tudor romance about a lady assassin who’s blackmailed to poison Anne Boleyn, sold to Samhain Publishing and will be a June 2010 release. Both novels are written under my pseudonym Laura Navarre.

The work I did with Leigh Michaels through Gotham Writers Workshop was crucial to finishing these novels and making my sales!

Best regards,

Laura Williams
Writing as Laura Navarre

Join the adventure at facebook.com/LauraNavarreAuthor
Desire has never been so dangerous.

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Dear Gotham,

I wanted to write you a letter of thanks. I took your Fiction Writing class with Jacob Appel several years ago. Not only did I enjoy the class, but it truly motivated me to become more committed to my writing. Not only has Jacob continued to be a valued mentor and friend, he also helped me develop the work that became my portfolio for MFA program applications.

I received my MFA in Fiction from Brooklyn College last spring where I had an amazing experience and received both the Himan Brown Award for Fiction and the Lainoff Prize for Fiction. Since then I’ve had one story, "Exactly Halfway Down," published in The L Magazine and another in The Brooklyn Review. I was also a finalist for a Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers.

So…thanks! Not only for all you did for me, but also all the good work you do in supporting new writers.

Sincerely,

CJ Hauser

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Dear Gotham,

It’s nice to have a dream, and the pursuit of one can be exciting. But living it is the ultimate.

When retirement loomed in 2005, I felt no trepidation. I was happy that after forty years, real estate investment banking was in my rear-view mirror and now I could do whatever I wanted. I intended to write a novel, but faced a major problem: I didn’t know how.

Yes, offering brochures that I prepared for property sales and financings were often praised by my peers. But they weren’t stories. And I was once paid what I considered the highest compliment by one of my colleagues. He had read minutes of a meeting I had written—I always volunteered to prepare the notes—and said, “I never worry when I miss a meeting that you’re at, Joe, because when I read your report, I’m there.” But meeting minutes are far from publishable fiction.

Gotham Writers’ Workshop was the answer for me. Like a four-year old who is brought to a tennis pro for lessons, I had no bad habits. (In fact I had no habits at all.) I listened to my coaches, Dave Koch and Susan Breen, and absorbed their lessons on craft. As for the workshops, the “famous” critiquing sessions in the Booth, I found them to be energizing; people who knew what they were doing were reading my work and telling me how to make it better.

I first presented Waking Up as a short story to Susan’s group. When I reviewed my notes from the Booth, I counted up more compliments than critiques; one in particular I remember was, “Thanks for a great ride.”

It took me over a year to expand the short story from thirty pages to 416, and another eight months to re-write. Words cannot recreate my euphoria on the day I received an email from Cambridge House Press advising of their interest in acquiring Waking Up. The pen I used to sign the contract sits on my fireplace mantle. And the sessions in the Booth at Gotham prepared me well for the most arduous part of the process of getting published—being edited.

I type these words four days before the release of Waking Up, filled with anticipation. But no matter the level of success of the novel and the others to follow, I will always remember that my decision to spend a year in Gotham’s training sessions changed my life and made my dream a reality.

Joe Traum

www.joetraum.com

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Dear Gotham,

Just before leaving on a 20-city book tour for my independently published humorous memoir Alphabet City: My So-Called Sitcom Life, I wanted to write and thank you for the wonderful advice and encouragement I received in the Advanced Memoir classes with Ana Maria Spagna and Kyle Minor. Both instructors and fellow students were crucial to my success with Alphabet City, a story about my life as a gay Mary Tyler Moore working as a publicist for Tyra, Whoopi and publishing giant Condé Nast.

While I shopped the book around to agents, I launched ABCityblog.com to release chapters and test the waters of critical feedback. The blog became immediately successful with a dedicated following. I realized that I could capitalize on that momentum and publish the book myself rather than wait years for a mainstream publisher. And boy, what an amazing decision! The book has been written about by New York Post’s PageSix, Fox News National, New York magazine, Dallas Observer, Boyculture.com, Jezebel and numerous celebrity gossip sites.

My book tour is being sponsored by Kimpton Hotels and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. As part of Gay Pride, I will be appearing at Kimpton Hotel guest wine hours and then at a reception for Task Force members. Kimpton is also distributing a special 32-page excerpt of the book to guests this summer. In addition, stories about Alphabet City will appear at the beginning of the tour on Advocate.com, Edgeonthenet.com, Gay.com, Dallas Voice, and more.

I happily recommend the classes at Gotham to anyone who will listen. And even included Ana Maria and Kyle in my acknowledgements.

Best,

Jon Paul Buchmeyer
Author, Alphabet City: My So-Called Sitcom Life
http://abcityblog.com  -  Twitter/jpbuchmeyer

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Dear Gotham,

I am thrilled to let you know that I recently published my first novel, Life After Yes (HarperCollins/Avon). To date, my book—an honest tale of love and loss in post-9/11 Manhattan—has received some wonderful praise from fellow authors (including #1 NYT Bestseller, Gretchen Rubin) as well as a very positive Booklist review.

Over the past several years, I have participated in Gotham's online courses. Most notably, I worked with instructor Russell Rowland in the context of multiple fiction and novel writing classes. Russell, whom I deem my “Montana mentor” and thank for his keen insight and guidance in the acknowledgments of my debut effort, held my shaky hand, page by page, until my story was complete and compelling. I hope very much to work with Russell to complete my second novel.

I have told many friends and blog readers as much, but Gotham truly got me from dream of writing to reality of publication. In working with your incomparable teachers and fellow students, I was able to find my voice and hone my craft—all while raising my two young girls. I would never discount my education in this existential equation, but I am very much indebted to your wonderful institution.

Thank you so much for your help in getting me here. I am indeed living my dream!

Aidan Donnelley Rowley
www.ivyleagueinsecurities.com

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Dear Gotham, 

Your classes have been indispensable in helping me to complete my first novel, The Unholy Grail. On my first day in Alex Steele’s Advanced Novel Writing course, he asked the class how far into our novels we were. I recall my intimidation as the other students responded that they had written tens or hundreds of pages; I had only the seed of an idea, not even a first line. 

But Alex did not scoff at my goal of completing a book within a year—at age 22. He expertly led our workshop through the fundamentals of the craft, with just the right blend of lectures, examples, and critiques of our own work. When the ten weeks were up, I had 60 pages written and was only just getting started. I signed up for two consecutive Gotham workshops, relishing the sense of community I found in a group of other writers endeavoring to tackle the same mind-boggling task. I gained much valuable feedback and even formed a few lasting friendships. I also ended up beating my original deadline, finishing my book within nine months, while again enrolled in one of Alex’s classes.

I am thrilled to share that Tor Books will publish The Unholy Grail in the summer of 2011. Thank you, Gotham, for helping me to see my project through; my success is yours!

Very best,
 
Kira Peikoff
kirapeikoff.com

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Dear Gotham,

I’m writing to tell you that my personal essay, "Jack," about my relationship with a six-year-old boy whom I counseled as a psychologist in a day treatment center has been accepted for publication by Prairie Schooner. I wrote this essay while in Marie Carter’s Memoir II class.

I have had a number of plays produced, one play published, and I’ve received a number of honors for my playwriting. However, having an essay accepted by Prairie Schooner, a much respected literary journal, makes me feel more like a writer than any of the other things I’ve done.

Marie’s enthusiastic response to "Jack" gave me the confidence to submit it to Prairie Schooner. If it hadn’t been for her encouragement, I don’t think I would have submitted to them. Marie also suggested that I write a collection of similar essays about my work as a psychologist in human service agencies; I’ve just completed my second essay toward this book.

Sincerely,

Vanda
vandaplaywright.com

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Dear Gotham,

I always wanted to try my hand at writing science fiction, but as a practicing lawyer, I could never find the time.

A few years back, however, I was finally able to retire. So I purchased some self-help books and started writing. Unfortunately, all I managed to generate was a pile of rejection letters and the growing suspicion that I was wasting my time.

I was about to move on to other things when I learned that Gotham offered courses specifically devoted to the writing of science fiction.

I enrolled immediately and was fortunate enough to have first Michaela Roessner and then Marta Randall as my instructors. They, together with my various classmates, quickly disproved the old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

In fact, they taught me so many tricks (both old and new) that Metahuman Press recently agreed to purchase my short story “Murdock’s Last Stand,” which will appear in the third volume of their Pulp Empire anthology.

Thanks for a truly great learning experience. 

Regards,

Vincent Morgan

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Dear Gotham,

2010 passed in a blur. It started with a curiosity in short stories, a few written in the late hours after work, which led to a Canadian author purchasing the rights to publish a story on her site. My initial excitement turned to disappointment after she edited my story by cutting it in half and re-arranging a few sentences and paragraphs. I was at a loss for words after reading her “butchered” version, unable to comprehend how a significant part of my story, which I had spent so much time creating, could vanish just like that. Then I re-read her version many more times and realized it was actually better than the original. I finally understood the effectiveness of brevity.

There is some truth in that you cannot teach good writing. But to progress as a writer, I think everyone needs the basic building blocks of writing technique, and of course, to learn the importance of editing. The Canadian author recommended Gotham as a good place to start, so I registered for two fiction courses online. I was still a bit stubborn with my writing, but with the guidance of two great teachers—Carole Bugge and Meghan Kenny—I immediately saw improvement in my stories. They not only cheered me on with my writing, but also provided me with valuable, critical feedback, and the occasional, much needed, scolding to stay on track, i.e. not to let my stories taper off into complete nonsense.

With the mentoring I received from Carole and Meghan, I am happy to report that I just won the Hometown Tales Writing Contest at ShortbreadStories.com for my story, “That’s Minnesota.” Read the story at shortbreadstories. Without their guidance on how to organize a few thousand words into something special, I wouldn’t have won this amazing one week trip to a writer’s retreat in southern Spain.

Thank you Carole and Meghan!

Mark Patrick
CapturingPenang.blogspot.com

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Dear Gotham,

I’m excited to tell you that my memoir has just been published by DBM Press in Virginia. The title of my book is My Race: A Jewish Girl Growing Up Under Apartheid in South Africa

A few years ago, I decided that I wanted to write the story about my life growing up in apartheid South Africa, but I needed help putting it on paper. Gotham to the rescue! I attended a number of Gotham Workshop classes and the teachers and classmates were extraordinarily helpful. The “boothing” process proved to be invaluable as we critiqued each other’s writings. I learned how to “show” rather than “tell” and how to paint a picture with words. I also learned how to organize my thoughts and put my story into chapters. In the “Gratitude” section of my book, I gave Gotham a big plug and I’ll always be grateful for all their help in making my goal a reality.

Thank you.

Lorraine Abramson

> Watch a short video of Lorraine discussing her book at youtube.com

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Dear Gotham,

About five years ago, I signed up for an online class in writing for children at Gotham. I’d never taken an online class before. I was especially nervous about (gasp) “the Booth.”

The class ended up being a blast; my fears about "the Booth" (memories from The Phantom Tollbooth? John Wilkes Booth?) were unfounded. I can remember reading and rereading Deborah Perlberg’s written lectures, and I can still remember some of the stories other participants wrote.

In that online class, I ended up meeting Chris Woodworth and John J. Bonk, my present critique group members. After Gotham, we critiqued each other’s work online for a couple of years, and worked out a nice weekly schedule. Once a week, one of us would submit a chapter. We weren't allowed to submit unless we were up-to-date on our critiques. And once a week, just as in the Gotham workshop, we’d get online and “chat” for an hour—about how to deepen character, how to tweak a plot, or, frankly, about American Idol, our kids, or our cats! The chat helped us become close, though we’d never met face-to-face.

We met for the first time at the New York SCBWI meeting one winter. We joked that, since we'd never seen each other, we'd be wearing red carnations. I was so excited to meet Chris and John in person, after getting to know and love them, through their writing, online.

All of us have books now…John J. Bonk is the author of the hilarious Dustin Grubbs, One-Man Show and Dustin Grubbs: Take Two! both published by Little, Brown.  Chris Woodworth is the author of the award-winning When Ratboy Lived Next Door, Georgie’s Moon, and Double-Click for Trouble, all published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.  I am the author of Eleanor Hill and The Princesses of Atlantis, published by Cricket Books, and Write Before Your Eyes, just out from Delacorte Press.

Of course we’re proud of the books, but the best thing that has come out of this has been the deep friendship that has developed as we have read and appreciated each other's stories over the years. Thanks for bringing us together, Gotham!

Best,

Lisa Williams Kline
lisawilliamskline.com

Read more Letters to Gotham at deargotham

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Dear Gotham,

I have some exciting news from Leigh Michaels’s Gotham class on Romance Writing. The novel I began in her class, Half Moon Rising, has been published.

Samhain Publishing bought my book and the e-book was published in March of last year with the paperback edition following in October. It’s been doing well and the reviews, including 4 stars from Romantic Book Times, have been positive.

Before Leigh’s class I had been trying to break into the romance market for several years. The form rejection letters had their own file at my writing desk and it was getting thicker every year.

I had read many “how to” books and articles on romance writing, but it was Leigh’s comments and guidance that made the difference with this project. Having her point out the specific weaknesses and strengths of my story proved invaluable in taking my writing to a higher level.  Half Moon Rising wouldn’t have made it to print without her.

Whenever I run into a fellow romance writer seeking publication I mention Gotham and Leigh’s class. The lectures reveal new insights to the specifics of the romance genre, the assignments provide both goals and the chance for quality feedback, and, finally, the connection and time spent with other writers very simply feeds the soul.

Keep up the great writing classes.

Sincerely,
Margo Lukas
www.MargoLukas.com
Half Moon Rising: This Werewolf Romance is a Whole New Beast

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To read more Letters to Gotham, visit deargotham

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Dear Gotham,

I have great news to share! My first book, A Quick Guide to Improving Note-Taking and Idea-Making in Content-Area Writing is due out early next year.

My dream to write this book became a reality when I enrolled in Stephanie Staal’s Nonfiction Book Proposal course. Her guidance was invaluable because she was able to help me find my voice and bring it out in my writing. She provided me with sample proposals, which I used as a mentor to write my own.

Ann-E Wood read my book when I was ready to revise it. She gave me feedback, which helped me to make my manuscript as strong as possible.

I am pleased with my experience at Gotham and I plan to continue to take courses.

Thanks for the motivation,

Brooke Geller

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To read more Letters to Gotham, visit deargotham

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Dear Gotham,

As I have just graduated with my MFA from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts—Whidbey Writers Workshop and have taken on some exciting editing projects (including submissions editor for SmokeLong Quarterly and editing an anthology titled Dogs Wet & Dry: A Collection of Canine Flash Fiction) I wanted to send you a long overdue thank you before the next wave of busyness sweeps me over.

Prior to starting the MFA program, I took four classes from Gotham: Humor Writing with John Kachuba, two Fiction Writing Classes with Brandi Reissenweber, and a Fiction Writing class with Terri Davidson-Brown.

I just reviewed the archives (which by the way is a wonderful asset for Gotham to provide)
and realized that from all four classes I’ve had work published or forthcoming in places like:
Talking River Review, South Dakota Review, North Idaho Lifestyles, Stolen Island Review, Lunch Hour Stories and a couple of anthologies. Pretty dang cool for taking only four classes.

The Gotham classes played a large role in my growth and self-confidence as a writer. The lectures and discussions were pertinent, thought provoking, and lively. The teachers were talented and encouraging, and the fellow-students, hardworking and motivated. You’ve got a great program going, and I wanted to let you know that I find myself frequently recommending Gotham Writers Workshop.

Hope all is well,

Stefanie Freele
stefaniefreele.com & dogswetanddry.com

> Read more Letters to Gotham at deargotham

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Dear Gotham, 

I’d like to thank you for helping me get my first story published.  Cutthroat Literary Journal published “That Me Instead of This One,” in their edition VI, just out in February 2009.

The story emerged from an exercise in my Gotham Fiction I class (online) with instructor Michael Phillipps. I workshopped the story again in Advanced Fiction, also with Mike Phillipps, and his instruction and support, plus the feedback of my classmates, were critical to my revisions.

Gotham's focus on the elements of narrative craft has been very effective for me, and the online format allows me to take classes when I otherwise would not be able to do so. I continue to recommend this outstanding program to friends interested in learning more about writing.

Thanks again,

Amelia Obler

> Read more Letters to Gotham at deargotham

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Dear Gotham,

I just learned that Ingram Book’s booksellers magazine will be featuring my co-authored novel, Unraveling (available July 7, 2008 from Random House) on the cover of their July/August issue. Here's a recap of how this happened.

In Susan Breen’s Fiction 1 class, I revised Unraveling. At the end of this class, we discussed query letters. Armed with one, I handed it to panelists at book events, and snail mailed everywhere. I did not have an agent. Three miracles occurred in just a few months— three houses said I could submit my ms to them. Marking those envelopes “Solicited Manuscript” was a thrill I’d never have dreamed possible before Gotham. Over the next few months, one house passed, another never responded, and one editor sent a letter discussing what worked and what didn’t. And, if we revised, she’d take a second look. IF?! Advanced Fiction classes were about to begin and I enrolled, despite missing the early enrollment specials.

Once again workshopping our novel, I came away with suggestions for making the time frame easier to follow, the mother character more sympathetic, and the opening “hookier.” The pearls of my peers and Susan Breen facilitated enormous changes to the manuscript. Several months later, my co-author and I delivered our stone tablets, Random House made an offer, we accepted (duh), and sought out an agent to finalize contract details. Yes, with a subject line like “have offer, need agent” it’s not as daunting a process.
Because of Gotham and a large dose of chutzpah, I’m awaiting the birth of Unraveling, first in hardcover and two years later in paperback!

I can be contacted through my website, www.lynnbiederman.com. I hope writers reading this see that it really can happen.

Sincere thanks,

Lynn Biederman

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Dear Gotham,

I’m pleased to report that I will be publishing my third book, Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots in September ’08. I ran several of the chapters of the book through Cliff Hopkinson’s Article Writing II class last year, and the feedback I received sharpened my writer’s voice and refined my storytelling ability.

When the galleys recently came back from the publishing company, I reread the book once again and thought, “It’s all true, it’s really tight, and I wouldn’t change a word.” That’s high praise coming from an author who feels that writing is rewriting.

I’ve taken writing classes all over the city and honestly believe that Gotham’s are superior. The caliber of the students is high and the dedication of the teachers, unrivaled. The atmosphere in the classes is one of camaraderie and gentle competition. We are all pushing each other to turn in our best work, to be better critics, to become better readers and ultimately, better writers.

I’ll be taking Cliff’s class again next semester. I have a new book in mind so watch out world.

Vicky Oliver

Vicky Oliver is author of 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions, Power Sales Words, How to Write It, Say It, and Sell It With Sizzle and Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers, and Other Office Idiots

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Dear Gotham,
 
I admit that Gotham’s Writer’s Workshop was not my introduction to writing; I had taken classes with Shawna McCarthy in Science Fiction & Fantasy and with Elaine Edelson in Memoir at the New School here in NYC.  However it had been fourteen years since I had last written a short story, during which time I had been in the Ph.D. program at CUNY, met and married my husband and became a mom at the age of forty.
 
Marta Randall, who teaches Science Fiction and Fantasy writing at Gotham, is a phenomenal teacher.  Her warmth and willingness to extend herself to her pupils helped me greatly.  I wanted to write an Urban Fantasy novel and her guidance and support allowed me to work on it and finish it within a relatively short period of time.  I signed up for her course again and again. In her classes I completed two short stories which became my first professional magazine sales since the early nineties.  In the years since I took Marta’s course, I have continued to write.  I have sold three short stories to anthologies, two of them soon to be released in Northern Haunts and Terrible Beauty, Deadly Symmetry.
 
I have returned to Gotham this semester to study with Stephen Barbara who teaches a class in how to be published.  Though I’ve sold five short stories, that Urban Fantasy novel I originally wrote in Marta’s class has only gotten rejects.  Time to learn something new, like creating the perfect query letter for agents!  Hopefully the next time you hear from me it will be about the sale of my novel, Chasing the Trickster.
 
A big thank you and hugs to Marta and all the wonderful teachers at Gotham for giving me such great information and support upon my return to the writing world.
 
Best regards,

Avril Dannenbaum, (writing as April Grey)

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Dear Gotham,

I’ve always loved to write, but it was not until I started taking classes at Gotham that I began to think about the possibility of becoming a published author. I started in the Beginning Children’s Book class, moved on to the advanced class (which I took twice), and emerged with most of a middle grade novel. The quality of instruction was outstanding, and in each of my three classes, my classmates and I really came to see ourselves as a community of writers.

The work I did in my classes at Gotham went a long way in helping me land an agent, and my experiences inspired me to continue writing, even when I no longer had the weekly classes to keep me on track. This past September, Random House published my first novel, Spanking Shakespeare, which was named a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association and received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. I am currently finishing revisions on a second young adult novel that Random House will publish next year.

Thank you, Gotham, for creating an environment that inspired me to pursue my writing more seriously and for setting me on the path to becoming a published author.

All the Best,

Jake Wizner

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Dear Gotham,
I wanted to let you know that I recently sold my first novel, Skin and Bones, to Random House and am very grateful to Gotham for all of the support and direction I’ve gotten for my work. I workshopped two drafts of Skin and Bones in Advanced Novel Writing with Masha Hamilton and not only got great feedback and advice but learned the art of listening to feedback.

In addition to working with teachers who provide practical, real-world advice, I have to say that one of the best things a writer can get from the Gotham model is to learn to listen to what people are saying about your writing and to be open to change. This skill came in handy during the process of selling my novel when I was asked to participate in a conference call with my prospective editors and listen to their feedback.

Before the call I put myself into the same state of mind needed when your work is up for review in class. During the call, I took notes, responded to questions, and stayed open to their suggestions as I was impressed by how carefully they read my manuscript. I used the same approach when reading my rejections. Instead of thinking of them as negative, I was impressed by the time many editors took to give specific comments. As I work on a rewrite, I am incorporating some of their suggestions as well.

While writing is a solitary act, the process of editing and shaping the story is infinitely better served with the feedback and perspective of peers and committed readers. Gotham opened me up to that and for that I will always be appreciative.

I have and continue to recommend Gotham to writers of all stages. The quality of teacher and approach to writing is unmatched.

Thanks again,

Teri Coyne

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My novel  The Prospect of My Arrival  has made it to the Top 10 novels out of 5,000 in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. I'm thrilled and stunned. I started this novel a few years ago at Gotham in an online writing class with Floyd Kemske. He was (and still is) an inspiring, talented teacher and writer.

If people want to help me win this contest, just go to www.Amazon.com and look for my excerpt. My name is Dwight Okita. Voting goes from March 3-31, but the sooner you vote the better chance I can win. The grand prize is a book deal with Penguin and $25,000. All Top 10 finalists will have their complete manuscripts critiqued by four heavy-hitters: Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love), John Freeman (president of the National Books Critics Circle), Eric Simonoff (agent/co-director at Janklow & Nesbit Associates) and Amy Einhorn (publisher of Einhorn Books). Gotham's classes have been fun and invaluable.

Thanks for helping me spread the word!

Dwight Okita

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Dear Gotham,

I read your most recent newsletter and thought I would share my experience with Gotham. I enrolled in two consecutive courses on travel writing and found them very valuable. I had not had any previous courses in writing, but have a degree in fine arts. Over the years I have done a lot of work in marine photography with shows, sales and inclusion in a number of collections.

A national boating magazine, PassageMaker, had contacted me to inquire about some of my photographs. They were going to do a piece on the history of lobster boats from Maine. I asked who was going to do the piece and they told me it had not been assigned. I offered my services, which they promptly declined, saying they preferred previously published writers.

I told them I was leaving for Maine the following week and would submit an article with photographs on spec within a month and asked that they at least critique it. I did, and they did...they liked it and bought it.

I have done about a dozen published pieces for them in the last three years, and then this past December they offered me the position of Contributing Editor!

Thank you, Gotham, for giving me the basics and the confidence to move forward.

Bill Jacobs

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Dear Gotham:

I've been accepted into the City College MFA program in creative writing, to start in the fall.  I think I owe the group (in her article writing workshop) some acknowledgement, because one of the pieces I submitted was the "Mr Hemphill" essay, after I incorporated many of the suggestions and changes from our workshop session, and the review committee at City thought it was one of the strongest pieces in the sample.

So thanks, everyone -- many, many thanks.

Lynn Dion

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Dear Gotham:

I started screenwriting four years ago when I had a three-month sabbatical from Vassar.  I took a couple of screenwriting classes at Gotham including the one-day workshop, the introductory 10-week class, and a film analysis class.  I wrote my first screenplay, Staying Afloat, through that class, which got picked up by a producer and shopped around for a year, but ultimately never went anywhere.  My second screenplay, The Escape Artist, won the Final Draft Big Break competition which included $10,000 and a trip to Hollywood.

Since winning the contest in October, The Escape Artist has been optioned by a British director—but that's all I'm allowed to say at this point.  I finished a third screenplay, The Border, and there is a lot of interest in that script.  And finally, as a result of a chain of connections from the contest, I had the opportunity to rewrite a screenplay written by another writer, and actually get paid for it!

Best,

Julia Van Develder

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Dear Gotham,

I wanted to let you know that "The Blue Dress," a short story I worked on in an Advanced Fiction online class this past winter with Manuel Gonzales, has just won the John Gardner Memorial Prize for Fiction and will appear in the journal Harpur Palate this summer. It comes with a $500 award. Manuel's criticism was invaluable to me. When I tried out some of his suggestions, I found that a story that had almost worked suddenly really did work. I'm so grateful.

I had some other good news before this, too, about stories I worked on in my first two writing classes, with Tommy O'Malley and Carol Bugge. "She Was Somebody's Baby, Too" appeared in the online jimstonjournal.com. Both that story and another, "A Lucky Man," were chosen to appear in a forthcoming new anthology, The Creative Writer.

I found the feedback of the teachers and the students, too, enormously helpful in giving me a handle on how the stories came across, what worked, and what didn't. I'm pleased as can be with my experiences at Gotham.

You've got a good thing going, keep it up!

Best wishes,
Lynda Myles

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Dear Gotham:

I took a TV writing class taught by Jim Mendrinos at Gotham a while back, and I wanted to take a moment to thank you. I eventually got a job writing for a show that's just premiered on F/X — The Riches, with Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver. I love the show and I had a great experience writing for it. I know I wasn't particularly prolific when I took your class — I'd just had my baby girl and was moving through life in a haze — but your class was a real turning point for me. You taught me a lot, and I would not have gotten this job without it. So thank you. My episode airs April 23rd. I hope you can catch it and I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks again,

Sincerely,
Wendy Riss

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Dear Gotham,

I took an online fiction workshop this summer with Irene Zabytko. One of the stories I submitted for class critique, "The Storm Painter," has been accepted for publication by Crimson Highway magazine for their February issue.

The critiques of the story, particularly by Irene, helped me to make it a better story. I'm sure that is why it was accepted.

Regards,
Townsend Walker

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Dear Gotham,

My debut novel The Boy Who Killed Caterpillars was published in September by Marick Press. It is a novel that I worked on over the course of two fiction writing classes with Peter Markus and four novel writing classes with Masha Hamilton.

Both my instructors and my classmates at Gotham were essential in the process of “finding” my story and crafting it, so I wish to let you know that I really appreciate what your program has given me and how it has helped me achieve something I wouldn't have dreamed of achieving prior to attending your workshops.

I found my true calling at Gotham Writers' Workshop, and as my writing career unfolds, I'll continue to spread the gospel of Gotham.

Best wishes, 

Joshua Kornreich

Contact Joshua at www.joshuakornreich.com. Find his novel online at bn.com.

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Dear Gotham:

As a “serial” Gotham student I am happy to report that Tall Grass, a compilation of three of my dark comedies, will be shown Off Broadway from March 3-April 15.

Each of these three plays were completed from start to finish in Gotham Playwriting classes, two with Richard Caliban (one live and one on-line) and another in New York with Jim Mendrinos. These are the only playwriting courses I have ever taken (and I haven’t read any books on playwriting either), so everything I know I learned from these terrific teachers as well as my supportive classmates. Thank you Gotham for making my dream come true!

Sincerely,

Brian Harris

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Dear Gotham,

I just wanted to let you know that I just published my first book, The Late Bloomer’s Revolution (Hyperion). I workshopped several of the pieces in the book at Gotham, and for that I could not be more grateful.

I recommend Gotham classes all the time, as my first class there was one of the best writing classes I've ever taken.  And I've taken plenty. I tell people it's all about writing without the ego (the teacher's that is, because so often with star authors, the class becomes about what they like and students are encouraged to write like them).

That's why I think Gotham is so great. It's a jury of your peers. And they're there to help. Everyone I've told to take Gotham classes loves them.

I really hope people enjoy my book. I've gotten a ton of incredible letters, many from writers asking for advice with their memoirs.  I talk about honesty and how hard it was for me to go really deep, especially in writing, about how within a year I lost my mother, my job, my boyfriend and my face (to an eight-month rash.)  And also about how many drafts and years it takes to develop your voice. And I tell them to run to Gotham!

Thanks so much and keep up the great work.

Amy Cohen
Author, The Late Bloomer's Revolution

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Dear Gotham,

I took a Travel Writing class last fall and wrote an article on salsa dancing for one of the class assignments.  The class gave me feedback and the teacher gave me great detailed comments.  I submitted my article to Time Out Magazine and they bought it!

Except ... they wanted me to rewrite it as a mini weekend vacation in Harlem.  Turned out everything in the salsa article was Mon-Thurs, which I didn't notice until I was in the middle of the rewrite. I wound up writing a completely new article (which actually didn't have anything to do with salsa).

As I was rewriting the article into this completely new format, I could hear my teacher’s voice and her instructions.

The article came out this past August in Time Out's "Alone" issue.

Thanks so much for all you taught me.

Gwyned Simpson

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Dear Gotham,

A story I worked on in Michael Lucas’s Advanced Fiction class has been accepted by Level Best Books to appear in the 2007 anthology Still Waters, which features crime stories by New England writers.

The story, “Tit for Tat,” had been gathering dust in my desk drawer for some time. Michael and my fellow students in the Gotham online workshop helped me put just the right amount of polish on my fiction to make it publishable. Their insights, enthusiasm, and patience were invaluable. I recommend Gotham to many writers I know, and I intend to return to the online classes to help me shape new work.

Many thanks to all at Gotham—students, faculty, and administrators alike. You guys rock!

Best wishes,
Leslie Schultz Lombino

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Dear Gotham,

When I think back to my first year in New York, what stands out are the Gotham workshops I took. Having never shared my writing before, I timidly entered my first classroom with all sorts of preconceived notions of how snobby NYC writers would be. What I found instead was a warm, welcoming group of like-minded people who were there to write.

Three classes later I had the courage to submit my short story “Sushi” for publication. That story was chosen as one of twenty winners in a contest for new young writers and published in the book Virgin Fiction 2. Since then I’ve gone on to publish two novels (Eliot’s Banana and Luscious Lemon), a novella (The Happiest Day of Your Life), a fiction anthology (Before: Short Stories About Pregnancy), numerous short stories (two of which I workshopped through Gotham), personal essays, and nonfiction articles in national and regional publications.

I always thought I’d get around to finding an MFA program, but once I started seeing my work in print I never did, partly because those first Gotham classes gave me the confidence to share my work, taught me to give and receive constructive criticism, and provided me with my first group of writing pals—three things which have served me well in the grueling, rejection-filled world of publishing.

Thanks, Gotham!

Sincerely,
Heather Swain

Check out some of Heather's titles online at bn.com.

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