The Writer’s Tribe

3 Sundays
January 7, February 11, March 10, 2024
1:30PM -4:30PM

Corte Madera Store - $295

Welcome to the Writer's Tribe!

Join this monthly group to bring your writing to the next level. Angie shares tips and tools to elevate your fiction craft and guides the group through a powerful revision process. The goal is self-editing mastery.

Learn to:

• give and receive honest feedback
• develop compelling characters your readers will adore
• craft page-turning plots with satisfying twists and cliffhangers
• render vivid settings you can see, smell, taste, and touch in your imagination
• write snappy dialog that zings off the page 

* Tuition includes: Angie's RE-Vision Guide: How to polish your manuscript in 18 easy steps (updated 3rd edition)

* Committed writers are encouraged to register. Before the first meeting, you will submit the first 10 pages of your manuscript and a list of pressing questions.

Angie Alban is an editor and story coach and the author of nine books, including her critically acclaimed YA novel, ANYA'S WAR. She is a popular speaker at literary conferences, book festivals, and schools. Angie founded the Writer’s Tribe at Book Passage in 2010. 

What students say about the Writer’s Tribe:

The Writer's Tribe is a creative space to bring your work in progress. Angie's skilled facilitation, keen literary eye, and delightful sense of humor make these gatherings the highlight of my month. Angie is a writer's dream come true. Not only do you learn from her invaluable critiques of your own work, but the in-class critiques of your fellow writers' work are richly informative and insightful. 
—Nina Vincent, author of Sliding Into Home

Without Angie and the Tribe, my writing would not have been good enough to publish. I have learned so much from Angie, and gained a wonderful friend and advocate in the process. I also have a new community of friends and supporters—a true gift.  
—Kara Navolio, author of Maggie Discovers the Rainbow and Everybody Can Dance

Your Story, Well Told - Storytelling Workshop
with the Host of “The Moth”

January 10 - February 7, 2024
5 Wednesdays, 1:00PM-4:00PM (and one Friday)
Performance: Friday, February 9 at 4:00pm

Corte Madera Store

$380 (Includes book Your Story, Well Told)

Returning Your Story, Well Told students, register here:

You have great stories to tell. In this workshop, Author and Storyteller Corey Rosen (host of The Moth, BATS Improv, Author of "Your Story, Well Told") helps you to uncover your best stories, develop them in a safe and supportive environment, and then perform them in a free LIVE showcase for friends and family. All classes are taught in person in Corte Madera.

Corey Rosen is a writer, actor, visual effects producer, and storytelling teacher based in San Francisco, California. He hosts The Moth StorySlams and GrandSlams, and has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour, Alice Radio’s “The Sarah and Vinnie Show,” and KFOG's "The Finch Files" Podcast. Corey is a performer at BATS Improv, one of the world’s foremost centers for Improvisational Theater and is the author of “Your Story, Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience.”

Corey’s book - Your Story, Well Told - is included with class registration.

Book Group: Travel Literature, hosted by Michael Shapiro
with live appearances by Pico Iyer, Frances Mayes and Tim Cahill

Second Saturday of the month, 10:15AM to 12:00PM
Four classes:
Jan 13, Feb 10, Mar 9, Apr 13

Live via Zoom - $150

This book group, which will meet the second Saturday of each month over Zoom, will review modern classics from four titans of travel literature: Tim Cahill, Bill Bryson, Frances Mayes and Pico Iyer. We will explore best-sellers such as Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods” and Mayes’ “Under the Tuscan Sun” — and lesser known but equally rewarding books, including Tim Cahill's anthology “Pass the Butterworms” and Pico Iyer’s transcendent, “The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise.” Tim, Frances, and Pico will all be joining the discussion of their respective books for a portion of that session.

Led by Michael Shapiro, longtime travel writer and Book Passage teacher, the group will discuss what makes these books so compelling and will examine the techniques that each writer uses to engage the reader. We will pull back the curtain and share ideas about what makes great travel writing.

Books to be Read (all available for purchase at links in titles below):
Jan 13:   A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson
Feb 10:  Pass the Butterworms, by Tim Cahill
Mar 9:    Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes
Apr 13:  The Half Known Life, by Pico Iyer

Author visits: The authors of each, with the exception of Bill Bryson, will join for 30-45 minutes of the discussion of their book, probably during the last part of the class.

Michael Shapiro is the author of "The Creative Spark" (Solas House), winner of a 2021 Independent Publishers Book Award. Among the authors he interviewed for that book: Barbara Kingsolver, Pico Iyer and Amy Tan. He’s also the author of "A Sense of Place," a collection of conversations with travel writers such as Paul Theroux and Jan Morris. A longtime journalist, Shapiro writes for National Geographic, Sierra, AFAR, and the San Francisco Chronicle, where he has written travel features and reviewed books. He's taught several classes at Book Passage and has been a member of the Book Passage Travel Writers Conference faculty for more than 20 years.

Write On! Creative Writing for Middle Schoolers

Laurel Hilton

8 Tuesdays, January 16 - March 12 (No class Feb 20)

4pm -5:30pm

Corte Madera in-person class

“Everything great that ever happened in this world happened first in someone’s imagination.”   

- Astrid Lindgren, Author, Pippi Longstocking

Writing should be fun and inclusive, not stressful, and unbearable for middle schoolers. Come join Laurel Hilton as we explore the art of creative writing from a fresh perspective. We’ll draw inspiration from the world around us, pop culture and the everyday lives of young teens.

Students will come away from this course able to:

• Identify potential story ideas in everyday life
• Approach writing with freedom and confidence
• Explore their creative writing potential
• Collaborate with other students in a safe setting
• Have fun!

Don’t forget to bring your imagination!

Laurel Hilton is an award-winning author and writing coach. Her work has been featured on NPR, Litquake, Listen to Your Mother, and the HerStories Project, among others. She enjoys working with emerging writers of all ages, sharing her passion for helping others explore their interest in the craft of writing.

Italian: Beginner 3

with Valentina Medda

Eight Thursdays
January 18 - March 7

  11:30am – 1:00 pm PT

Corte Madera - $350

For students continuing from Beginner 2 or new students with a basic knowledge of Italian.

In Beginner 3, you will further develop your Italian language skills, focusing on the following:

• Communicate in Italian at a basic user level.
• Engage in simple social interactions in Italian, including asking and answering questions about familiar topics.
• Describe places, ask for and give directions, discuss habits, interests, and hobbies, express likes and dislikes, agree and disagree, and make, accept, or decline invitations.
• Expand your vocabulary.
• Read a short story in simplified Italian to improve your pronunciation and comprehension skills.

Books: Dieci A1 (Alma Edizioni)

PREREQUISITE: Have taken Italian Beginner 2 or have some basic knowledge of Italian. Please contact us at classes@bookpassage.com if you have questions about which level class is best for you.

Valentina Medda was born and raised in the beautiful island of Sardinia. She holds an honors degree in Japanese studies from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and also earned a master’s degree in Italian Language and Literature Teaching Methodology from the International University of Siena. Valentina is a certified CELI examiner and holds preparation courses for Italian citizenship applicants. 

Valentina is very passionate about her job and truly loves being part of her students’ progress. She lives in Marin with her husband, son, and their beloved Milo rescue senior dog, Roscoe.