Three graduate students in the Master of Fine Arts creative writing program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City are offering a wide variety of writing classes this spring. From crafting a resume or cover letter to writing sonnets and family histories, the classes are free and open to anyone of any education level or writing background. 

The classes are made possible by proceeds from the annual Writers for Readers fall fundraiser, a collaboration between the Kansas City Public Library and UMKC. 

Brandon Allen, a UMKC MFA candidate in fiction, is one of the teachers. He is excited to participate. 

He says, “I'm honored to be part of this unique collaboration, and I hope to pay back a small part of the enormous treasure books have been in my life." 

In a similar spirit of repayment, the partnership also supports the Maya Angelou Book Award, a national literary prize recognizing outstanding new contributions to literature and social justice, open for submissions of fiction from January 1, 2024, through March 31, 2024. 

The award, which alternates between fiction and poetry, was established in 2020 by the Kansas City Public Library, UMKC, and five other state universities and comes with a $10,000 stipend. 

Check the Library’s events calendar for class details and to RSVP 

• Journaling Journey: Saturday, January 13 
• Fiction Writing: An Open Book on Figurative Language: Wednesday, January 17 
• Beginning a Novel: Friday, January 19 
• Writing a Resume for Success: Thursday, January 25 
• Love Letters: Romance Writing About Kansas City’s Literary Past: Saturday, January 27 
• Writing About Your Life: Flash Nonfiction: Tuesday, January 30 
• Story Writing: How to Build Background With Imagery and Setting: Wednesday, January 31 
• Prose Poetry: Hybrid Forms and Local Literary History: Saturday, February 3 
• Writing Poetry: Free Advice on Free Verse: Monday, February 5 
• Writing a Ghost Story: Tuesday, February 6 
• Fiction Writing: Bringing Historical Characters to Life in Sci-fi: Saturday, February 17 
• Writing for Social Media: Saturday, February 17 
• The Music Lover’s Fiction Writing Class: Tuesday, February 20 
• (Re)writing as Therapy: Wednesday, February 21 
• Beginning a Novel: Saturday, February 24 
• Characterization in Fiction: Writing a Character Into Life: Monday, February 26 
• Write What You See in This Picture: Saturday, March 2 
• Fiction Fast: Writing 1,000-Word Stories: Wednesday, March 6 
• The Modern Sonnet: Bending and Breaking a Tradition: Saturday, March 9 
• Story Writing: How to Build Background With Imagery and Setting: Thursday, March 14 
• Back to the Future: Writing Your Family History: Saturday, March 16 
• Writing Poetry: Free Advice on Free Verse: Monday, March 18 
• Journaling Journey: Tuesday, March 19 
• Writing a Resume for Success: Saturday, March 23 
• The Music Lover’s Fiction Writing Class: Wednesday, April 3 
• Cover Letters: Writing Your Way Into a New Job or Apartment: Saturday, April 6 
• Beginning a Novel: Tuesday, April 9 
• Fiction Fast: Writing 1,000-Word Stories: Thursday, April 11 
• Writing About Your Life: Flash Nonfiction: Saturday, April 13 
• Fiction Writing: An Open Book on Figurative Language: Tuesday, April 16 
• Writing a Ghost Story: Saturday, April 20 
• Back to the Future: Writing Your Family History: Wednesday, April 24 
• Writing a Resume for Success: Thursday, April 25 
• Story Writing: How to Build Background With Imagery and Setting: Tuesday, April 30 
• (Re)writing as Therapy: Saturday, May 4