Andrea A. Firth
Writer, Editor, Educator
Co-Founder, Diablo Writers' Workshop
Editor at the Brevity Blog
Contact: andrea@andreaafirth.com
Join me for the
Wednesday Co-Write
9:00-10:15 am PST
FREE on Zoom
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New Classes
See what I've got planned for this Fall
Next
Submit It Now--Oct 5
3:00-4:30 pm PST
FREE on Zoom
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Bio
Andrea A. Firth is a writer, editor, and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is cofounder of Diablo Writers’ Workshop where she teaches creative writing, provides editorial consulting, and supports a vibrant writing community. She is also an Editor for the Brevity Blog. Andrea received her MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Saint Mary’s College of California where she also teaches. Her writing focus is personal essay, and in 2021 she was a finalist for the Missouri Review's Perkoff Prize. She was a longtime contributor to Oakland Magazine and has published hundreds of articles in news outlets and magazines. Inspired by a handful of old family photos, Andrea is working on a collection of essays, Examples of her recently published work are listed with links below.
Classes--Enrolling Now
Coming of Age: Writing the Formative Years
A Workshop for Memoir and CNF
Both sections FULL
November 13-December 18
6 Mondays 2:00-4:00 pm PST or
6Tuesdays 9:30-11:30 am PST
on Zoom/$360
The journey from childhood to adulthood, birth to about 30, is filled with the life events (achievements, disappointments, challenges, transitions, awakenings) that serve as the foundation for who we are and what will follow. We’ll focus on this significant slice of life as we write our own stories. Each week we’ll read excerpts from contemporary, coming-of-age memoirs by Maya Angelou, Michelle Zauner, Beth Nguyen, Ocean Vuong, Yazmin Azar and Davon Loeb.. We’ll analyze the writing craft they use and how and work to do the same with prompts and freewrites. We’ll workshop on weeks 5 and 6 and each writer will receive a written critique from me.
Ideal for writers working on personal essays or memoir with workshop experience.
The classes listed below are scheduled and enrolling with the great folks at Write Or Die/Chill Subs.
Click through to get a complete description and to enroll.
Questions? Reach out to me here.
Short and Sweet: A Comprehensive Guide to Writing Flash
Saturday, October 14, 10:00 AM- 12:00PM PST
In A Flash: A Workshop for Crafting Flash Fiction and CNF
Thursdays, October 26- November 16
4:00PM- 6:00PM PST, 4 weeks
The World of Lit Mags and How to Get Published
Thursday, December 7, 4:00 PM- 6:00 PM PST
Free Meet Ups on Zoom
Wednesday Co-Writing
Inspiration. Motivation. Community
9:00 am - 10:15 am PST
FREE. On Zoom
Every Wednesday starting September 6th
Spend an hour writing in community. I alternate co-hosting with my colleague Janine Noel. After a brief check in, you'll get down to writing (audio muted, camera on or off). Generate new work or revise a work-in- progress. We will provide a prompt each week for those looking for a start, but this time and space is for you to write what you choose. No need to register in advance.
Submit It Now!
Time and support to help you get your work out to lit mags
Next session: Thursday, October 5th
3:00 - 4:30 pm PST
FREE. On Zoom
Gather with other writers and dedicate an hour to submitting your writing to lit mags. After a brief check-in, I will introduce you to a great tool or resource to make the submission process easier and more fun. From there you will get to work and I will be available for questions. At the close we’ll see how the hour went and celebrate hitting SUBMIT. No advance registration needed.
Selected Essays and Journalism
Broken Glass
Dorothy Parker's Ashes, January 2023
Unpacking Mom
Allium, A Journal of Poetry & Prose, Fall 2022
Fear of Infinity
Please See Me, April 22, 2022
Capturing the Final Moments of Pregnancy in a Picture
Motherwell, August, 2021
A Coyote in the Midst
The Coachella Review, Winter 2020
Old John
eMerge Magazine, Summer 2020
The Pandemic's Quiet Victim: Our Planet
The Bold Italic, July 2020
Is Video Gaming A New Addiction?
Oakland Magazine, October 2018
Journalism, Craft and the Writing Life
The Future of CNF Writing, Editing and Publishing
in a World with AI, Interview w/Sil Hamilton
Brevity Blog, Part 1, August 21, 2023
Brevity Blog, Part 2, August 24, 2023
Crónica: The Platypus of Prose
An Interview w/Javier Sinay
Brevity Blog, September 11, 2023
The Hard as F--- List and Breakfast Sandwich
The Sub Club Newsletter, June 24, 2023
Watch Out for the Unexpected
Brevity Blog, October 14, 2022
Exploring the Possibilities of Artificial
Intelligence in Creative Nonfiction Writing
Brevity Blog, February 1, 2023
Winning at Battleship and Lit Mags--It's a Process
Write or Die Magazine, March 23, 2023
Flash: The Art and Craft of Writing Short
A Q&A with Grant Faulkner
Brevity Blog, February 15, 2023
How the Literary Journal Landscape Is
and Isn't Changing
Jane Friedman's Blog, April 26, 2022
You Always Remember Your First
Brevity Blog, April, 2022
Seven Drafts, an Interview with Allison K Williams
Catapult, December 1, 2021
What Do I Call This? How to Title a Personal Essay
Brevity Blog, September, 2021
Tomato Ready: Publishing, Patience and Pleasant Surprises
Brevity Blog, June, 2021