a generative, prompt-based workshop to get you writing.

FROM SPARK TO STORY is a two-part generative class to get you from a prompt to a story or essay.

from spark to story

oct 12 + 19, 2026

w/ author and book editor Michelle Wildgen

Meets live in person from 6-8p CT

Class fee: $150

Limited to 8 writers

find your spark
Open notebook with handwritten notes and a black marker on a wooden desk. On the desk, there are also a laptop displaying a social media page, a white ceramic mug, a glass vase with pink and purple flowers, and a black speaker. The background shows a large window with trees outside.

we’ll hold your hand while you get started.

What’s better than a prompt that gets your writing flowing in ways you never expected?

Well, how about getting the space and guidance to develop that idea beyond one night?

In this two-part class for short story and creative nonfiction writers, we’ll spend the first session experimenting with quick writing sprints and brief sharing.

A variety of prompts helps you find the one that grabs you. Then we’ll offer productive, first-draft feedback that doesn't stifle new pages but points you toward exciting new directions.

When you return the following week, you’ll get to share your developed draft with the group and get ideas on where to take it next.  

This class will be fun and experimental, but also a reminder that getting traction on a new piece can be a lot simpler than it seems. Limited to 8. In person in near east side Madison.

Bring your creative energy and writing tools.

who should join us?

The craft skills we’ll cover in this workshop apply to writers of all experience levels, whether you’ve been writing for a month or decades.

Limited to 8 writers, to encourage investment in each writer’s work and process. Writers of fiction and memoir are equally welcome.

 

from spark to story Meets in person on oct 12 + 19, 2026.

The live meeting 6-8p CT) will take place on the east side of Madison, WI.

Meet the Instructor

  • Michelle Wildgen, author and editor

    Michelle Wildgen is the author of the novels Wine People, Bread and Butter, But Not For Long, and You’re Not You (both available in paperback from Picador), and is the editor of an anthology, Food & Booze: A Tin House Literary Feast (Tin House Books). You’re Not You has been adapted for film, starring Hilary Swank and Emmy Rossum.

    Michelle received her MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and has taught fiction and nonfiction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Iowa Summer Writing Festival, and the Tin House Writers’ Workshop. She was a long-time executive editor at Tin House Magazine and former books editor with Tin House Books. Michelle’s nonfiction has included a weekly column on food television as well as individual essays on a wide range of topics: from American Girl doll Rebecca Rubin, Burt Reynolds’ 1970s fan mail, and obscure Wisconsin card games to the craft of writing, fresh mozzarella, deer-hunting for the neophyte, and the number of times one must endure anaphylactic shock before giving up shellfish for good.

    Her fiction, personal essays, and food writing have appeared in publications including The New York Times Book Review and “Modern Love” column, O, the Oprah Magazine, RealSimple.com, LitHub, and anthologies such as Naming the World and Other Exercises for the Creative Writer, Dirty Words, Best New American Voices 2004, Best Food Writing 2004 and 2009, Death by Pad Thai and Other Unforgettable Meals, and journals including StoryQuarterly, TriQuarterly, Prairie Schooner, and elsewhere. Awards and honors include a scholarship to Bread Loaf, residency at the Hall Farm Center in Vermont, and the Virginia Faulkner Award for Excellence in Writing from Prairie Schooner.

    You can learn more about Michelle’s work at her website, and you can contact her via email.

  • “It’s rare to get a nurturing environment coupled with a deep, productive critique for one’s work. You set the bar high for writing workshops.”

    — Kyle W.

  • “Without being too simple – I loved it! And yes I will do it again, and if I knew anyone who was serious about being a better writer, I would recommend the classes.”

    — Mary

  • “For me, this was a great re-entry into the practice of writing. I would take another class. It’s a wonderful resource for people from all walks of life who want to write.”

    — Zara

  • “I felt that the group was respectful of the individuals while being honest with each other. Susanna fostered that environment and made it look easy.”

    — Tami

find your spark, find your story

*

find your spark, find your story *

is from spark to story right for you?

Email Michelle with any questions.

find your spark

Enroll in from spark to story

We’ll get in touch with details and an invoice within 48 hours of receiving your registration.

Please note that all returning students receive a 10% discount on workshops.

We look forward to getting to know you and your work!