Testimonials

Bring writers together since 2018

Our classes, events, and professional opportunities change lives. Through pandemics and uprisings, Blue Stoop has remained steadfastly committed to supporting our diverse student body and pool of instructors, and the greater Philadelphia area.

Student stories

Whether small or large, a one-off evening discussion with a deeply experienced instructor (as this was) or a recurring workshop-style class, Blue Stoop builds community and empowers writers of incredibly diverse backgrounds to interact in meaningful ways.

Anonymous
I definitely wouldn't be where I'm at now without the tools Blue Stoop gave me. Their financial aid options made the workshop more accessible to me as a young QPOC parent.

Corey Qureshi
I took my first workshop in January of 2018, and I still workshop with some of my classmates.

Nikki Volpicelli
I left with community connections that I now meet monthly with to write, and I also left with tools to write better settings.

Anonymous
[My Blue Stoop class] was a useful, warm, friendly, and inspiring space. I left feeling energized and ready to tackle some more prose projects, which was my goal going into class.

Lillian Dunn
This class made me realize that to move forward as a writer, I need to develop a thicker skin, and that revision requires fortitude and the belief that I can always improve if I'm willing to accept feedback and put in the work.

Anonymous
Our teacher walked us through story elements each week, with amazing examples, and exercises. It was a great blend of craft and composition that I've applied to my work ever since.

Fajr Muhammad
Everyone in the class was so great, and I feel like I might not ever have met them all otherwise.

Anonymous
As a female person of color who often encounters workshop spaces that can create harm and discouragement, Raena’s workshop at Blue Stoop created a space of creative health for me and my writing, allowing me to gain confidence and urgency in my voice.

Lauren Holguin
I still refer back to the techniques shared in our workshop when I'm trying to figure out why one of my stories is dragging, or why a character feels flat.

Ellen Rhudy
Having this intimate space to really get into the craft of writing and hear about it in such realistic terms/discuss the subject matter with a group of likeminded people really helped to open the creative door again.

Anonymous
Blue Stoop offers classes and workshops that provide insight and inspiration. But more than that, they create space for a supportive community of writers, which is altogether too valuable in what can be an otherwise lonely artistic practice.

Liz Moorhead
As a first-time participant in any sort of writing class, I had no idea what to expect. Philipe was such a wonderful, warm teacher/leader, and I learned so much — both by being exposed to writers that were new to me, and also by the close attention and excellent feedback from everyone in the class. I'm so glad I did this!

Gabrielle
I've been a closet poetry writer for many years and this class created the perfect bridge to take my own poetry and literary exploration seriously — without falling into the traps of preciousness or perfectionism.

Anonymous
I've been tooling around with an idea for a couple years now. Six classes later, I have a protagonist, a world, lore, and a plot outline and wrote the opening paragraphs of the first draft. As a writer who has written for over 20 years, I had lost a sense of wonder and joy when approaching the task of writing. Now more than ever, grounding myself in joy and wonder is essential to my survival not only my creativity.

Anonymous
It's refreshing to find instructors committed to furthering the advancement of audio storytelling and sharing that passion with content creators.

Anonymous
It was really nice to anchor my week around this Blue Stoop class. I tend to be private about my writing, and I was surprised by how accountable having a weekly class made me — enough to finish writing a novel in a month, which I truly don't think I would have done otherwise. I wish we could continue meeting through the editing process — it was a fun and creative way to spend my time and it really helped keep me focused.

Anonymous
Blue Stoop events have allowed me to hear directly from and connect with some of my favorite authors and have introduced me to the incredible work of countless poets, nonfiction writers, and novelists from across the country.

Sara Ray

Testimonials

Bring writers together since 2018

Whether small or large, a one-off evening discussion with a deeply experienced instructor (as this was) or a recurring workshop-style class, Blue Stoop builds community and empowers writers of incredibly diverse backgrounds to interact in meaningful ways.

I definitely wouldn't be where I'm at now without the tools Blue Stoop gave me. Their financial aid options made the workshop more accessible to me as a young QPOC parent.

I took my first workshop in January of 2018, and I still workshop with some of my classmates.

I left with community connections that I now meet monthly with to write, and I also left with tools to write better settings.

[My Blue Stoop class] was a useful, warm, friendly, and inspiring space. I left feeling energized and ready to tackle some more prose projects, which was my goal going into class.

This class made me realize that to move forward as a writer, I need to develop a thicker skin, and that revision requires fortitude and the belief that I can always improve if I'm willing to accept feedback and put in the work.

Our teacher walked us through story elements each week, with amazing examples, and exercises. It was a great blend of craft and composition that I've applied to my work ever since.

Everyone in the class was so great, and I feel like I might not ever have met them all otherwise.

As a female person of color who often encounters workshop spaces that can create harm and discouragement, Raena’s workshop at Blue Stoop created a space of creative health for me and my writing, allowing me to gain confidence and urgency in my voice.

I still refer back to the techniques shared in our workshop when I'm trying to figure out why one of my stories is dragging, or why a character feels flat.

Having this intimate space to really get into the craft of writing and hear about it in such realistic terms/discuss the subject matter with a group of likeminded people really helped to open the creative door again.

Blue Stoop offers classes and workshops that provide insight and inspiration. But more than that, they create space for a supportive community of writers, which is altogether too valuable in what can be an otherwise lonely artistic practice.

I've been a closet poetry writer for many years and this class created the perfect bridge to take my own poetry and literary exploration seriously — without falling into the traps of preciousness or perfectionism.

It's refreshing to find instructors committed to furthering the advancement of audio storytelling and sharing that passion with content creators.

Blue Stoop events have allowed me to hear directly from and connect with some of my favorite authors and have introduced me to the incredible work of countless poets, nonfiction writers, and novelists from across the country.