Upcoming Classes

Writing the Personal Essay – Maine Media Workshops

Writing the Personal Essay (Online)

May 14, 2026  –  Jun 4, 2026 (4 Thursdays, 6-8:30pm ET)
Levels: Advanced, Intermediate
Workshop Fee: $375
Workshop Location: Online

What stories from your life are asking to be written?

In this four-week creative writing course you’ll uncover your most resonant personal stories and learn the craft tools that will help you turn your idea into an artful personal essay. Together, we’ll explore the ways the identities we hold overlap with the things we most want to say, and the questions that sit at the center of our experiences. We’ll learn how to find the best structure for our story, craft vivid scenes, manage tension, and engage the reader with a compelling narrative voice. We’ll read a diverse range of well-crafted personal essays to inspire us, generate pages of essay starts through in-class writing prompts, and choose a story to expand into an essay.

Students will leave the course with a developed personal essay, live feedback from peers and the instructor in the form of an in-class “spotlight,” and next steps for submitting your work for publication. This class is for intermediate and advanced writers who want to write, develop, and supercharge their personal stories.

Allegheny Workshops

August 1-8, 2026 at the historic Highland Guesthouse in Meadville, PA

An immersive, in-person writing workshop experience led by seven-time New York Times bestselling editor, Alexander Rigby, who is an acquiring Executive Editor at DK, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Each resident will attend two different 3-day workshops — one led by Alexander, and one led by Joe Santini (first half) and Jenny O’Connell (second half). With just six residents in total, you’ll get to know your cohort intimately and build a writing community that lasts well beyond the workshops. There will also be six different writing seminars, evening readings, visiting guests, opportunities for residents to read their work aloud in front of the entire residency, and group activities to explore the highlights of Western Pennsylvania.

This program is meant to give you everything you need to hone your writing craft, get helpful feedback on whatever writing project you are currently working on, and connect you to fellow writing peers with whom you can build lasting relationships. Tuition ranges between $1,700 for the smaller bedrooms and a max of $2,300 for the larger bedrooms and covers seven nights at the Highland Guesthouse with a daily continental breakfast, while also including the total cost of the workshops and all related local excursions and program fees.

Apply here: https://alleghenyworkshops.submittable.com/

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Jenny is able to create a special magic in her classes: a product of both her multitude natural gifts and her finely-honed teaching craft. She creates a warm, loving, deeply personal container which, when combined with the varied structure and thoughtfully curated prompts and themes, really lays a potent ground for magic to arise. I did some of my best writing in years with Jenny. She helped me discover abilities and insights I didn’t know I had.“

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Writing Services

Creative writing is a vessel for connection: to ourselves, to each other, and to the world. It’s a way of deepening into the experience of being alive. To tell one’s own story is a pathway to honesty and deep knowing, a potent kind of power, a form of love.

Teaching background: I serve as the Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Seguinland Institute, where I facilitate university-level creative writing intensives based around multi-genre exploration, climate solutions, and environmental journalism. I teach craft and professional development seminars at Stonecoast MFA‘s biannual residencies, and offer occasional workshops at Hugo House and Maine Media Workshops. My past teaching experiences include the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, as well as creative writing-focused outdoor expeditions with Hurricane Island Outward Bound, The Telling Room, and Adventures in Good Company. With over a decade of experience as a professional writer and creative writing instructor, 17 years as a guide and educator, and an MFA from Stonecoast, I offer an extensive array of tools to help you unlock new and exciting writing, sharpen your craft, and step into the creative life you desire. I would love to walk with you on your writing journey!

Who I work with: My most frequent private students are intermediate and advanced nonfiction storytellers who are working on book projects, memoir, personal essays, or literary short form and want to take their craft to the next level; and creative writers who want to get into an MFA program, apply for writing residencies, or step more deeply into a writing project or career.

Mentorship Offerings

Creative Coaching: My most popular offering, this is a flexible, customized option for writers looking to generate new work, achieve a writing goal, develop a writing career, or carry a project over the finish line. Services are customized to the individual, and deliverables depend on the writer’s goals, needs, and budget.

Available offerings include:

• Generating new work through a series of custom-tailored prompts and/or 1-on-1 writing sessions via Zoom
• Creative goal-setting: together, we’ll chart a path to applying for an MFA, winning an artist residency, submitting for publication, or finishing a writing project
• Book proposal feedback and coaching
• Manuscript feedback (see below)

Rates: $60/hour or $300 for a custom 4-week package that includes 2 creative writing & coaching sessions via Zoom, a list of personally-tailored prompts, and a manuscript critique of up to 10 pages.

Manuscript Critiques: Good writing comes from deep noticing, an authentic voice, and a clear question. This option is for creative work (personal essays, memoir excerpts, or short nonfiction) that is ready for the revision process. I will read your writing with a focus on voice, setting, characterization, and structure, as well as other elements that need attention. You will receive a line-edited manuscript with craft suggestions and ideas for deepening the work, and a one-page letter or a voice memo addressing the overall needs of the piece.

Rates: $150 for a close read of up to 20 pages (can be pro-rated for shorter excerpts), includes line edits and a one-page letter or voice memo. $60/hour for a broad read (good for longer excerpts with overarching craft issues around structure, pacing, voice, etc.), includes a one-page letter or voice memo.

Group workshops: Give your community the gift of creativity! Through an engaging and inspiring workshop custom-tailored to you and your fellow writers, you’ll generate creative material, hone your craft and storytelling skills, and forge closer connections by sharing your work aloud with each other. Appropriate for writers of all levels and genres. Delivered in person or via Zoom.

Rates: $300/2-hour session

Creative Writing Wilderness Trips: An outdoor guide of 17 years, I have repeatedly witnessed the magic that happens when creative writing is combined with wilderness adventure. I collaborate with local outdoor guides and outfitters to offer group creative expeditions that immerse you in the natural world, build intimate connections between fellow writers, and draw on the life-force energy that runs through the land and waters for inspiration. Adventure offerings include backpacking, hiking, lodge-to-lodge skiing or snowshoeing, ocean or flat water kayaking, packrafting, canoeing, and international travel. Length and accommodations vary based on your preference — reach out to receive a quote and build a custom adventure!

Testimonials

“Jenny has a way of helping me get out of my own way. Through her coaching and guidance, I was able to push aside the judge that camps out in my head, and write freely and authentically. She helps me write in my own voice.“