Christina Berke
Writer and Educator
Christina Berke is a writer and educator based in Los Angeles with a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing.
She was the 2022 Katharine Bakeless Nason Contributor Award Recipient in Nonfiction at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference in Vermont where she studied with Melissa Febos. Her fiction manuscript, an intergenerational novel about mothers and daughters, inherited trauma, and the 1973 military coup in Chile based on interviews with her grandmother, won Honorable Mention for the 2023 Miami Book Fair Emerging Writers Fellowship.
Compassionate Educator and Lifelong Learner
As a former K12 teacher and current Adjunct Professor, I have over a decade of experience teaching others how to write. Explore some of the classes I offer and experience accountability, growth, and creativity in a supportive environment. Any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected].
Creative Writing 101
This 10-week survey course is designed to develop a deeper understanding of nonfiction, fiction, flash, micro, spoken word, hybrid, and poetry. This course provides writers with the opportunity to examine writing as a craft that can be developed and analyzed through thoughtful consideration of texts. It focuses on the power of written language as a tool to examine and communicate social inequities. Sample texts include work by Jesmyn Ward, Aimee Bender, Ilya Kaminsky, Mira Jacob, Elissa Washuta, Kiese Laymon, and T Kira Madden.
"I felt welcome, which made me want to be more engaged in the class. She was very knowledgeable and made the information taught to us easy to retain. It made me a lot more passionate about my writing and overall improved it."
--Former Student
Foundations of Nonfiction
In The Art of Memoir Mary Karr writes, “A memoirist starts with events, then derives meaning from them.” In this 6-week workshop, we’ll explore the ways in which techniques of narrative craft can be harnessed to impose order, or shape compelling stories out of real-life material. We’ll read examples of creative nonfiction including personal essays, narrative reportage, memoir excerpts, and flash creative nonfiction, and we’ll draft new works of our own.
"After taking this class, I feel more confident in writing overall. Christina really cared about creating a fun, healthy, and safe feeling environment for the class. She was very thorough with explaining assignments, as well as having clear instructions for each one."
--Former Student
The Art of Freelance Pitching
Freelance pitching can be mysterious and unpredictable. When you get a yes, there is nothing quite like seeing the product of your hard work come alive in print or online. If you’ve ever had the urge to respond to a trend, current event, or pop culture moment—but aren’t sure how to go from idea to pitch to essay—this is the class for you. You'll learn how to mine your life experiences for ideas, review examples of pitches that worked, and read the resulting pieces. You'll walk away with the start of a pitch.
"I was so frustrated with never hearing back from editors but then I learned what a pitch actually needed and how to contact current magazine staff. Christina made it easy to break into freelance writing!"
--Current Client
Example Curriculum
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