Overview and FAQ’s
About 24PearlStreet
24PearlStreet is FAWC’s online home for writers and readers, where you can find online workshops, events, resources, and community. 24PearlStreet provides everything you need to work on your craft and connect with other writers and readers, wherever you are, year-round.
You need to register at least one day before a workshop starts. We encourage students to register early since workshops fill fast. Once a workshop is full, registration is closed. If you would like to be placed on a waiting list, you may register for a workshop that is already full. All waitlisted students are notified when a spot opens, and the spot will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
1-week asynchronous workshops cost $550, 1-week LIVE synchronous workshops cost $575, 4-week workshops cost $650, and 8-week workshops cost $750. A $25 registration fee is added to every tuition payment. 2-hour Sprint workshops cost $150, 3-hour Sprint workshops cost $225.
Flexible payment plans are available to every student. To use our payment plan option, please proceed with registration as usual and select “Payment Plan” on the second page of our registration form when asked about your Payment Method. You will then be prompted to select payment dates and payment amounts in the fields that appear. Though students may make Payment Plan payments via credit card at regular intervals, please plan for your tuition to be paid in full three days before the start of your workshop.
If you’re a student or educator, please take advantage of a 20% discount on any workshop by typing in the code STUDENT/TEACHER20OFF.
Yes! We offer scholarships, many of which are co-sponsored by notable writing organizations like Cave Canem, the Institute for American Indian Arts, Kundiman, Lambda Literary, Zoeglossia and others. Our scholarship program is consistently growing. Check our scholarship page for more details and new developments.
Payment is fully refundable more than 14 days prior to the workshop start date. Registrations canceled less than 14 days prior to the workshop start date cannot be refunded, although students may request a transfer to another workshop in the same session.
Yes. You may use your workshop payment receipt (received via email) as proof of registration.
24PearlStreet features virtual workshops offered in asynchronous, live, or sprint formats.
Asynchronous workshops allow you to participate according to your own schedule. Choose between 1-, 4-, or 8-week workshops where you can develop new work, revise current projects, receive peer feedback, and receive expert feedback from your instructor in our virtual classroom.
In this format, you will meet at a regularly scheduled time online. Live workshops run for two hours a day, during a five day week. You can interact live with your instructor and classmates to develop new work, revise current projects, receive peer feedback, and expert feedback from your instructor.
Sprint workshops are two or three hours long and focus on a single aspect of writing or the writing life.
Asynchronous learning allows students across time zones to come together, engage with their peers, and elevate their craft—even if their lives are also busy with full-time jobs, parenting, or other obligations or pursuits that make it hard to schedule or reserve time for live meetings dedicated to writing.
As a student in a 24PearlStreet workshop, you’ll have 24/7 access to an online classroom. Your teacher will post workshop materials—lectures, readings, assignments—in that online classroom. It’s also where you’ll post your work and comment on the work of your peers. You’ll have deadlines during the week, as indicated by the workshop description, but there’s no specific time of day you need to be online. You just need to make sure to post your work by a certain time.
A computer or tablet and internet connection are required to participate in 24PearlStreet online workshops. Please be aware that some devices, like iPhones and Android phones, may not be able to fully display all pages.
If you have trouble with our custom online classroom you may consult the guidesheet provided at the beginning of each workshop. You may also email 24PearlStreet’s Senior Program Manager for assistance. For persistent troubles you may need to make a phone or Zoom appointment with the Senior Program Manager. Or, you may need to consider consulting your local Geek Squad or computer and internet expert in case the issue lies with your device or network.
The most significant difference between 1-week intensives, 4-week workshops, and 8-week workshops is the level of intensity. 1-week intensives have deadlines and interaction every day, and often include a one-on-one component between you and the instructor at the end of your workshop. 4-week workshops have a few interactions and deadlines a week, and 8-week workshops have a couple interactions and deadlines a week.
All our coursework is designed for busy people. 1-week intensives have deadlines and interactions in the online classroom every day, and some students choose to dedicate time away from work or other obligations to immerse themselves in the course. On the other hand, many students balance their normal routines with their coursework. It’s entirely a matter of personal preference.
While asynchronous contact is the foundation 24PearlStreet was built on, faculty members at 24PearlStreet recognize that occasional synchronous contact—in other words, communicating in real time—has tremendous value, too. Some workshops feature optional and occasional synchronous, or “live” elements. If a course will feature a live element, the workshop description specifies this. If no live element is listed underneath a workshop description, the course will be entirely asynchronous.
No. Whether or not a course includes optional live elements, asynchronous learning via the online classroom remains the primary way that teachers will communicate information and conduct the course. Given the constraints of time zones (24PearlStreet students live all over the globe), internet streaming capabilities, and more, live elements are always optional for students.
Because of the popularity of live synchronous writing workshops, 24PearlStreet is now featuring many exciting new intensives where students can meet and receive direct instruction from faculty for two hours a day during a five-day workshop.
Live synchronous learning via Zoom will be the primary way faculty will communicate information and conduct the workshop. 24PearlStreet’s custom online classroom may still be utilized to upload assignments and download resources. “LIVE via Zoom” workshops will be indicated in the workshop description in the 24PearlStreet online catalog.
You will receive an introductory email from 24PearlStreet’s Senior Program Manager, Jennifer Jean, a few days before your workshop start date. This email will contain a guide about how to use the online classroom and, if applicable, a Zoom link. You will receive a separate email giving you access to our custom online classroom (previously registered students need only use their existing online classroom account).
We are committed to creating an environment that is welcoming and safe for people from communities historically underserved by FAWC. Our aim is to nurture a community in which we all hold ourselves and each other accountable, celebrate difference, and work with integrity to build the trust necessary to make creative connections. To learn more, please visit our DEI Resources page on our website.
Writers can find all kinds of events at 24PearlStreet. Several times a year we’ll host an event called “Wilder Words,” a reading featuring upcoming faculty that is free and open to the public. Other kinds of events include student readings, ‘submit-athons,’ craft talks, and online writing groups. Our list of online events is constantly growing. Have an idea for an online event? Contact our Senior Program Manager, Jennifer Jean at jjean@fawc.org.
This is a new element of 24PearlStreet that is under development. We envision writers having online access to craft talks and articles, writing prompts, interviews with writers, submission deadlines, lists of upcoming residencies, etc. If you have an idea for a writer’s resource you think we should have, please contact our Senior Program Manager, Jennifer Jean, at jjean@fawc.org.
No, events and resources at 24PearlStreet are free and open to the public.
Click here to join our mailing list and you’ll be notified of all upcoming events and available resources. You can also visit our Upcoming Events to check on any upcoming programming at the Fine Arts Work Center.
