Christine Walker Courses

Christine Walker is a visual artist and writer. She has an MFA in Writing and Literature in Fiction from Bennington College, an MA in Creative Arts Interdisciplinary from San Francisco State, and a BFA from the University of Kansas. She is the author of "A Painter's Garden: Cultivating the Creative Life" (Warner Books), a narrative nonfiction illustrated with her paintings, and co-author and illustrator of "Wooleycat's Musical Theater," (Tortuga Press), children's book with song CD.

Her "Read to Write Books" courses in fiction craft, which she created to teach at local independent bookstores, serve as the basis for her online course "Writing Fiction: 9 Ways to Mastery." Her blog at readtowritebooks.com has extended discussions that support this course curriculum.

She uses visual thinking approaches in her teaching and, as a visual practitioner and designer, facilitates group dialogue with visual storytelling. You can learn more about visual thinking at seeshape.com and see her paintings at christinewalker.net. She lives in Northern California near vineyards and disappearing apple orchards with her husband, Dennis Hysom, a musician and audio producer.

Participants in her Read to Write Books workshops said:

"It's a mini MFA course!"

"If you are looking to buttress and expand the elements of craft in writing fiction, this class presents each element in a very integrated way. In the event that you are a good writer and would like to improve your understanding of the elements of the actual craft of writing, this is a great course. Christine has modeled it on her MFA in Writing and Literature and it packs that kind of intellectual punch."

"Chris is an insightful, engaging teacher with great taste in literature!"

"If you love to read, now you’ll love to read even more after understanding the framing and foundation of a great novel."

"[Christine], herself a writer and painter, guided us through a very well-prepared and enjoyable experience of taking a focused look at the craft of writing. I enjoyed the selection of books and found the other participants stimulating and enjoyed their company."

"A great opportunity to have smartly led discussions about the craft techniques used in both classic and contemporary fiction."

"It has been a fun, motivating, and very worthwhile experience. What a joy it was to join with others--who either love to write or were and are avid readers--and hear the many different viewpoints. That alone was incredibly refreshing."