[This is a Virtual Ruby event, taking place over Zoom. Zoom info will be sent with registration.]

Having a great idea for a nonfiction story is one thing, but how do we move from the idea stage to getting a "yes" from an editor and getting our work into print? This intimate, interactive class will serve as a deep-dive into how a magazine pitch works. We'll talk about the key elements that should be included in a pitch, looking at examples of successful (and unsuccessful!) pitches for Op-Eds, reported essays, pieces of cultural criticism, reviews, and works of journalism. We'll also reserve time for questions and to review participants' story ideas, helping refine these ideas into pitch-ready form.

About Lauren Markham

Lauren Markham is a writer based in California whose work has appeared in outlets such as Guernica, Harper's, Orion, Freeman's, Lithub, Best American Travel Writing, The New Republic, Narrative, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times and VQR, where she is a contributing editor. Lauren is the author of The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life, which was awarded the Northern California Book Award, The California Book Award Silver Medal, and the Ridenhour Prize. She teaches in the MFA programs at Ashland University and the University of San Francisco.