EXPERIENCED TUTORS
Our courses are taught solely by practicing writers and talented tutors who all have experience working with younger learners as well as college-aged students at institutions like Cornell University, Brown University, the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Iowa.
QUALITY EDUCATION
The writing courses we offer are geared not only for students who show weakness in writing, but also for those who show strength. Like eating well, writing practice promotes good “health” no matter the student’s current state.
WRITING IS FUN!
So many well-meaning schools drain the excitement and the magic from the writing process. Joy Writing students have fun in our classes, which mix engagement and rigor; and how important it is that students rediscover the joy in writing!
At Joy Writing we are…
Committed to engaging, dynamic instruction.
Students who consistently devote time to creative writing and thinking are rewarded with a heightened knowledge of themselves and of the complex world in which they live.
Client Testimonials
Here’s what our clients have to say:
Alex has made writing more fun for me than before I started taking his writing class. He has also made me much, much better at writing than before. I always look forward to his classes, and to the homework he gives out too! I find myself genuinely having fun when it comes to his writing assignments and lessons. I would definitely recommend his classes to anyone who wants to get better at writing, whether they think writing is boring or not (and it is not!). His classes are productive and fun.
Student
I just want to start off with a “thank you for teaching those lessons” message. I really found your classes fun and enjoyable and also educational. We actually went over “My Mistress’s Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun” and Sonnet 18 as part of our English unit and it was basically a word for word copy of your lesson, so it really helped with that. I have to say that I didn’t realize how much of a release of my inner thoughts the class was until I didn’t have it anymore.
Student
My son enjoys the class so much that I never need to remind him of the class time every week. The lessons are also very structured. Now months later, writing seems to be much easier for my son. He does not whine over writing assignments anymore and he can easily finish a writing of 300-500 words in a few hours. I thank these classes for not only teaching writing skills, but also nurturing my son’s interest in writing.
Parent
I have been a student of Alex for some time now. Through my experience, he helped me boost my writing skills and my love for writing. Through your experience, that love will maybe grow and for some of you, that love will just start. Like a seed being planted inside of you. Alex is one of a kind. With a step by step curriculum to insure success among students, he also brings to the table a calm and exciting presence. He is also gentle and makes even the most boring of topics, fun. Alex covers areas such as review writing, fiction writing, persuasive writing, etc. And through each topic, he will make sure to ripen your knowledge and grow that seed to a beautiful bloom that you will not see but you will definitely feel inside of you.
Student
Alex is a nice and dedicated writing instructor, kids loved taking his classes. By taking Alex’s writing sessions, my son starts to enjoy writing, he often takes the responsibilities to be the writer for school group projects, and is glad to share his works with his friends and me. Another improvement I think my son got out of these writing sessions is he tends to read more, not only fiction but all sorts of non-fiction books and articles. I would highly recommend Alex’s writing sessions.
Parent
Alex’s class is very unique. He always brings high energy and positive attitude to the class. He is extremely funny. He artfully balance structure and fun. He makes his students laugh. His feedback to their works are right on the point. He is extremely encouraging. His material are very well thought out. The benefits of group class is to help students to learn how to participate in group discussion. It also help students learn how to provide and take both positive and constructive criticism feedback. My kids not only improved their writing but also improved in public speaking. I highly recommend his class.
Parent
This is what we do best
Joy Writing classes examine what makes stories, essays and poems work. We write – with deep attention to language, to feeling, to our senses, to the world around us. We endeavor to create something that will make our readers experience the sensation of, “Yes, finally someone’s put words to how I feel.”
Classes We Offer
Classes are hour-long small-group sessions that take place over Zoom and on Google docs, merging instruction, discussion, writing practice, and expert tutor feedback. This is not test-prep; this is enriching students with the creative skills needed to approach any writing assignment they’ll get in school and beyond.
CREATIVE WRITING
Introduces students to some of our favorite (and age-appropriate) poetry, and assign them various prompts to generate poems of their own. This starting point is designed to strengthen, or reawaken, their imagination.
Learn MoreFICTION WRITING
Introduces students to some of our favorite (and age-appropriate) short stories to use as models for their own creative work. We’ll read stories from such acclaimed authors as Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, Shirley Jackson, and Gary Soto, among others.
PERSUASIVE WRITING
Introduces students to the conventions of essay writing: how to craft a sophisticated thesis statement, introduction paragraph, body paragraph, and conclusion paragraph. This course will teach students how to defend their stance with evidence, and how to prove their points to their readers using effective written language.
Learn MorePUBLIC SPEAKING
Teaches students how to compose, and deliver, an effective informative, persuasive, and entertaining speech. We’ll use real speeches as models for what strive for, as well as what to avoid. The class is fun, interactive, and melds writing skills with oratory skills.
Learn MoreANALYTICAL WRITING
Introduces students to ways to analyze well-written (and age-appropriate) personal essays and to write various reflective responses to them. We’ll read work from such acclaimed authors as Amy Tan, Jhumpa Lahiri, James Baldwin, among others.
Learn MoreREVIEW WRITING
Teaches students how to write a movie, book, and restaurant review by using well-written, published reviews (from magazines like The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Teen Vogue) as models. We’d learn how to evaluate a subject in a sophisticated and balanced way.
Learn More“TRANSLATION” WRITING
Uses creative exercises to inspire surprising, memorable work from students. We’ll analyze what makes translations effective and why. This class will be a fun way to show that writing is a series of decisions that the writer makes in order to create a meaningful effect for the reader.
Learn MorePLAYING WITH FORM
Allows students to adopt existing forms to contain their poems, stories, and essays. We’ll learn about, and experiment with, the exciting genre of the “hermit crab essay,” and study how writers transform common material into extraordinary works of art.
Learn MoreADDRESSING ANOTHER
Shows students the possibilities of second-person writing, using the “you” pronoun to compose letters, apostrophes, odes, poem exchanges, choose-your-own-adventures, and more.
Learn MoreWRITING AS WITNESS
Examines what the writer’s role is during historical, social, and personal extremity. We explore what it means for the writer to “bear witness” in times of both joy and darkness in poetry and creative nonfiction.
Learn MoreMYTH WRITING
Introduces students to the ways in which global cultures have composed myths to explain the mysteries of the universe. Students will also compose their own personal mythologies.
Learn MoreTeaching to overcome common problems
Problem #1: Student is not interested in writing
Some students simply don’t know when to stop writing. They mistake “length” for “strength.” To these students, we share an analogy that we’ve borrowed from other writers: A sentence should have no unnecessary words for the same reason that a machine should have no unnecessary parts.
Read moreProblem #2: Student hates to read
This is perhaps an even more common problem than being too wordy. We hear from parents often that their child, while full of ideas, doesn’t know how to put them down on paper. One of the most reliable pieces of writing advice we share with students is this: you must use specific, concrete language to show your ideas, not tell them.
Read moreProblem #3: Student’s writing is too wordy
We offer this metaphor to students who show a lack of interest in reading: think of reading as a kind of nourishment. In the same way Popeye’s spinach went straight to his muscles to strengthen him, books go straight to the reader’s mind and strengthens their intelligence and curiosity. (For students who think they’re not smart enough to read difficult material, we stress that curiosity and imagination and a love of words are what make a writer, that these qualities are more important than having a high IQ.)
Read moreProblem #4: Student’s writing is not descriptive enough
We urge our students to be interested in language: where words came from, and the journey they took to mean what they currently do. When I learned, for example, that the word “daisy” comes from the Old English word “day’s eye,” referring to how the petals open at dawn and close at night, I was delighted. Here was proof that the English language can be governed by a beautiful logic. It was a happy reminder, too, that what I thought belonged to me did not. The words I use have been elsewhere, passing from mouth to mouth, me just a mouth in between.
Read moreOur Tutors
Aurora
I am a writer and teacher living in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I hold a BA in Political Science and Economics from UC Berkeley, a Masters in Education from George Mason University, and an MFA in poetry from Cornell. I’m currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the English Department at Macalester College. In the past, I was a public school teacher with students ranging from preschool to high school. Overall, I have fifteen years of experience as an educator and tutor. I love tutoring because it allows me to engage with students in a more personalized and direct way, creating lesson plans tailored to their particular needs, interests, and gifts.
Liza
I’m a writer and teacher living in the Finger Lakes region of New York. I hold a BA in English from Harvard and an MFA in poetry from Cornell. I’m currently a PhD candidate (ABD) in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Utah. I have over ten years of experience as a classroom teacher and tutor. Today, I’m a writing instructor at the University of Utah, and I teach K-12 students online through Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. I love tutoring because it allows me to help students make progress in a way that isn’t always possible in a large classroom.
Allie
I’m a writer and teacher who lives in Western Massachusetts. I hold a BA in English and an MA in English from Eastern New Mexico University, as well as an MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I have ten years of teaching experience and have worked with students in university, high school, and middle school settings in creative, academic, rhetorical, historical, and topical writing. Tutoring is a major passion of mine; this mode of instruction is incredibly fulfilling because it allows me to help students understand their strengths, interests, and goals in uniquely meaningful ways.
Ell
I am a poet and fiction writer currently residing in Western Massachusetts. I earned an MFA in Writing from University of Massachusetts, Amherst and have seven years of experience teaching and tutoring students at the middle, high school, and college levels. I have taught classes on a variety of subjects, including academic essay writing, mixed-genre creative writing, and self-publishing (zines and chapbooks.) As an educator, I have gravitated toward tutoring because of the unique opportunity it provides to guide students toward a personalized set of tools they can use to confidently explore their creativity and enrich their lives through writing beyond the class.
Jackie
I write and teach in Salt Lake City where I am currently pursuing a PhD in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Utah. I hold a BA from the University of California, Riverside and a MFA from Arizona State University. In each of my graduate programs, I’ve taught entry level composition and creative writing. I also have experience with K-12 students through the Wasatch Writers In The Schools Program where I volunteered by leading weekly poetry lessons for middle school students. I enjoy teaching because I feel students are empowered by learning and discovery. I am particularly looking forward to tutoring one-on-one and in small groups since, for many, this is an ideal setting to grow an interest and love for writing and literature.
Jamie
I’m a writer and teacher living in Western Massachusetts. I hold a BA in English from Skidmore College and an MFA in Poetry from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I’ve formerly worked as a Director’s Assistant for the Juniper Young Writers Institute, a pre-college summer writing program for high school students. As a teacher, what I’m most committed to is giving students the setting and opportunity to self-realize, both as writers and as active members of their communities.
Angie
I am a writer, teacher, and artist based in Phoenix, Arizona. I hold a BA in Writing and Literature from Hampshire College, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Arizona State University, where I also worked for 10 years leading the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing’s classes, conferences, and events. I have over 15 years of teaching and tutoring experience supporting youth writers and learners of all ages. I am passionate about tutoring and especially love the small classroom environment because it plants the seeds for a lifetime of creative connection, expression, and community.
Amanda
I am a writer and teacher living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I hold a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Bowdoin College and an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Minnesota. I have over six years of experience teaching creative and expository writing to students of all ages. I’ve worked as an English teacher at independent high schools, and currently work as a College Counseling liaison, helping high school seniors with their college application essays.
Jessica
I am deeply passionate about teaching writing classes because I believe creative writing is a discipline which cultivates personal growth. I received an MFA from Brown University, where I taught undergraduate poetry courses. I have also tutored high school and middle school students, volunteered as an ESL teacher abroad, and taught creative writing at a university in Chicago. I am excited about engaging new students with the craft which has so profoundly impacted my own life.
Sophia
I write and teach in Oakland, California. When I’m not tutoring, I teach youth creative writing for California Poets in the Schools and Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies/Pathways, and facilitate the Generative Poetry Workshops, a long-running writing workshop series for professional and beginning poets. I completed my undergraduate degree at Bard College, and my MFA at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. My first book of poetry came out in 2020 with City Lights.
Mary
I’m a writer and teacher living in Honolulu, HI. I hold an MFA in Literary Arts from Brown University and am currently finishing up a PhD in English at the University of California, Berkeley. I have over 12 years of experience teaching essay-writing and creative writing (poetry and fiction). I’ve taught in university settings, at an after school arts program, and in community writing workshops, and I love working with students in small groups and one-on-one. Writing is fun to talk about, and smaller groups make it easier to craft lessons around students’ needs and interests.
Amy
I live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where I am pursuing a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing at the University of Utah. I have six years of experience teaching college courses in composition, literary analysis, and creative writing. In addition, I have taught creative and critical writing to middle- and high-school students through the Academically Talented Youth Program in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in Traverse City, Michigan. I love working with middle school students because of their enthusiasm and creativity.
anise
I’m a poet & instructor residing in Los Angeles. I have a BA in English/Writing from Barrett, the Honors College & an MFA in Poetry from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. Abundant reading experience from my time as editor & priority reader for literary magazines informs my stylistics & approach to refinement. I’ve taught poetry, fiction, & essay writing virtually & in-person for 10 years, at University of Iowa & Tate High School. Currently, I design & teach extra-institutional writing classes, bringing together phD students & poetry-newcomers. Whether as a writer, editor, or instructor, I emphasize the usefulness of critical reading & notetaking skills.
About
JOY WRITING
Alex Chertok, founder of Joy Writing, received his Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Cornell University in 2012, and taught undergraduate classes there for 3 years. He’s also taught essay writing and creative writing courses at Ithaca College and through the Cornell Prison Education Program, and has been tutoring elementary through high school students for over 10 years.
Contact Us
For rates, tutor bios, to schedule a trial class, or for general inquiries, email us today!
Alex Chertok
alex.chertok@gmail.com
WeChat ID: JoyWriting
