Spring 2026
The Art of Environmental Science Writing Workshop
With Award-Winning Science Journalist Mark Schapiro
Science is the basis for our understanding of the world. At a time when those principles are under assault, this workshop aims to impart the narrative skills to tell compelling science-based stories.
In this workshop, we focus on the practical and the creative, giving students the tools to read and understand the literature of scientific revelation, and to identify the dramatic possibilities contained within them. We look at the science from a storyteller’s point of view, and we look at stories from a scientist’s point of view.
Join award-winning science writer Mark Schapiro of Berkeley’s Journalism School to learn the “Art of Environmental Science Writing.”
The workshop will be conducted over five sessions, with the emphasis on critical reading, discussion and writing drawn from the environmental sciences — including critiques from the instructor and from fellow classmates.
We consider the similarities and distinctions between journalistic and scientific methodologies used by each to search for the truth. We sharpen your critical eye to see the drama often embedded within technical scientific reports, and the details — locales and characters, of the human and non-human variety — can help bring a science-based story to life. We read some of the great science writers, and discuss what we might learn from them.
Participants who successfully complete the workshop will be “Art of Environmental Science Writing Fellows.” Prospective fellows should submit their applications by Feb 23, 2026.
About Mark Schapiro: Mark Schapiro is an award-winning investigative journalist and author specializing in the environment. His most recent book, Seeds of Resistance: The Fight to Save Our Food Supply, investigates the epic struggle underway to control the seeds of food crops capable of resilience to climate change.
Previous books include The End of Stationarity: Searching for the New Normal in the Age of Carbon Shock, revealing the hidden costs and consequences of climate change; and EXPOSED: the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What’s at Stake for American Power, investigating the impacts on Americans’ health of the U.S. retreat from toxic chemical protections. His work is published in Smithsonian, Harpers, Mother Jones, Yale 360, The Nation, the Guardian, the Los Angeles Times and other publications; and aired on PBS FRONTLINE/World and on KQED.
He was formerly senior correspondent at the Center for Investigative Reporting (2003-2012), where he conducted major investigations into environmental abuses and crimes. He has been a lecturer at Berkeley Journalism since 2012, teaching environment and climate reporting, with an eye on compelling story-telling.
Eligibility
UC Berkeley upper-division undergraduate students who are studying science and/or journalism. Students must commit to participating in the entire workshop, including attending all sessions and completing the assignments.
This workshop meets in Room 127 (Rodriguez Room) of the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism on selected Fridays in March and April 2026 (March 6, March 13, March 20, April 3, April 10) from 2 pm to 5:00 pm (with break).
Complete your “Art of Environmental Science Writing workshop” application on the Submittable website by February 23, 2026, 11:59pm.
Writing Television Comedy – Series Pitch Development Workshop
A Four-Week Intensive with Hollywood Showrunner Sanjay Shah
This workshop takes students from initial comedy concept to a market-ready pitch in four weeks. Drawing on Sanjay Shah’s real-world experiences pitching and selling series to Netflix, ABC, FOX, NBC, Paramount+, Hulu, and Comedy Central, students learn to develop compelling series concepts and present them with professional polish.
Each student leaves the workshop with a pitch package to prepare them to write a sample script. With the pitch package and a sample script, students are ready for screenwriting contests, fellowships, representation meetings, studio sales, and series staffing opportunities!
Having successfully pitched and sold series across every major platform, Sanjay shares the strategies, templates, and industry insights that led to actual deals. Students receive honest feedback about their concept’s market potential, and specific guidance on how to position themselves competitively in today’s entertainment landscape. This isn’t just an academic exercise — it’s professional development that mirrors the real process of selling comedy series in Hollywood.
This workshop meets in the Geballe Room of Townsend Center for the Humanities (220 Stephens Hall) from 3:30pm to 5:30pm on February 27, March 6, and March 13, 2026. The last session, on March 20, meets in the Rhetoric Seminar Room (Dwinelle 7415, top floor, level G) from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.
Students must commit to participating in the entire workshop, including attending all sessions and completing the assignments. More details on the schedule and assignments can be found linked here.
Sanjay Shah (Rhetoric ’99) is a television writer and producer with 20 years of experience. He is currently the showrunner/executive producer of “Everybody Still Hates Chris,” which he co-created with Chris Rock. He is under an overall at CBS Studios. Prior to that, he was the co-showrunner/executive producer of Apple’s animated musical “Central Park.” His other credits include Pixar’s Dream Productions, “Fresh Off The Boat,” “King of the Hill,” and “South Park.” He’s sold pilots to Netflix, Paramount+, Hulu, ABC, FOX, and NBC. In features, he has written for Pixar, Sony, and Universal. He’s a longtime writing mentor at the Sundance Institute’s annual Episodic Lab. He was a panelist at San Diego Comic Con, Austin Film Festival, and the Austin Television Festival. He’s a member of the Writers Guild (WGA), Producers Guild (PGA), and Screen Actors Guild of America (SAG/AFTRA). He is also a graduate of UC Berkeley, where he studied Rhetoric and was a member of the boxing team.
Application deadline: February 15, 2026 at midnight
Workshop application is linked here.
Workshop schedule is linked here.
Past Workshops
Fall 2025
Art of Advocacy: Stories that Change the World
Come join the fourth cohort of Art of Advocacy Fellows!
Art of Writing partners with Berkeley alumnus and communications expert Matthew King to host a series of workshops on the subject and practice of writing as advocacy.
Over five Friday afternoons, 12 undergraduates learn how to research, write, and pitch stories on public policy topics of their choosing. Participants who successfully complete the workshop will be “Art of Advocacy Fellows.” Students have the opportunity to rigorously edit and revise their work to meet the standards of the industry’s most discerning editors. In conversation with King and other participants, students explore and experiment with narrative and rhetoric, with shaping a story to move their readers to action and advocacy for a cause, such as climate change, voting rights, food insecurity, and racial equality, among other issues.
Students work in different forms and varied voices, including op-ed, social media campaigns, blog posts, letters to the editor, and more.
About Matthew King: as a student at UC Berkeley in the 1980s, Matthew King majored in two things — English and following the Grateful Dead. He began his professional career in the publishing industry, where he served as executive editor and vice president of the Hollywood Reporter for many years. After transitioning to the nonprofit sector, he led numerous advocacy campaigns as director of communications and marketing for the ocean protection group Heal the Bay. He now operates May77 Communications, where he has led statewide government campaigns to address food insecurity and sea level rise. His work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
Applications for this workshop are now closed.
This Moment in Memoir: A workshop in autobiographical writing
Do you have personal stories you’re ready to tell? In this intensive November 7-9 workshop, memoirist and novelist Sylvia Brownrigg will help students explore their own narratives, whatever the subject: family or culture, trauma or transformation.
Participants will produce different kinds of writing in class—including “flash memoir”; place descriptions; character sketches, of self and others; and dramatic episodes—and be given the opportunity to discuss and critique each other’s work. Each student will also have focused, responsive attention from the instructor, and may bring previous writings in this genre for the instructor to read and comment on outside of class.
Part of each day will also be devoted to reading sections from powerful memoirists and innovative writers who are stretching the form: from Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House (combining mythical with autobiographical writing) to Michelle Zauner (Crying in H Mart), Kiese Laymon’s Heavy (in the voice of a letter to his mother) to Tara Westover’s Educated.
There is an explosion of new styles and modes in memoir, and over these three days we will familiarize ourselves with some innovations, while also talking about and practicing the fundamental elements—voice, setting, character, and narrative arc—that make any story compelling. The workshop takes place at a time when the “hybrid memoir” has come into its own, with authors including essays, poetry, or illustration in their narratives.
Students will have the chance to produce in-class writing and then meet in small groups for discussion; there will also be full-class workshops during the second two days.
Participants who successfully complete the workshop are “Art of Memoir Writing Fellows.”
Sylvia Brownrigg is the author of 8 acclaimed books of fiction including the novels The Delivery Room, winner of the Northern California Book Award; Pages for You, winner of the Lambda Award, and its sequel Pages for Her; and a collection of stories, Ten Women Who Shook the World. Her novel for children, Kepler’s Dream, was turned into an independent feature film. Brownrigg’s new memoir, The Whole Staggering Mystery, was published by Counterpoint in April 2024, and was described in the New York Times as “an exuberant yarn… an absolute banger.” She discussed her inventive memoir recently with Hippocampus Magazine. Brownrigg’s books have been included in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times lists of notable fictions and have been translated into several languages. She has also published reviews and criticism widely, including in the New York Times, The Guardian, and LA Review of Books.
Applications for this workshop are now closed.
Spring 2025
150 Words or Less (Writing in Museums)
Museums use objects and physical spaces to tell stories that spark curiosity and help visitors connect to the richness of human cultures and understand the natural world. Museum guests can often engage all of their senses, but text usually plays a central role in their experiences.
During field trips to the Magnes and BAMPFA, participants will explore and analyze museum writing and the conditions that affect reader comprehension and interest. Drawing on insights from the field trips, students will draft a museum writing sample, critique their peers’ writing, and revise their own work.
This workshop will meet during the weekend of March 14 through March 16, 2025, in the Geballe Room of Townsend Center for the Humanities (220 Stephens Hall). March 14 and March 16 will be half-days. March 15 will be a full day. Refreshments will be provided.
Hannah Weisman is executive director of the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life at UC Berkeley. As a museum educator turned director, Weisman takes a people-centered approach to her work, seeking ways to help people make connections and build community in museum spaces and with material culture.
Applications for this workshop are now closed.
Sound Stories: An Introduction to Audio Storytelling
What makes a great story, and what makes a story sing in audio? Pushkin Industries senior producer and host Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey takes students through the process of building an audio story — from story-hunting, sourcing, reporting, and researching to drafting and editing. Drawing on his experience making chart-topping narrative shows Revisionist History and The Last Archive and working with authors such as Jill Lepore and Malcolm Gladwell, Naddaff-Hafrey teaches students how to look for stories and build them into full podcast episodes. Students should bring ideas for their own podcast episodes, as they learn to hone and build audio stories from the ground up.
At the end of the workshop, students will have made a short audio story.
Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey is a senior producer at Pushkin Industries, where he writes and hosts on Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History and The Last Archive, a podcast about the history of evidence. He has been a producer at NPR, and his writing has appeared in New York Magazine, Smithsonian, the Yale Review, and Aeon among other publications. He is also a musician and has composed scores for BBC Radio.
This workshop will meet virtually on the afternoons of March 21, April 11, April 18, and April 25. It will meet in person on April 4 (afternoon) and April 5 (10 am to 2 pm) in the Geballe Room of Townsend Center for the Humanities (220 Stephens Hall).
Applications for this workshop are now closed.