Personal Stories Bootcamp (Creative Writing Workshop)

Stories that are true, about you, told in a few!

This multi-week creative writing course focuses on the craft of short-form personal storytelling, with each story designed to be performed aloud in under ten minutes. You'll learn how to identify meaningful moments from your life and shape them into a compelling, well-structured dramatic narrative.

Select standout stories will be featured on our Voices Against Hate podcast.

In Week 1, you’ll hunt for meaningful moments and shape them into the “chapters” of your life. Week 2 focuses on drafting a complete personal story. In Week 3, you’ll share your work, receive feedback, and revise. The bootcamp culminates in a Week 4 showcase of polished personal stories.

What you'll take away from this workshop:

- A polished 10-minute true audio story drawn from your own life.
- A supportive and safe community space to share your work.
- The opportunity to become a better writer and gain fresh perspective on the experiences that shaped you.

About the Instructor

Scarlet Chen is an award-winning Chinese-Canadian screenwriter, playwright, director, and stand-up comic. Her feature FORTUNE SPRINGS won first place in the 2018 UCLAx Screenplay Competition. After years of experience working on high profile Chinese television series and Hollywood co-productions (KILL BILL, THE KITE RUNNER, LOOPER and IRON MAN 3 ), she sold her original Sci-Fi Thriller TV pilot DREAM RAIDER to HBO Asia. Scarlet's stage plays PERCOLATE and WHERE DO WE BELONG have been performed at festivals in the Nanaimo Old City Quarter and her one woman comedy show CITIZEN CHEN premieres at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.