〰️WORKSHOPS AND CREATIVE COMMUNITY FOR WRITERS 〰️

NEW OFFERINGS FOR 2025 〰️ ALL WORKSHOPS ONLINE 〰️ JOIN FROM ANYWHERE!

  • IDEAS INTENSIVE: A TRANSFORMATIVE WORKSHOP

    Apr 19. Fall in love with writing again at this 3-hour workshop, where you’ll learn our strategy for evolving your ideas so that they are more urgent, more actionable, more exciting.

    DETAILS, PLEASE

  • UNSTUCK: 6 WEEKS TO REVIVE AN OLD PROJECT

    Apr 26-May 31. Do you have an unfinished piece of writing that’s just … stuck? Reconnect with your project, reinvigorate your practice, and leave screaming “It’s aliiiiive!”

    GO ON...

Past Events

BIG IDEA WEEKEND // Los Angeles, CA // Oct 2023

An intimate, two-day retreat focused on the concept at the heart of your project. We have a clear-cut, proven strategy for evolving your writing ideas so that they are more urgent, more actionable, more exciting. Day 1 was all about generating and developing writing projects, with a portfolio of actionable techniques (and clear examples!). Day 2 concentrated on the Why and the How — essential for any good project.

UNSTUCK RETREAT // Taos, NM // May 2023

A reset. A springboard. A gorgeous, century-old adobe ranch surrounded by fruit trees under the Taos Mountains. We believe good writing is born at the intersection of getting serious and letting go, of steady structure and joyful chaos. That’s what this week in Taos was all about.

We gathered 34 writers—of different backgrounds and genres—to share our vetted strategies and surprising techniques for strengthening their writing ideas. They got the behind-the-scenes dirt on our own processes and pitfalls. They also spent time in small groups, building relationships with each other. And they clocked some dedicated time with their individual projects.

About the Midwives

We’re Jade Chang and Ann Friedman, two best-selling authors and national magazine writers who have been leading workshops as the Midwives of Invention since 2018. Between us we have written best-selling fiction and non-fiction books, published pioneering newsletters, edited magazines, written for beloved television shows, and created podcasts and audio essays. We are also friends who live in Los Angeles.

We’ve had countless conversations about deepening an idea, shaping a concept so that it feels vital and rich, and knowing when a project is worth the time and effort. Our workshops are about sharing those conversations with you. For us, coming up with ideas, crafting sentences, and revising drafts is actually fun, and doing it in community is the best part.

Jade Chang

Jade’s debut novel, The Wangs vs. the World was named one of the best books of the year by NPR, Elle, and Amazon. The bestselling novel was optioned by Hulu and has been published in twelve countries. She is also a film and TV writer (The Baby-Sitters Club, Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld) and has written and voiced two non-fiction audio projects: The List (Amazon Originals) and You’ve Already Changed Your Life (Audible). Her journalism and essays have appeared in LA Times Image Magazine, The NY Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Best American Food Writing, and others. Jade’s new novel, What a Time to Be Alive, will be published by Ecco Books in 2025.

Ann Friedman

Ann is the co-author of the New York Times best-seller Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close. She is a newsletter innovator whose long-running Ann Friedman Weekly has more than 50,000 devoted readers. She co-created the beloved Call Your Girlfriend podcast, and for many years she was a columnist for both The Cut and The Los Angeles Times. Her essays and reported features have been published in The New Yorker, ELLE, The Guardian, Bon Appétit, and more. She is a contributing editor to The Gentlewoman, where she writes short essays and cover profiles of fascinating women. And she’s working on a new book about modern adulthood, to be published by Viking Books in 2026.

 Testimonials

Here are some nice things that attendees have said about our workshops and retreats:

  • “It's hard to distill something as broad as ‘coming up with an idea’ into clear points and actionable items, but you both did amazing at this.”

  • “A game changer for me.”

  • “I’m leaving with what feels like a very full toolbox for approaching something new.”

  • “Both of you have been very generous with what you’ve shared about your own work and processes, and I really appreciate the inclusive, encouraging environment you’ve created.”

  • “I was genuinely riveted.”

  • “Everything, from the ability to work on my own ideas, to the advice and information we were given from two successful writers/editors, to how much thought and planning went into making sure we stayed on task and covered a lot of ground, make this the best professional workshop I've ever attended.”

  • “I feel unstuck and my project feels… midwifed.”

  • “You loosened my grip and allowed me to fall in love with being an artist again.”

  • “A huge THANK YOU for facilitating what was honestly a transformative experience for me.”

  • “I wrote 5,000 words!”

  • “It’s possible this ruined me for all other writing retreats. Obsessed with this entire week—and beyond grateful.”