Participant Expectations

For the most part, Crafted Creative invites people from all backgrounds (and obviously of all genders, ages, nationalities, faiths, sexual orientations, etc.) to participate in our workshops. However we do maintain a few basic requirements and provide the following recommendations for all of those considering taking part in our workshops in order to provide for the maximum benefit to all participants.

Please read the following and consider whether you and our organization will be a good match for furthering each others’ goals.

REQUIREMENTS:

An Email Address You Check Regularly: Communication from our organization and your classmates will often be distributed by email. In addition to having and checking email, thoroughly reading (not just skimming) messages regarding our workshops will serve you well and help you avoid missing out on important information.

Internet Access: We submit and critique works online through the writing critique platform Scribophile.com. This means you must have access to the internet somewhere (even if it’s the local library computer lab) to participate in our workshops. Having a reliable internet connection at home, school or somewhere else you go frequently and a device you can reasonably use to check your email and log into Scribophile will make your participation in our workshops that much easier.

Attendance/Commitment: Our multi-week workshops run for six or eight weeks. When you become part of a workshop group, your voice becomes very important to your classmates’ experience. It’s possible, though not recommended, to miss one week of class without significant detriment to you or your classmates. However, if you expect you might miss more than one workshop meeting, consider waiting to sign up until such time you can commit to attending the majority of the weeks. IMPORTANT: If you know you’re going to be absent on a given week, you should NOT submit work to be critiqued the previous week as you should NOT take up your classmates critiquing time that week. You can upload your work no later than two days after the missed class to be critiqued for the following week when you WILL be present.

When you sign up for a multi-week workshop, you’re committing not only to attending the class meetings, but also to completing any “homework” assigned week to week. Examples of homework include writing an author bio, finding a published piece of writing that exemplifies a literary device discussed in class or revising a piece you’ve shared with the group. The great majority of homework in Crafted Creative workshops however, are the critiques of your fellow participants’ writing you will complete via the Scribophile.com platform.

At Crafted Creative, we understand that giving/receiving literary constructive criticism strikes many writers as daunting or “scary.” Click here to read more about this, but let us put your worries to rest. In any workshop in which even one participant has not taken our intro Crafting & Critique or participated with us before, the workshop leader will thoroughly cover the topics of giving/receiving constructive criticism as well as using the Scribophile online critique platform. You don’t need to know anything about Scribophile.com or giving literary critique before signing up for our workshops. All we ask is that you be open to learning (even if that means making “mistakes”) and committed to offering your very best efforts to your fellow participants.

Respect: If participants are half as diverse as we’re hoping, we’re going to have classes with a wide range of ages, interests, beliefs, skill levels and life experiences. As such, our writing will be as diverse as we are, and as we learn and expand our critiquing skills, all participants must be prepared to put aside personal predilections and consider each classmate’s work respectfully and appropriately.

Expressions of prejudice and hate toward a classmate or any group of people (that can reasonably be construed as a belief held by a participant and not just a fictional or documentary depiction of such) are grounds for expulsion from any workshop or seminar sponsored by Crafted Creative.

Finally, please read “A Note about Food in Class” to learn about Crafted Creative’s policies surrounding the consumption of food and drink during workshop time.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Access to a Personal Laptop or Tablet: Owning or being able to semi-permanently borrow a laptop or tablet computer will make all the difference when it comes to submitting, critiquing and participating in class. Trying to use your phone to participate will almost certainly become cumbersome. You’ll need to bring your laptop/tablet to every class. Limited screen sharing among participants may work, but a personal computer will provide for the optimum experience.

A Note about Food in Class

The following policy applies only to multi-week workshops taking place on premises that are NOT licensed to serve food and beverages. One or two-day workshops as well as any classes/seminars/workshops taking place on licensed premises are NOT subject to these guidelines.

Bringing treats (food and beverages) to share in class is actually encouraged as these can be consumed during break time, without any disruption to class time. All of the following pertains to the consumption of food at the working table during active class time.

(As you read the following, keep in mind that all of the provisions put forth here are in response to actual situations that have arisen in the founder’s experience organizing and leading group activities. We’re NOT party-poopers when it comes to food and treats (quite the opposite!), but we are passionate about providing for the undivided attention and optimum learning atmosphere for all students as well as a secure, risk-free space for the use of electronic devices necessary for participation during active class time.)

Our 6:30 start-time is intended to provide for the opportunity to have and finish your dinner BEFORE you come to class.  We will also strive to always take a 10-minute break around 7:45 at which point, you’re welcome to have a quick snack and/or partake of any treats/libations brought in for sharing with the class.

Outside of break time, food in class, no matter how discreetly consumed, can all-too-easily become a distraction, not to mention that we will often be working and typing on our laptops and other devices during class, and food around electronic devices always introduces an element of risk.

More than anything, the distraction of having/consuming food during active class time spells divided attention from your classmates’ and your learning. It is a mild, but significant, indicator of your disrespect for the creative and educational atmosphere we’re all striving to create.

Aside from consideration for legitimate blood-sugar and other health concerns, please limit food consumption to before class, during break and after class. If you have a moderate to severe blood-sugar or other health concern necessitating your consumption of food outside of these times, please contact your instructor BEFORE the date of your first class to discuss your unique needs and work out a solution agreeable to everyone. (No need to share your personal health details; just relate your needs as they relate to your legitimate health concern.)

Water bottles (plastic, metal, etc.) with leak-proof tops are permissible at the working table during class time, but must be fully closed (spill-proof and shatter-proof) at all times that you are not directly consuming water from them. Cups, even plastic, with only thin plastic tension tops, such as those from fast food restaurants, DO NOT meet these requirements. They are not leak proof or spill proof. Please DO NOT bring (or ask if you may bring) such a cup to the working table during class time.

Our aim with these policies remains to provide for the optimum learning atmosphere for all our students. Please abide by these policies as part of your personal commitment to being a respectful and dedicated participant in our organization.

Tuition and Refund Policy

The following Tuition & Refund Policy applies to Crafted Creative’s multi-week workshops.

(For one and two-day workshops/seminars, please refer to the refund policy of the host venue.)

OVERVIEW:

Participants may pay full tuition up front OR in weekly installments. No matter how you choose to pay, please understand that the workshop is sold as a complete, multi-week unit, and outside of extenuating circumstances, no portion of your tuition is considered optional or refundable after 48 hours prior to the first workshop meeting. See more information about payment options below.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

• Participants may pay the full tuition up front or in weekly installments. Participants may choose to put down a deposit amount to reserve their place in a workshop and/or to gain access to a promotion or discount.
• A participant choosing to pay weekly must submit a signed credit card authorization which gives Crafted Creative the right to charge their credit card any remaining outstanding amount in an agreed-upon time frame after the final workshop meeting.
• In general, participants paying weekly should plan to divide any remaining tuition amount by the number of remaining weeks in the workshop and bring that same amount to each workshop meeting.
• At the discretion of Crafted Creative, participants delinquent by more than ¾ of the full tuition amount at the midway point of the workshop may face suspension from participation in further class meetings until their account is paid up to an agreed-upon percentage.

CANCELLATIONS / REFUNDS:

Any deposit or full tuition amount is 100% refundable until 48 hours prior to the first workshop meeting (cut-off date).
After this time, outside of extenuating circumstances, participants forfeit all rights to a regular refund from Crafted Creative.

TUITION TRANSFERS/DEFERMENTS:

• Generally speaking, prior to the cut-off date (48 hours prior to the first workshop meeting), participants choosing to cancel are encouraged to accept a full refund of any prepaid amounts. However, the participant may choose to transfer or defer their tuition if they prefer.
• After the cut-off date, tuition transfers and deferment are the available remedies for participants choosing to cancel their participation in the workshop in question while still receiving value for their payment.

Transfers:

• Before the cut-off date, participants may transfer their tuition (i.e. “sell their seat”) in the workshop to a new participant. In this case, the new participant becomes financially liable to Crafted Creative for any remaining unpaid portions of the tuition, though they may still choose to pay up front or weekly.
• After the cut-off date, participants may sell their seat to a new participant up until the beginning of the first workshop meeting. However, in this case, the original participant will remain financially liable to Crafted Creative for any unpaid portion of the original tuition at the end of the workshop, and must negotiate their own payment terms between themselves and the new participant.
• At no time may participants sell their seat to another participant already registered for the workshop.
• Due to our workshop format, no tuition transfers of any kind will be approved after the beginning of the first class meeting.

Deferment:

• Up until the cut-off date, participants choosing to cancel should expect to receive a full refund of any prepaid amounts unless they specifically request to receive a deferment.
• After the cut-off date, participants choosing to cancel, and unwilling or unable to transfer their tuition to a new participant, may choose to defer their tuition to a future comparable workshop.
• Deferment does not change the tuition due date, and the full tuition amount must still be paid by the agreed-upon date, usually no later than two weeks after the final class meeting of the original workshop.