“Compose Yourself has definitely helped me become a better writer. I have taken several writing courses before, but Brooke's class is the first one where I saw a lot of improvement. Brooke provided us with concrete and practical techniques. She also gave us prompts, to help us get started each week. She showed us clips from movies to illustrate beginnings, middles, climaxes and endings in writing. We also read terrific essays and stories, which inspired our own writing. I took Compose Yourself because I wanted a creative outlet. The course exceeded my expectations and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to become a better writer.”

“Brooke is amazingly intuitive about getting to the crux of what you are trying to convey in your writing and is great at giving prompts and asking leading questions to help get you there. Who knew how helpful it would be to keep writing and rewriting the (messy) middle of an essay until it finally takes on the arc of what you are trying to convey, and that only after that can you write the ending and the beginning? Not only did I end up with a piece that I am extremely pleased with, but I'm amazed that I was able to write it in the first place. I can’t wait to apply my new skills to other writing projects.”

“Brooke makes an intimidating process more manageable and breaks down writing in a way that is easy to understand. Most importantly though, Brooke has helped me re-discover my love of writing. I HIGHLY recommend this class for anyone who wants to improve their writing but doesn't know where to start. Brooke will gently guide you, and you'll be blown away by all that you've learned by the end of the 8 weeks.”

“Compose Yourself was a surprisingly educational experience for me. Unfortunately I have been writing papers and talks for the last 15 years without the benefit of Brooke's instruction. Brooke has helped me to think about the process of writing as having various phases from brainstorming and freewriting to thinking about how to edit and organize a piece of writing in order to make the writing more interesting and draw a reader in. I was very moved by how Brooke found ways of illuminating patterns and themes in my writing that I did not notice and helped me to reconsider what was most important for me to express. Overall the class has inspired me to want to appreciate anything I read in new ways and to think more deeply about how I communicate my experience of the world.”

“I have thoroughly enjoyed this writing workshop with Brooke. I have always enjoyed writing (and editing) but have never taken a class like this before. I found it so helpful. Brooke gave very concrete assignments and provided concrete tips for improving our writing every step of the way. Even though the class was "virtual," Brooke also helped us to become a community.“

Brooke is a gentle and masterful guide who probes more out of us. We started with the ‘’messy middle” and then to the beginning and the end of the essay itself, which was an adventure and exercise in and of itself. The iterative process was helpful to me in finding what I really wanted to say in my piece, and Brooke was there along the way to answer any questions we had. I learned a lot about technique but even more about what I wanted to say and reflect upon. I would recommend Brooke’s classes to anyone — she will help you find your voice and make you a better writer!