Milo Todd firmly believes in creating learning environments where queer and/or intersectionally marginalized students feel safe sharing their work, feedback, worries, and goals. The publishing world is a difficult place at the best of times, starting with the individual workshop experience, and he believes information and community support can break down gatekeeping and help queer writers succeed in their goals.
Milo’s classes are places where students will be treated with respect, and he welcomes individuals of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, races, genders, gender identities, gender expressions, national origins, religious affiliations, sexual orientations, abilities—and other visible and nonvisible differences. All students of his classes are expected to contribute to a respectful, welcoming, and inclusive environment for every other member of the class. Disrespectful language or behavior toward any of the above groups will not be tolerated and may result in removal from the remainder of the course without refund.
***Applications are CLOSED for the 2024-2025 Novel Immersive for LGBTQ+ Writers. The program will be on hiatus for the 2025-2026 year in anticipation of THE LILAC PEOPLE. Applications for the 2026-2027 year will open in January 2026.***
Upcoming Classes:
**FREE!** Transcestors Series: Weimar Berlin
Saturday, December 14th, 2024 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm ET
Virtual via Zoom
FREE!
Register for this session through The Queer Writer
Want to learn more about the history related to my upcoming debut, THE LILAC PEOPLE? (Well, the happy parts, anyway.) This is the session! During the Weimar Republic (1919 to 1933), Berlin was considered the queerest city in the entire world, as well as a trailblazer of transgender healthcare and culture. In this session, we’ll look at the era’s vibrant trans community and its endless series of documented firsts, including terminology, surgeries, rights, memoirs, and music.
Transcestors is a series of free 1-hour sessions focused on trans and queer (but mostly trans) history based on Milo Todd’s research for his historical fiction. Those interested must have any subscription tier of The Queer Writer, paid or free, and must use their subscriber email to register for sessions. For safety reasons, sessions will NOT be recorded. A Zoom link will be sent to registered attendees ~15 minutes before a session starts.
*Sessions are open to all identities, but please know Transcestors centers trans and/or nonbinary attendees.
Writing Outside of Your Lane
Friday, March 28th, 2025 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm ET (4:00pm to 5:30pm PT)
Virtual via Zoom
$25 (Supporting Tuition); $15 (Helping Hands); $5 (Helping Hands Extended)
Register for this class through Clarion West
As the call for diversity in stories grows stronger (thankfully), many writers without lived experience of marginalization may feel anxiety about how to approach these stories with care and authenticity. Questions like “How do I start?”, “What if I make mistakes?”, and “Am I even allowed to write this?” are common—and valid.
In this 90-minute lecture, Milo Todd offers mainstream writers a thoughtful, practical framework for writing characters outside your own lived experience. Through the pillars of Self-Reflection, Research, Craft, and Editing, you’ll gain tools to approach this process with care, empathy, and a deeper understanding of your responsibility as a writer.
This class welcomes writers of all identities and focuses on equipping you with the knowledge and confidence to write with integrity. Let’s work together to create stories that reflect the rich, diverse world we live in.
Past Classes:
Why Bother?: Making Art During Troubled Times (1 Hour)
November 2024
Independent
Transcestors Series: Ancient Burial Sites (1 Hour)
October 2024
Independent
Queery-ing: Navigating Agents and Publishers While Queer (3 Hours)
August 2024
GrubStreet
Writing Messy Queer Characters (3 Hours)
July 2024
GrubStreet
Novel in Progress (8 Weeks)
July 2024
GrubStreet
Writing Outside of Your Lane (3 Hours)
June 2024
GrubStreet
Genre-Queer: Narrative Structures for the Other (6 Weeks)
June 2024
The Loft
Transcestors Series: The Stonewall Rebellion (1 Hour)
June 2024
Independent
The Novel Immersive for LGBTQ+ Writers (9 Months)
June 2024
GrubStreet
Transcestors Series: Pirates of the 1600s Atlantic (1 Hour)
March 2024
Independent
Queer Writing Essentials (3 Hours)
March 2024
GrubStreet
How to Start a Newsletter (3 Hours)
January 2024
GrubStreet
The Age of AI: ChatGPT, Prosecraft, and Other Writer Concerns (3 Hours)
December 2023
GrubStreet
Sessions with the Editor: Foglifter Journal (3 Hours)
November 2023
GrubStreet
Writing Outside of Your Lane: The Basics (3 Hours)
September 2023
GrubStreet
Queery-ing: Navigating Agents and Publishers While Queer (3 Hours)
August 2023
GrubStreet
Non-Toxic Masculinity in Fiction (3 Hours)
July 2023
GrubStreet
Novel Writing Workshop for Queer, Trans, and/or Nonbinary Writers (8 Weeks)
July 2023
GrubStreet
History Reclaimed: Facts and Fictions (3 Hours)
June 2023
GrubStreet
The Novel Immersive for LGBTQ+ Writers (9 Months)
June 2023
GrubStreet
QueerNoWriMo (12 Weeks)
June 2023
Independent
Writing Group: Accountability Cafe for Queer, Trans, and/or Nonbinary Writers (6 Weeks)
May 2023
Independent
Writing Outside of Your Lane: The Basics (3 Hours)
April 2023
GrubStreet
Writing Messy Queer Characters (3 Hours)
April 2023
GrubStreet
Queer Writing Essentials (3 Hours)
April 2023
GrubStreet
Writing Group: Accountability Cafe for Queer, Trans, and/or Nonbinary Writers (6 Weeks)
March 2023
GrubStreet
Queery-ing: Navigating Agents and Publishers While Queer (3 Hours)
February 2023
GrubStreet
Writing Outside of Your Lane: The Basics (3 Hours)
December 2022
GrubStreet
Queery-ing: Navigating Agents and Publishers While Queer (2 Hours)
December 2022
Independent
Effective Social Justice Storytelling (1 Hour)
November 2022
Independent
Inviting In Outside Readers (1 Hour)
November 2022
Independent
Writing Messy Queer Characters (3 Hours)
October 2022
GrubStreet
Jumpstart Your Novel (6 Weeks)
October 2022
GrubStreet
Writing Messy Queer Characters (3 Hours)
July 2022
GrubStreet
The Novel Immersive for LGBTQ+ Writers (9 Months)
June 2022
GrubStreet
What Literary Journals Want You to Know (3 Hours)
June 2022
GrubStreet
Writing Outside of Your Lane: The Basics (3 Hours)
May 2022
GrubStreet
Writing Transgender and Nonbinary Characters (90 Minutes)
April 2022
Clarion West
Writing Messy Queer Characters (2 Weeks)
March 2022
Lambda Literary
Novel Writing Workshop for Queer, Trans, and/or Nonbinary Writers (10 Weeks)
January 2022
GrubStreet
What Literary Journals Want You to Know (3 Hours)
November 2021
GrubStreet
Writing Outside of Your Lane: The Basics (3 Hours)
November 2021
GrubStreet
Writing Messy Queer Characters (3 Hours)
October 2021
GrubStreet
Novel Writing Workshop for Queer, Trans, and/or Nonbinary Writers (8 Weeks)
September 2021
GrubStreet
Writing Outside of Your Lane Series: Novel Writing Workshop (6 Weeks)
July 2021
GrubStreet
Writing Outside of Your Lane Series: The Basics (3 Hours)
July 2021
GrubStreet
Genre-Queer (4 Weeks)
May 2021
GrubStreet
Writing Outside of Your Lane Series: The Basics (3 Hours)
March 2021
GrubStreet
What Literary Journals Want You to Know (3 Hours)
March 2021
GrubStreet
Advanced Novel Workshop (10 Weeks)
January – March 2021
GrubStreet
Jumpstart Your Novel (6 Weeks)
January – February 2021
GrubStreet
Writing Outside of Your Lane Series: The Basics (3 Hours)
December 2020
GrubStreet
Writing Outside of Your Lane Series: The Basics (3 Hours)
September 2020
GrubStreet
Jumpstart Your Novel (6 Weeks)
June – August 2020
GrubStreet
For Instructors: Transgender and Nonbinary Inclusion in the Writing Workshop (3 Hours)
October 2019
GrubStreet
Write on Fire: Turning Anger into Art (3 Hours)
September 2019
GrubStreet
Transgender Character Bootcamp (8 Hours)
July 2019
GrubStreet