Op-Ed Writing

Write opinion columns for magazines, newspapers, and websites

WHEN Materials available starting June 4
Discussions start Tuesday, June 11, 9-10 pm ET - Full Schedule

WHERE Online

PRICE
$550 (or $525 for AvantGuild members - details)

Add to Calendar
iCal | Outlook

Notify me when this is offered again.

Best Value

Details

The op-ed page is the most sought-after real estate in any publication, with more venues for your work as newspapers, magazines, websites, and blogs expand first-person content. Op-eds provide an opportunity for you to showcase great writing while laying out forceful arguments. This class will show you how to write powerful op-ed pieces that will make your voice heard in print, online, and around the world.

In this class, you will learn how to:

Conceive and structure a convincing op-ed
Organize your thoughts to present the best argument possible
Decide which topics have the most impact
Use first-person technique to write an engaging essay
Make a pitch editors will notice

By the end of class, you will have:
Three op-ed pieces, pitch letters, and ideas on where to pitch.

Students who have taken this class have been published in:
Huffington Post, the Los Angeles Times, NY Post, NY Daily News, The New York Times, the Washington Post, and Newsweek.

The online classroom has several components:

Lessons: Learn new skills through written lessons
Discussions: Join a weekly live, interactive discussion via IM and video
Assignments: Complete homework and receive instructor feedback
Forums: Exchange resources, meet peers, and ask your instructor questions

Course Syllabus

Op-Ed Writing (PDF)

View a sample syllabus for the class here.

Instructor

Lionel Beehner has written for the op-ed pages of The Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, The Baltimore Sun, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, The New Republic, Foreign Policy, Russia Journal, Kiev Post, Seed, and Worth magazine. His commentary has appeared on CNN International, BBC Radio, CNBC's Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo, C-SPAN's Washington Journal, CBC, Bloomberg TV, and Voice of America. He has also written for The New York Times, Washington Times, Newsweek International, and Weekly Standard.

Lionel was the 2006 recipient of a German Marshall Fund journalism fellowship for a research project on post-Soviet youth movements in Ukraine and Belarus. He was also a senior writer for the Council on Foreign Relations and named a 2010 Truman National Security Project Fellow.

Lionel Beehner's Courses
Op-Ed Writing – (Starts June 4)

Testimonials

Lionel knows exactly what he's talking about and has an impressive roster of published pieces. I got an op-ed published in The Los Angeles Times and syndicated as far away as Australia! Now I have the confidence to keep putting myself out there. -- Mary Kolesnikova

"Lionel is engaging, incisive, friendly, and throroughly knowledgable about the field. I recommend this course to anyone intersted in breaking into op-ed writing." -- Alex Andrews

"Lionel's class provided useful tools to develop and hone op-ed writing skills. His background enabled him to provide current, relevant information." -- Renee Fountain

"Lionel is an accomplished op-ed contributor who is happy to share his talent to help his students get their op-eds published." -- Martha Katzeff

"Lionel blends talent with experience, selflessness with tirelessness. Anyone wishing to enter the field should take one of his courses." -- Frank A. Campbell

"I rate this class an A+. Lionel is a wonderful, fun, and honest editor, as well as a classy guy who gives us the real scoop on how to get a pitch to work." -- Donna DeLeno Neuworth

"Lionel is a wonderful instructor. He really is the ideal teacher. He's extremely knowledgeable, passionate, and cares about improving his students' skills. I highly recommend his course." -- Lonzen Rugira

"Lionel is a real professional with a down-to-earth attitude. His comments are challenging but supportive and he has a good sense of humor and liveliness in his lectures and chats." -- Nick Kessler