Easthampton, MA
About us
Somehow School is a creative writing studio for kids and teens in Western Mass. We offer after-school creative writing classes and school break programs.
Somehow School classes connect creative writing with visual art, music, and old writing technology (typewriters, old computers, risography). We take an experimentation-focused approach that helps students stop worrying about writing “correctly” and instead start to see language more like clay--a material they can build with.
Though we love to help brainstorm, at Somehow School we never dictate what students should write about or how. Instead, we help each student set and then achieve their own creative goals, whether they want to write a short story in text-message format or a screenplay about dogs in outer space.
Winter/ Spring 2026
Weekly after-school workshops
Now enrolling!
Ages 7–13
January 27–March 24
(no class February 17)
Ages 7–10
January 28–April 1
(no class February 18 or March 4)
Ages 10–13
Jan 29–April 2
(no class February 19 or March 5)
Ages 13–18
Jan 27–April 1
(no class February 18 or March 4)
February break programs Our February break programs run Monday through Friday from February 16–20 2026. Open for enrollment now!
10:00–11:30 AM
February 16–20
Ages 7–12
1:00–2:30 PM
February 16–20
Ages 12–18
February 16–20
Frequently asked questions
What are your after-school creative writing workshops like?
Sessions typically start with a brief lesson, writing prompt, or group discussion. Then, students spend time on a long-term writing project of their choice--whether it’s a short story, a collection of poems, a newspaper article, a comic book, a play, or something else entirely.
For students who aren’t sure what to write, we help brainstorm or give tried-and-tested writing prompts.
For students who already know what they want to write, we provide the support to make that happen, whether that’s feedback, encouragement, or even just a quiet space to sit with a notebook and/or typewriter.
How many students are there per class?
Our workshops have an eight-student cap.
I heard you don’t care about spelling or grammar??!
It’s true--in our creative writing workshops, we tell students not to worry about spelling and grammar rules while they’re writing. In fact, we tell them to celebrate typos; anyone who makes ten errors on a single page gets a sticker.
Stopping to look up every word and adhering to complicated rules can throw off the creative process and reduce students’ confidence as writers. Plus, we live in a world with spell-check--it’s easy to make corrections later.
Language is a socially constructed system that is continuously evolving. We rewrite its rules every day, and young people are often a key part of that process.
We know our students have plenty to say, even if they can’t spell all the words or write them in the kind of grammatical English expected in most schools. By removing barriers to writing, we help students build confidence and skills at the same time.
Where are you located?
83 Main St., Easthampton MA, 01027.
What’s your space like?
Somehow School is located in a historic storefront built in 1848. Our classroom is 500 sq. ft. with 12-foot ceilings and an exposed brick wall and a view of Mt. Tom out the window. We have a variety of places to write in the room, including a seminar table and comfy armchairs.
What if my kid is sick? What’s your policy on missed classes?
Please keep your kid at home if they’re sick! If a student misses a week due to illness, email us at info@somehowschool.org to request a voucher for a free week in their next Somehow School course. What’s your refund policy?
For eight-week workshops If a student can no longer attend and the workshop has not yet started, we’ll provide a full refund.
If a student has attended two classes or fewer in an eight-week workshop and then must drop the class, we’ll provide a 50% refund.
If a student has attended three classes or more, we can no longer provide a refund if they drop the class.
What’s tutoring like?
For some students, one-on-one instruction works better than taking a group class. We provide custom instruction in everything from writing poems to novels to creative nonfiction. We also do college application essay tutoring. Tutoring takes place at our 83 Main St. location. We also tutor students virtually.
Why are you called the Somehow School?
“Related somehow they may be,
The sedge stands near the sea –”
-Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson used to write poems on whatever was lying around--scraps of envelopes, or the backs of recipes. Because the pieces of paper were all different shapes and sizes, the poems changed to fit their containers--some poems shrinking to only a few words long, some lines stretching across whole envelopes.
The way you write something changes what you write. Writing a story by hand, you’ll use different words than you would on your smartphone. Typing with a typewriter is a totally different experience than typing on a computer.
At Somehow School, we pay attention to these differences and use them to grow our writing practices. We experiment: what happens when we write a poem in all caps while listening to music? What’s it like to write a poem all in lowercase while sitting in complete silence?
Somehow, the writing will get written. At Somehow School, we focus on the how.
In the age of AI, why is it important for kids to practice creative writing?
AI has made un-creative writing much easier. A robot can spit out a five-paragraph essay or even write a mediocre novel.
But good writing, the kind of writing you remember, is built on surprise--on combining words in new, exciting ways. Good writing breaks the rules. Good writing is a little strange just like people are a little strange. It’s what makes writing (and people) interesting.
An AI, meanwhile, can only imitate what it’s already seen. It can’t think outside the box, or come up with new ideas.
Somehow School helps young writers build the skills AI will never have--to communicate creatively, to think critically, and to imagine a better world.
Do you provide materials?
We provide all materials for students to use during classes, including pens & pencils, notebooks, very old laptops, and typewriters.
Why do you use old laptops and typewriters in your classes?
We provide outdated but functional laptops (and occasionally typewriters) for students to write with during workshops. Using old machines provides a sense of novelty while also limiting distractions. This practice also helps prevent e-waste and encourages students to think sustainably about technology.
How old are the laptops?
Mostly MacBooks from 2009. Can students bring their own laptops?
Yes! We get that some students have a strong preference to use their own computer; that’s fine with us so long as it’s not distracting.
How much does a class cost? What do you mean by sliding-scale tuition?
Arts education is a fundamental human right. We recognize that our full tuition ($280 for an 8-week class) isn’t affordable to every family. To address this, we are offering a sliding-scale tuition model. If you can’t comfortbaly afford the full tuition, you can select a tuition tier that works better for you. Options start at $0.
Our ability to offer sliding-scale fees relies on community support. If you can afford to contribute towards another student’s tuition, please consider doing so and helping support our goal of offering sliding-scale tuition for all of our classes going forward.
About the instructor
(they/them)
Somehow School Founder
Nora Claire Miller is a writer and educator with more than a decade of experience teaching creative writing to kids and teens.
Nora’s poetry and nonfiction has recently appeared in The Paris Review and Hyperallergic, and their debut book Groceries was named one of the New York Public Library’s best books of 2025. They hold an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a BA from Hampshire College.
Nora has taught after-school poetry classes in Pittsfield public schools through The Mastheads, led youth programs and camps with the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, the Iowa Youth Writing Project, the Junior High Writing Conference, and the Grant Wood Arts Colony Summer Camp. They have adjudicated submissions for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and served as an admissions reader for the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio. They have also privately tutored high school students in creative writing and college-application essays.
Nora lives in Western Massachusetts with their partner Kelly Clare and their cat Ramona. When they’re not teaching or writing, Nora can usually be found gardening or taking apart an old computer.
Accessibility
Our entrance is on the ground floor, but there is a short step leading to the front entrance. There is also a short step leading to the restroom.
To protect against COVID-19 and other airborne illnesses, the space is equipped with a high-quality air purifier that provides continuous HEPA filtration. Students are not required to wear masks in workshops, but KN-95s will be made available for free for anyone who wants one. Nora, our main instructor, wears a mask while teaching. The space and equiptment is cleaned and sanitized between classes.