Today, Thursday, October 1, is National Homemade Cookies Day! October 1 seems to be a baking trifecta because it’s also National Pumpkin Spice Day and Jiffy Cornbread Mix Day!
With cooler weather knocking on the door, a baker-writer like me can’t help being inspired to get out Grandma Wilma’s mixing bowl and stir up some old-school comfort food.
Wilma was famous for many things, including chocolate-chip cookies and homemade bread, but she also excelled at making pecan pie, mastering that crunchy yet gooey goodness with just the right combination of Karo syrup, sugar, pecans, butter, and of course, a homemade crust. It is in my beloved grandmother’s honor that I designed my upcoming writing class for Women on Writing that combines my twin passions for cooking and writing: Grandma’s Pecan Pie: Writing from the Kitchen – Live Zoom Class with Ashley Harris.
GRANDMA’S PECAN PIE: WRITING FROM THE KITCHEN with Ashley Harris
WEBINAR DATE: Thursday, October 22, 2026
WEBINAR TIME: 2pm – 4pm ET
DURATION: 2 Hours
LOCATION: Live webinar via Zoom
FEEDBACK: The last 15 minutes of the lecture will be open to Q&A. Students can also send questions ahead of time, to be addressed during the lecture.
SPECIAL OPTION: Receive a personal critique from the instructor of 3 double-spaced pages of your writing within two weeks of the class. This includes at least one submission recommendation will be provided.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In the fall, as temperatures cool and we prepare to hunker down for the winter, we often start craving our favorite comfort foods. Those made from recipes handed down through the generations, from Mom’s Lipton Soup pot roast to Aunt Susie’s stovetop mac n’ cheese. For writers such as Isak Dinesen, Laurie Colwin, Ted Kooser and Jane Kenyon, food means much more than physical sustenance, it represents love, family, and inspiration. Writing about cooking also offers a tour of the senses—sight, smell, touch, sound and taste. In this special workshop we’ll review work by the masters and learn how to bring our favorite dishes (and memories) to life in poetry and prose. We’ll also discuss publication and the many opportunities available for writing about food and cooking.
What Students Have Said About My Classes:
“Thank you for a superb class (Writing from the Garden), full of writings to enjoy, helpful prompts to get us going, and your teaching style that elicits our curiosity and our desire to write. I loved your ability to pack in so much content and context into 2 little hours. Your bright outlook, your sense of humour and your encouragement is so welcome, and I look forward to many more classes with you! I am so happy to have found you. I have been looking for you.”—Yvonne Grandbois
“Thank you so much for a wonderful workshop (Writing from the Garden). I appreciated how organized and encouraging you were. You chose some great examples for inspiration. It was so lovely to write poetry—I hadn’t in a long, long time—and see the possibilities for crafting pieces about “the garden” that can go in so many different directions. You’re a fantastic instructor!” —Amy Faeskorn
“Thanks! What a fun class (Writing from the Garden)! I was very sad when it was over. I must take Grandma’s Pecan Pie: Writing from the Kitchen. I have thought about this for years. I have so many stories to tell, and I need to know who to tell them to. “–Toni Riley
“Thank you for the wonderful workshop (Writing is for the Birds). I am still on Cloud 9. You are the best teacher, best poet, best role model I know. I am eternally grateful for you and all that you do. Thank you for your teachings, your feedback and suggestions, your giving soul. You give me confidence in my voice. Thank you.” – Mary Alice Dixon, author of Snakeberry Mamas: Words from the Wild
Ashley, you and all the attendees are inspiring. Your class (Writing is for the Birds) was such a pleasure! I was very impressed with your approach to commenting on the work attendees shared. You not only encouraged them but also highlighted specific details of what they did well. Thank you! I love your idea of letting birds help set a scene in place, time, season, and mood. And I’m hoping to add more birds to present and future writing projects. I’m also looking forward to your class on writing about fur-babies! With much appreciation, Rosemary Poole-Carter
The class (Situational Humor II) was captivating, chock-full of resources and encouraging. It flowed well and it was very well-organized. I appreciated your recommendations to spice up the writing and reference The Emotion Thesaurus. (Could there be a potential class based on those?) And the list of where-to-submit suggestions and what to read were excellent. I’m so glad I purchased the class! And look forward to Part III next year! – M.J. Vieweg
Great presentation! Lots of food for thought and future writing. Writing is for the Birds was just the right amount of each element…the examples, the writing to prompts, the resources, etc. Thank you for doing this! – Betty McCreary
Ashley, Writing is for the Birds was an absolute JOY AND DELIGHT! The presentation, the participants, the prompts, the poems, the pacing…I loved every minute! – Michelle Seitzer
Grandma’s Pecan Pie: Writing From the Kitchen: Class at a Glance
In two short hours, I’ll share a menu of cooking and food-based writing from authors that’ll get your tummy rumbling and inspire you immediately. I’ll cover the many ways that writing about the kitchen and comfort food can captivate readers through themes of love, nostalgia, family and more, plus tips on bringing the sense of taste alive. Along the way, we’ll participate in three writing prompts to generate your own prose and poetry, along with a selection of markets where you can publish your work. For an extra fee, I’ll critique your work and provide a targeted submission recommendation within two weeks of the class.
Topics include:
- The value of writing about food and cooking – how it can elevate our work
- Excerpts from food-based writing through the ages to inspire you
- Discussion of the connection between food and themes such as love, nostalgia, family, faith, and healing
- Tips for writing about food and the kitchen, from opening Grandma’s recipe box, to remembering her time-worn techniques, and exploring the many dimensions of taste (one of the most challenging senses to describe but the most rewarding)
- Three prompts to generate poetry and prose on your own
- Overview of markets to publish your work
- Recommended books featuring food writing to continue to inspire you
- Q & A
Materials Needed: A pen or pencil, a writing pad, and your imagination
ABOUT ME: Ashley Harris is a teacher and dedicated home cook who spends as much time in the kitchen as she does writing. She’s written about her beloved Grandma Wilma’s cooking for a number of publications, such as Bezzy M.S. (How Baking Taught Me to Slow Down and Rise Up), Wired (How to Preserve and Share Grandma’s Recipes), and Pinestraw (Modern Conveniences and the Wisdom of the Ages). Since 2021, she’s served as a critique editor and judge for WOW’s quarterly fiction and nonfiction contests, and her favorite hobby, by far, is helping other writers achieve their publication dreams.
Grandma’s Pecan Pie: Writing From the Kitchen with Ashley Harris (Thursday, October 22, 2026, 2pm – 4pm ET) Limit: 20 students. Early registration is recommended.
COST: $45, which includes one two-hour webinar with a 15-minute Q&A with your instructor.
OPTIONAL CRITIQUE ADD-ON: A personal critique from the instructor of 3 double-spaced pages of your essay for $55 ($100 total) and one submission recommendation.
To register, click here and scroll to the bottom of the class listing.
I hope you’ll join us and share your own memories from the kitchen! We’ll trade both writing and baking tips, I’m sure!
Until next time, take care, and I hope your writing is rolling as smoothly as your grandmother’s pie crust!
Ashley
