Course Description:
Every person is on a spiritual journey. While some feel grounded in their own faith practices, others experience disillusionment when their personal path diverges from the conditions of institutionalized religion. How do we make sense of ourselves, our callings, our communities, and our activism when the faith or religion handed to us becomes unnerving or untenable? How might we sort out the spiritual disconnect we experience when we see the ways systemic religion has been used to abuse and scandalize the love and light we hope to see (and create!) in the world? 

Whether you’re someone who spent years in church and left, never stepped foot inside a house of worship, or actively practices a faith that relies on more traditional rituals and systems, outlining your own values and writing your own history is an empowering way to wrestle with the complexities of what you believe.

Led by Vanessa Zoltan, CEO of Not Sorry Productions, podcast host, and author of Praying with Jane Eyre; Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice, this iteration of Not Sorry’s annual non-fiction writing class blends spiritual reflection, personal storytelling, and practical writing instruction. Each week in Bad First Draft: Writing Spiritual Autobiography, you'll receive thoughtful lessons, writing prompts, and group feedback designed to help you clarify your vision, stay accountable, and make meaningful progress on your own spiritual autobiography manuscript. By the end of the course, you’ll have a solid first draft—or the foundation of one—and the confidence to keep going.

Guided by Vanessa’s experience and instruction, students will explore the autobiography building blocks of voice, structure, and narrative momentum while reflecting on the memories, beliefs, and moments that shaped them. In the first half of this course, students will look back on their lives and chronicle what they believed and why. And in examining what they’ve loved, believed, grieved, and practiced, they can better determine what they hope for our future selves. 

In the second half of this course, everyone writes! After the process of documenting personal and spiritual growth and planning their autobiographies over the course of four weeks, students will have the opportunity to spend the next four weeks writing their own manuscripts focused on their spiritual lives. Sure, 50,000 words would be incredible, but this endeavor is designed as an invitation, not an assignment.

Please note, you do not need to be familiar with the beats of writing and analyzing autobiographies to join the class. Just show up with an open mind and a readiness to engage with the genre for an enriching writing experience!

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Pricing and Logistics

Tuition:
Full Tuition $475
Reduced Tuition (Scholarship): $375

Dates: Sundays, October 4-25 from 4:00-5:30pm ET,
and Sundays, November 1-22, 2026 2:00-3:30pm ET

Registration closes on Friday, October 2nd.

At Not Sorry, we trust folks to purchase the ticket that suits their financial situation best. If you require a scholarship, please utilize our Reduced Tuition tier while supplies last.

Registration Details: As soon as you buy your ticket, you will receive an email from programs@notsorryproductions.com confirming your spot and sharing the Zoom links for the class. One zoom link will offer entry to the October classes, and a separate zoom link will permit you to the November co-writing sessions. 

Please add programs@notsorryproductions.com to your address book so you do not miss communication from our team upon registration.

You’ll receive an email from the course TA 48 hours prior to the first class meeting.

Instructor Note: Vanessa will lead the four October courses and one Q&A in November. In November, she will lead the co-writing sessions, which will combine students from both tracks (fiction and non-fiction) of Bad First Draft.

Recording: Classes will be recorded for asynchronous viewing, but the course is best experienced if you attend each session live.

Enrollment: There is no registration limit to this course, so the class could be anywhere from 10-100 folks, with ample opportunity for small group interaction.

Refunds: 90% refunds can be issued to participants if they can no longer join. Full refunds are not available.

Questions? Email our programs team atprograms@notsorryproductions.com, and we’ll return your message within 2-3 business days.

Faculty Bio
Vanessa is the CEO of Not Sorry. She has hosted three of our podcasts: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, Let’s Ask Taylor Swift, and Hot & Bothered. She teaches chaplaincy for the non-religious at Harvard Divinity School. 

Vanessa is the author of Praying with Jane Eyre; Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice, a spiritual autobiography which blends memoir and spiritual growth as she grapples with the notions of family legacy and identity through the lens of her favorite novel.

Vanessa was trained as a non-denominational chaplain at Harvard Divinity School. She is a proud California girl who currently lives in MA with her gorgeous, blended family.