atelier rose
Songwriting and creative writing workshops for Anglophones in Paris, France.
Our Ateliers
Songwriting / A semester-long, small-group workshop for songwriters of all genres and experience levels. This program offers the intimacy and focus of individual mentorship within a supportive, inspiring community. Become part of our kind, dedicated group of songwriters seeking to elevate their work through critical feedback, mutual accountability, and tailored feedback from peers and workshop leader and award-winning singer-songwriter Lindsay Kay.
CLICK HERE to learn more
Creative Writing / A 14-hour, semester-long advanced workshop for emerging Anglophone writers of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and screenwriting. Join a small cohort of serious, dedicated writers and elevate your work through detailed peer workshopping, intensive written feedback, and one-on-one mentorship. Plus, teachings on craft led by award-winning, widely published writers, all within a supportive, inspiring community.
CLICK HERE to learn more
Songwriting Atelier
FALL 2025 SESSION
GROUP 1:
Thursdays: Sept. 25, Oct. 23, Nov. 20, Dec. 11
19h30 - 21h30
GROUP 2:
Thursdays: Sept. 11, Oct. 9, Nov. 6, Dec. 4
19h30 - 21h30
SUBMIT
BY SUBMISSION ONLY
Deadline: September 8
A workshop for songwriters of all styles / genres looking to be part of a creative, inspiring community dedicated to providing and receiving constructive, detailed, thoughtful, and kind feedback to elevate their songs.
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
- 1x/monthly workshop, 2 hours per meeting
- Small group of a maximum of 4 songwriters to ensure individual attention in each workshop
- Each songwriter brings a new song each month (to either play live in the room or a recording), followed by feedback from all songwriters and Lindsay
- Discussions on craft, routine, technique, and writing exercises/prompts
- Listening and reading list/recommendations
- Performance opportunities for all songwriters at our end-of-the-year atelier soirée event in June
- A 30-minute one-on-one meeting with Lindsay at the end of the semester to discuss your individual songwriting and goals
All are welcome regardless of age, gender identity, and background. English does not need to be your first language and you are welcome to bring songs with lyrics written in other languages. However, all workshops will be held in English, and we cannot promise lyrics will be understood by all workshoppers if not in English.
PLEASE NOTE: All participants are expected to attend all workshops unless an emergency or illness arises. We have a strict "no flake" policy to respect each writer's time, effort, and vulnerability.
All are welcome regardless of age, gender identity, and background. English does not need to be your first language, however, all workshopped writing will be in English, so a mastery of the language will likely be essential. Feel free to reach out at atelierrose.paris@gmail.com if you have any doubts.
*Some experience in music, writing, and/or songwriting is recommended, though it is not explicitly necessary. This will not be a workshop on how to write songs, nor will it explicitly teach the structure of songwriting. Rather, this is a space to workshop your existing songs, whether in progress or completed, and receive personalized feedback with some tailored technique / teachings weaved in. If you're not sure if this workshop is right for you, feel free to reach out at atelierrose.paris@gmail.com to discuss your experience, goals, or any other questions.
Deadline: September 8
A workshop for songwriters of all styles / genres looking to be part of a creative, inspiring community dedicated to providing and receiving constructive, detailed, thoughtful, and kind feedback to elevate their songs.
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
- 1x/monthly workshop, 2 hours per meeting
- Small group of a maximum of 4 songwriters to ensure individual attention in each workshop
- Each songwriter brings a new song each month (to either play live in the room or a recording), followed by feedback from all songwriters and Lindsay
- Discussions on craft, routine, technique, and writing exercises/prompts
- Listening and reading list/recommendations
- Performance opportunities for all songwriters at our end-of-the-year atelier soirée event in June
- A 30-minute one-on-one meeting with Lindsay at the end of the semester to discuss your individual songwriting and goals
All are welcome regardless of age, gender identity, and background. English does not need to be your first language and you are welcome to bring songs with lyrics written in other languages. However, all workshops will be held in English, and we cannot promise lyrics will be understood by all workshoppers if not in English.
PLEASE NOTE: All participants are expected to attend all workshops unless an emergency or illness arises. We have a strict "no flake" policy to respect each writer's time, effort, and vulnerability.
All are welcome regardless of age, gender identity, and background. English does not need to be your first language, however, all workshopped writing will be in English, so a mastery of the language will likely be essential. Feel free to reach out at atelierrose.paris@gmail.com if you have any doubts.
*Some experience in music, writing, and/or songwriting is recommended, though it is not explicitly necessary. This will not be a workshop on how to write songs, nor will it explicitly teach the structure of songwriting. Rather, this is a space to workshop your existing songs, whether in progress or completed, and receive personalized feedback with some tailored technique / teachings weaved in. If you're not sure if this workshop is right for you, feel free to reach out at atelierrose.paris@gmail.com to discuss your experience, goals, or any other questions.
Creative Writing Atelier
FALL 2025 SESSIONS
GROUP 1 w/ Katy Masuga:
Tuesdays: Sept. 16+30, Oct. 14+28, Nov. 11+25, Dec. 9
19h30 - 21h30
GROUP 2 w/ Heather Hartley:
Wednesdays: Sept. 17+24, Oct. 8+22, Nov. 5+12, Dec. 3 (final meeting over Zoom)
19h30 - 21h30
SUBMIT
BY SUBMISSION ONLY
Deadline: September 10
A workshop for writers of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and screenwriting. For writers in the “emerging” career stage, whatever that means to them, but with a clear voice / style developed and a firm grasp on the basics (grammar, technique, and the foundations of storytelling under their belt).
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
- 2x/monthly workshop, 2 hours per meeting
- Small group of a maximum of 6 writers to ensure each writer has one entire meeting per semester designated to workshopping their work ONLY (which is to say, you will submit ONE piece of writing per semester)
- Teachings on craft, examinations of exemplary texts, discussions, and/or writing prompts at every workshop
- Personalized written feedback from your teacher and your fellow workshoppers, in addition to the in-class discussion on your submitted work
- Personalized reading recommendations and comp titles, advice on publication, opportunities to have your unique questions answered
- Public reading opportunities at our end-of-the-year atelier soirée in June
- 30-minute 1-on-2 (you + your workshop teacher) meeting before the semester's end to discuss anything you would like regarding your work/career
- Optional field trips once a semester to Palais de Tokyo to write together as a group/work on prompts
Education and prior publication are not factors; only talented, dedicated writers looking to elevate their writing through mentorship and peer support, perhaps with the goal of refining work to be "publishable," perhaps not. We are building a kind, caring, passionate community!
PLEASE NOTE: All participants are expected to attend all workshops unless an emergency or illness arises. We have a strict "no flake" policy to respect each writer's time, effort, and vulnerability.
All are welcome regardless of age, gender identity, and background. English does not need to be your first language. However, all workshop writing will be in English, so a mastery of the language will likely be essential. Feel free to reach out at atelierrose.paris@gmail.com if you have any questions or doubts.
Deadline: September 10
A workshop for writers of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and screenwriting. For writers in the “emerging” career stage, whatever that means to them, but with a clear voice / style developed and a firm grasp on the basics (grammar, technique, and the foundations of storytelling under their belt).
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
- 2x/monthly workshop, 2 hours per meeting
- Small group of a maximum of 6 writers to ensure each writer has one entire meeting per semester designated to workshopping their work ONLY (which is to say, you will submit ONE piece of writing per semester)
- Teachings on craft, examinations of exemplary texts, discussions, and/or writing prompts at every workshop
- Personalized written feedback from your teacher and your fellow workshoppers, in addition to the in-class discussion on your submitted work
- Personalized reading recommendations and comp titles, advice on publication, opportunities to have your unique questions answered
- Public reading opportunities at our end-of-the-year atelier soirée in June
- 30-minute 1-on-2 (you + your workshop teacher) meeting before the semester's end to discuss anything you would like regarding your work/career
- Optional field trips once a semester to Palais de Tokyo to write together as a group/work on prompts
Education and prior publication are not factors; only talented, dedicated writers looking to elevate their writing through mentorship and peer support, perhaps with the goal of refining work to be "publishable," perhaps not. We are building a kind, caring, passionate community!
PLEASE NOTE: All participants are expected to attend all workshops unless an emergency or illness arises. We have a strict "no flake" policy to respect each writer's time, effort, and vulnerability.
All are welcome regardless of age, gender identity, and background. English does not need to be your first language. However, all workshop writing will be in English, so a mastery of the language will likely be essential. Feel free to reach out at atelierrose.paris@gmail.com if you have any questions or doubts.
Pricing
[Songwriting Atelier]
Sliding scale pricing based on need:
360-390 euros
(EARLY BIRD, enroll before August 30, 2025)
400-430 euros
(REGULAR PRICE, enroll between August 31-September 8, 2025)
*Payment plans are always available to help make participation possible.
[Creative Writing Atelier]
Sliding scale pricing based on need:
460-490 euros
(EARLY BIRD, submit before August 30, 2025)
500-550 euros
(REGULAR PRICE, submit between August 31-September 10, 2025)
*Payment plans are always available to help make participation possible.
Led by
Lindsay
Kay
[Songwriting Atelier]
Founder and director of Atelier Rose, Canadian singer-songwriter Lindsay Kay creates music that is “ethereal, melancholy, and dabbles in unreality while keeping gracefully attached to this world,” says New Sick Music.
On October 5, 2018, the Berklee College of Music graduate released her debut, full-length album For the Feminine, by the Feminine – an 8-song meditation on themes of femininity, written and produced solely by Kay herself. For the Feminine won Kay an Independent Music Award for her rendition of Billy Strayhorn’s jazz standard “Lush Life.” The music video for her song “Too” was an award-winner and/or official selection in over a dozen international film festivals. For the Feminine has been called “a manifesto of solidarity and inclusion,” by No Depression and “a record that gives comfort in hearing one’s own experiences mirrored back, and there is solace in knowing we are not alone in our pain and restlessness,” by For Folk’s Sake.
Kay has staged multimedia performances all over North America and Europe, incorporating movement, stage design, and elaborate costuming into her concerts. She has been an artist in residence at JIWAR Creation & Society in Barcelona, The Banff Creative Arts Centre in Alberta, Canada, La Porte Peinte Centre pour les Arts in Burgundy, France, and Les Arches Citoyennes in Paris, France. Kay has received grants from FACTOR, SOCAN Foundation, and The Canada Council for the Arts many times over to compose music, develop recording projects and collaborative performances, and carry out independent research on the work and impact of female singer-songwriters.
She is currently based in Paris, France where she is at work on her next album and directs Atelier Rose.
Visit her website HERE.
On October 5, 2018, the Berklee College of Music graduate released her debut, full-length album For the Feminine, by the Feminine – an 8-song meditation on themes of femininity, written and produced solely by Kay herself. For the Feminine won Kay an Independent Music Award for her rendition of Billy Strayhorn’s jazz standard “Lush Life.” The music video for her song “Too” was an award-winner and/or official selection in over a dozen international film festivals. For the Feminine has been called “a manifesto of solidarity and inclusion,” by No Depression and “a record that gives comfort in hearing one’s own experiences mirrored back, and there is solace in knowing we are not alone in our pain and restlessness,” by For Folk’s Sake.
Kay has staged multimedia performances all over North America and Europe, incorporating movement, stage design, and elaborate costuming into her concerts. She has been an artist in residence at JIWAR Creation & Society in Barcelona, The Banff Creative Arts Centre in Alberta, Canada, La Porte Peinte Centre pour les Arts in Burgundy, France, and Les Arches Citoyennes in Paris, France. Kay has received grants from FACTOR, SOCAN Foundation, and The Canada Council for the Arts many times over to compose music, develop recording projects and collaborative performances, and carry out independent research on the work and impact of female singer-songwriters.
She is currently based in Paris, France where she is at work on her next album and directs Atelier Rose.
Visit her website HERE.
Heather Hartley &
Katy Masuga
[Creative Writing Ateliers]
Heather Hartley’s poetry collections include Adult Swim and Knock Knock, both published by Carnegie Mellon University Press. She was Paris Editor for Tin House magazine for over fifteen years. Her short fiction, poems, essays and interviews have appeared in or on PBS Newshour, The Guardian, The Literary Review and other venues as well as numerous anthologies including Food and Booze: A Tin House Literary Feast and Satellite Convulsions: Poems from Tin House.
She has taught creative writing at the University of Kent’s (UK) Paris School of Arts and Culture, the American University of Paris and the University of Texas El Paso MFA program and she has been a teacher at Atelier Rose since its inception. She is at work on a novel and her third collection of poetry.
Visit her website HERE.
Heather will teach Workshop Group 2 this fall.
---
Katy Masuga holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington with a joint PhD in Theory and Criticism with a core background in philosophy, Modernism and interdisciplinarity. She is the author of four books including the novels The Blue of Night (Spuyten Duyvil Press, 2020) and The Origin of Vermilion (Spuyten Duyvil, 2016) as well as the monographs Henry Miller and How He Got That Way (Edinburgh University Press, 2011) and The Secret Violence of Henry Miller (Camden House, 2011). She has also published dozens of short stories, anthology chapters, essays, articles and translations including Freud's Thinking: An Introduction by Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen (Cambridge UP, 2023, Apprendre à philosopher avec Freud, Ellipses, 2018).
Katy has taught creative writing and other subjects including science and storytelling, philosophy, comparative literature, film, art history, and other humanities fields at institutions including the Sorbonne, the American University of Paris, Skidmore in Paris, and Trinity College in Paris where she was also Program Coordinator. She teaches for the University of Washington's fall program in Paris through the Comparative History of Ideas Department and is also Academic Administrator for Afghan Female Student Outreach (AFSO), the online university education charity for Afghan women.
Katy is the founder of The Library, a writing residency in the Fontainebleau forest located in an historic home once inhabited by Léonied'Aunet, and its affiliated women's knowledge exchange, Sappho Road.
She has recently completed a middle grade novel to address the crisis of our planetary boundaries, dispel harmful dichotomies and inspire the discovery of magic in everyone. She is also currently working on a novel.
Visit her website HERE.
Katy will teach Workshop Group 1 this fall.
She has taught creative writing at the University of Kent’s (UK) Paris School of Arts and Culture, the American University of Paris and the University of Texas El Paso MFA program and she has been a teacher at Atelier Rose since its inception. She is at work on a novel and her third collection of poetry.
Visit her website HERE.
Heather will teach Workshop Group 2 this fall.
---
Katy Masuga holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington with a joint PhD in Theory and Criticism with a core background in philosophy, Modernism and interdisciplinarity. She is the author of four books including the novels The Blue of Night (Spuyten Duyvil Press, 2020) and The Origin of Vermilion (Spuyten Duyvil, 2016) as well as the monographs Henry Miller and How He Got That Way (Edinburgh University Press, 2011) and The Secret Violence of Henry Miller (Camden House, 2011). She has also published dozens of short stories, anthology chapters, essays, articles and translations including Freud's Thinking: An Introduction by Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen (Cambridge UP, 2023, Apprendre à philosopher avec Freud, Ellipses, 2018).
Katy has taught creative writing and other subjects including science and storytelling, philosophy, comparative literature, film, art history, and other humanities fields at institutions including the Sorbonne, the American University of Paris, Skidmore in Paris, and Trinity College in Paris where she was also Program Coordinator. She teaches for the University of Washington's fall program in Paris through the Comparative History of Ideas Department and is also Academic Administrator for Afghan Female Student Outreach (AFSO), the online university education charity for Afghan women.
Katy is the founder of The Library, a writing residency in the Fontainebleau forest located in an historic home once inhabited by Léonied'Aunet, and its affiliated women's knowledge exchange, Sappho Road.
She has recently completed a middle grade novel to address the crisis of our planetary boundaries, dispel harmful dichotomies and inspire the discovery of magic in everyone. She is also currently working on a novel.
Visit her website HERE.
Katy will teach Workshop Group 1 this fall.
Submit
[Songwriting Atelier]
TO SUBMIT
(FALL '25 SUBMISSIONS OPEN AUGUST 11)
Email atelierrose.paris@gmail.com with your name, a few short sentences about your songwriting experience, and a sample of one or two of your songs. These can be rough demo recordings, just lyrics, just music, a voice memo, anything you'd like to share. It does not need to be polished, we'd just like to get an idea of what you do.
If selected to participate in the atelier, you will be sent a payment link via email. Once paid, your enrollment is complete!
[Creative Writing Atelier]
TO SUBMIT
(FALL '25 SUBMISSIONS OPEN AUGUST 11)
Email atelierrose.paris@gmail.com with your name, genre, a few short sentences about your writing experience, and a sample of your work.
Sample guidelines are as follows:
- Max 10 pages of poetry
- Max 1600 words of creative non-fiction
- Max one chapter of a novel or one short story of max 2000 words
If selected to participate in the atelier, we will notify you via email and let you know which group you will be in, and you will receive a payment link. Once paid, your enrollment is complete!
Testimonials
[Songwriters]
"Taking part in the Atelier Rose songwriting workshop has been such a wonderful and creative experience for me. I have written many songs, but often get stuck on the first version and find it hard to analyse my work and see if it really says what I wanted it to. Lindsay is an incredible artist and teacher, and leads us all with such warmth and grace. Feedback on my songs has never felt like a harsh critique, but much more like open suggestions. It’s feels very collaborative in that sense, where everyone is sharing their thoughts and ideas without any pressure of having to do one thing or the other. Having an external point of view on my songs has definitely made my songs better, and I find myself when I’m writing now already thinking, ‘Well what might Lindsay say about this song?’ Or, ‘what advice might my classmates give me?’ It’s a really awesome and supportive way to work on your music and I would recommend it to any songwriter at any point of their songwriting journey - for both beginners and those who have been writing for years. It’s been a real highlight each month. Thank you so much Lindsay!" - Jessica M.
"I highly recommend the songwriting workshop by Atelier Rose. Lindsay leads the workshop in a kind and inspiring way, helping me realize my vision for the songs. She created a truly unique atmosphere in the workshops, where I felt I could be creative out there without being judged. I enjoyed meeting and listening to the other songwriters' writing and seeing how the songs developed. Their input was invaluable and was of great help in taking my songs to the next level. The workshops helped me hold myself accountable, while still keeping the whole process fun. I can not recommend the workshop enough!"
- Jessica K.
Lindsay's guidance during this semester has helped me to break out of the creative rut I've been in for years to make something I'm so proud of! We were able to workshop our songs in a supportive environment with other talented participants, and we were able to give and receive constructive feedback. The topics we discussed during each session, such as daily/weekly habits and how to find motivation, were very useful and applicable. Even though it was only three sessions, I feel my creativity is unlocked and I can't wait to see what else I'll be able to create thanks to the skills and support I received in this workshop!
- Natalie B.
"The atelier was a wonderful opportunity to meet with other likeminded and English-speaking musicians and open our works to creative and inspiring feedback! It was super fun to hang out with other musicians and everyone was very welcoming. I looked forward to each session and especially enjoyed our soirée at the end where we all got to share our work! I’d recommend to songwriters of all levels living in Paris." - Oliver C.
[Creative Writers]
"The two semesters that I have spent attending Atelier Rose workshops have helped me in considerable measure to appreciate how my poetry appears to other readers and how I can make it more effective whilst preserving its character and lyricism. I am especially grateful to Heather for her wise and encouraging direction as the resident poetry expert, particularly with her emphasis on considering the whole panoply of senses whilst writing. Marissa has also been an invaluable source with respect to advice for seeking publication, which remains very much a priority for me. Without their counsel, the world of contemporary literature would feel far more foreign and imposing." - Isaac L
