Previous Students’ Testimonials

“R. O.’s fiction class changed me fundamentally as a writer. After a decade of working in nonfiction and a lifetime of feeling intimidated to try fiction, R. O.’s class blew open a whole new world for me to grow into with rigor and confidence. R. O. possesses a rare combination: not only is she a gifted writer and teacher, but she is also a grounded presence who makes everyone in the room feel like they belong. She is incredibly prepared and generous with her time and energy; somehow, her brilliant mind seems to carry at all times a bottomless well of craft lessons and real-world insights. It was pure joy to learn from her over these past four months. She sets a gold standard for what every class ought to be. If I could take her class over and over, I would!”—Jaeah Lee, spring ‘26 Ministry alumnus

“It was an honor to take part in Ingrid's nonfiction generative class. She is a generational talent whose work has been transformative for me as a writer and immigrant living between two cultures. Throughout our semester, she was generous with her own approach to craft and pointed us toward readings that introduced me to writers who are now some of my favorites. I was just as inspired by the writers in our cohort, and I feel so lucky to have found my community in them. I will be a reader of theirs for life! Sharing my work with them was one of the great privileges of my writing life. I'm leaving stronger in my craft and braver in my voice.”—Lyanne Dubon, spring ‘26 Ministry alumnus

“Inspiring and supportive, The Ministry of Words provides a space to grow and experiment under the guidance of excellent, top-notch writers. R. O. Kwon is exceptionally perceptive and enthusiastically supportive, offering expert, honest guidance, helpful for both beginning and advanced writers. In her four-month workshop, R. O. provided an abundance of inspirational advice, practical suggestions, assignments and in-class exercises to cultivate a framework for her students to develop their writing and creative projects (stories and/or novels). Her approach was sensitive to individual approaches to creativity, and her guidance encouraged nourishing, sustainable writing practices. Students at The Ministry of Words can immerse themselves in classes, multi-genre lectures by all the virtuoso Ministry teachers, group writing sessions, and other invaluable offerings. Lively, encouraging, and motivating—a wonderful, unique, creative environment!”—Lillian Howan, author of The Charm Buyers, spring ‘26 Ministry alumnus

“Ingrid's nonfiction/memoir-writing class was as validating as it was challenging; Ingrid showed me how to turn my moody writing urges into a more disciplined/intentional writing practice. Down-to-earth, attentive, and accessible as an instructor, Ingrid's class made me feel like I had run out of excuses not to write the story that I still had/have questions about, and reminded me to use journalism as a foundation in truth-telling, gathering history and quotes as evidence, trying to find the truth in memory. Ingrid's writing process is grounded in a reverence for the practice of writing itself (by way of thorough fact-checking/interviews, writing altars and rituals, and using separate notebooks for journaling thoughts about the story, and actually writing the story), and her generative writing prompts were divine exercises in memory and imagination. Ingrid taught me how craft is something we can may create from our own logic as writers who can see patterns, instead of following a traditional logic as writers subjected to paternalistic language standards. This class also reminded me how good it feels to be in community and belong with other writers also trying to ‘create space within limits,’ together learning to sit with our discomfort as part of creativity, how sitting with pain and fear and processing it through writing can become sublime.”—Pilar Peluchi, spring ‘26 Ministry alumnus

“R. O. is pure oxygen. I’ve been writing, avoiding, developing, destroying my in-progress debut novel for 5 years. Why is this taking so damn long?!?!? R.O. gently and wisely explained on Day 1 of class: that’s not really that long. But that is NOT permission to dilly dally. R.O. spent the next 4 months teaching a steady stream of creative exercises that pulled me out of my ego and into that generative space we all ache to inhabit. She prepares each class meticulously. One of her prompts helped me to finally see the spine of my story—the core central conflict shaping the heroine’s journey. (That’s a critical discovery to reign in a manuscript that’s all over the place.) R. O. is also supremely knowledgeable about the business of publishing and generous with her networks. I’ve been around the block. The Ministry of Words is the single best investment I’ve ever made in myself as a writer.”—Aarti Shahani, author of Here We Are, spring ‘26 Ministry alumnus

“Fatimah is not only a talented artist—they are a gifted teacher who sees knowledge-sharing as a sacred duty. More than any medium, Fatimah is committed to emotional truth. Their instruction is equal parts tender and rigorous and unlocks courage as the foundational catalyst to any art worth creating. Being a student of Fatimah has made my artistic journey braver, focused, and loving.”—Anam Raheem

“As an academic struggling to make the transition to creative nonfiction, I could not have asked for a more visionary and intuitive guide than Ingrid. I left her course awestruck and transformed. Ingrid has the rare gift of seeing beyond the page, beyond the words, to sense the spirit and memory behind the writing. My incredible classmates all came from different backgrounds with wildly different writing projects and somehow Ingrid was able to guide us—through different lessons in craft, research, the creative excavation of memory—to draw out the deeper thing we were grappling with. Each week’s insights built on the last, allowing our generative writing exercises to circle around and ever closer to the ultimate thing we were trying to reach. I will never see the practice of creative nonfiction the same way again, and I am ever grateful to Ingrid and the Ministry of Words for it.”—Hajar Yazdiha, spring ‘26 Ministry alumnus

“R. O. is the most perceptive and generous writing teacher I’ve ever worked with. She teaches the elements of craft with a clarity that immediately makes them applicable to your work. She cultivates compassion in her workshops while ensuring the discussion stays focused, asking thoughtful questions that helped me encounter my work in new ways. No one has experimented with and thought about revision as deeply as R. O., and she is so happy to share all of her secrets. I highly recommend working with R. O. if you have the opportunity.”—Ankur Thakkar, author of Blow Yourself Up

“My workshop with Fatimah was transformative: they are an incredibly gifted and committed teacher. I spent three weeks at a residency/workshop where they mentored our group of writers, filmmakers and artists: despite the short time period and our disparate interests, Fati brought our group together into a dynamic that was supportive, insightful (and fun!), focusing on what our work needed and also all of us as artists. They were direct, clear-sighted and specific in their feedback, which was so helpful, and generous in sharing their own experiences. I was able to see my work and my artistic process with new eyes and to discern both unfollowed paths and new possibilities within it, a sense of expansiveness that has persisted in the months since.”—Anum Asi

“My workshop with Ingrid Rojas Contreras quite simply changed my life. I participated in a one-year novel generator class taught by Ingrid where the goal was to finish a novel manuscript in twelve months. For years, getting to a first draft was something I struggled with, as even under normal times I found it difficult to carve out space for my creative life. During the pandemic it would’ve been impossible if not for Ingrid’s brilliance, care, and intuitive wisdom as a teacher. Every week we met over Zoom, and I came away with new insights into not only the novel I was attempting, but this thing we do as writers. When a work is still in its fragile, nascent stage, Ingrid is uniquely gifted at helping the writer see all of its widening possibilities, as well as asking the right questions at the right time. She also runs her workshop with a generosity and analytical rigor that raises the bar for everyone who participates. Now, looking back on that one-year class with Ingrid, I see even more clearly how transformative it was for me, and not just because the book I started in her class ended up being my debut. I will forever be grateful to Ingrid for the lessons and insights I carry into my writing practice to this day.”—Charlene Wang, author of I’ll Follow You

“R. O. is an incredibly forthcoming and generous teacher. I have had her as an instructor both in face-to-face workshops and online Zoom lectures and her candor and consideration in the classroom are second to none. I've learned so much from her both as a writer and a professor. I've even used some of her teachings in my own classes, always with credit of course. I have pages and pages of notes from our classes together and I frequently return to them both for my own inspiration and to encourage others. Being able to spend four months or even a year under her tutelage, with a dedicated cohort of writers, would be an invaluable experience.”—Gene Kwak, author of Go Home, Ricky!

“Working with Ingrid changed my relationship to writing. Her instruction during my book-writing program was foundational to my development as a writer, and the book that emerged from her class continues to anchor my creative life. Even as the book has evolved in unexpected ways over the years, the foundation Ingrid helped me build, of attentiveness and faith in the process, has remained constant. Beyond the classroom, Ingrid’s mentorship has continued to guide me. Her generosity, rigor, and deep respect for language across genres and for diverse lived experiences have shaped how I read, write, and imagine my place in the literary world. I’ll always be grateful for her instruction and care.”—Damilola Onwah 

“R. O. is a once-in-a-lifetime teacher for writers at any given stage and level. She provides a safe space to reimagine possibilities and generate ideas with thoughtful questions and engaging prompts; insights on demystifying the process while retaining the magic and joy; opportunities to form long-lasting community; and above all, a mentorship rooted in trust, respect, and utmost care.”—Sergio Muro

“Working under the mentorship of Fatimah has been one of the most enriching experiences of my artistic life. My relationship to my writing has fundamentally shifted. Their devotion to craft and generous, attentive guidance has aligned me towards a deeper, spiritually grounded practice, one that I now understand as inseparable from my artistry. Fatimah has a rare ability to know exactly where you are in your creative journey, responding with acuity to the "ism" of the work while insisting on rigour, always through a lens of care. I’m beyond grateful to have studied through their teachings. My practice has been reshaped at its core in ways that will continue to unfold for years to come.”—Erum Khan

“There’s a rumor, among previous MFA students, that Ingrid is part oracle and part sorceress. They’ve also said she can read drafts as well as minds with equal accuracy. After watching her pluck unspoken intentions straight off the page, I’m inclined to believe every word of what they’ve said. Ingrid’s mentorship has often felt more like enchantment than instruction. She asks questions that enable us to rearrange the architecture of our stories. She shines a light, illuminating the possibilities and inviting us to step through doors we didn’t know were there.”—Victoria Lorrekovich-Miller

“Working with R. O. was one of the best things I did as a writer. A brilliant analyst and a compassionate, generous reader, R. O. guided our small cohort through months of craft and workshop with clarity, consideration and an open, playful mind that was always receptive to whatever we brought to the class on and off the page. Always thoughtful about conduct and relations, R. O. set clear boundaries and expectations, and periodically checked in on deliverables, feedback, deadlines and requirements to ensure everyone was accountable and actively participating. Beyond craft and critique, R. O.’s discussions and exercises on process allowed me to go deeper into my own writing and understand my creative process better. This allowed me to see myself as not just someone who happens to write things, but a writer. And for that, I am eternally grateful.”—Blue Guldal

“Fatimah’s teaching and mentorship was invaluable for my craft, artistic practice and overall professional trajectory. One of the many gifts of Fatimah’s mentorship is that they teach with a rigorous vision and understanding that the practice of poetics is interdisciplinary. This meant that I was able to enter in a kind of portal where I was able to immerse myself in their dynamic workshop structure and directly apply the work to my filmmaking. In a very short time, I was deeply enriched by their intensive craft talks that have planted everlasting seeds of intellectual and creative nourishment as I embark on my journey from an emerging to mid-career artist. Fatimah’s teaching format is incredibly enriching, especially with regard to form (ah, the volta!) and the necessity of staying in sharp attention to all aspects of narrative structure. This has also given me an embodied understanding and trust in how and where I want to grow as an artist. Fatimah’s pedagogy also centers community and accountability. This meant that I felt deeply supported by our writing group to bring my most authentic self to the page. I know that this is a cohort of artists who are now kindred souls in this lifelong artistic journey and with whom I will be in kinship well beyond the container of the residency experience.”—Catron Booker

“Ingrid is the most insightful, intentional teacher. She is profoundly wise about craft and structure, and offers holistic support in the development of a rich, active writing life and a methodology for deep engagement with one's own work. The framework she has created to help her students see projects from inception to completion is comprehensive and invaluable. I return to it—and to the tools, resources, ideas and practices I learned while I was her student—again and again. My writing was genuinely transformed by her instruction, kindness and support, and I'm so grateful.”—AJ Strosahl

“During my time learning from R. O., I walked away from class each day with pages upon pages of notes. R. O. understands the full breadth of challenges that a writer might face, and is generous to no end with her advice on tackling beasts on and off the page, sharing poetic insight on process and career that I found transformative. Workshops were led with gentle expertise, and critique was always supportive and carefully considered; by the end of our class together, I had generated some of my proudest work yet. In fact, after the course concluded, I wrote to her: ‘The future I imagine for myself now is so drastically different from what I had the capacity to imagine before meeting you.’ And she gives impeccable reading recommendations!”—Hope Yoon

“Right before I came to the writing residency under Fatimah’s mentorship, I was questioning my purpose as an artist. During that vulnerable and transitional time, committing to this residency was the best decision I made. Fatimah held space for all the writers with immense love and care. They taught me how to show up for myself in the work when they said, ‘Love brings me to the page.’ I felt that intention alive within Fatimah as they guided us through the workshop intensive. They take their role as a mentor and teacher seriously and genuinely want you to show up for your work, but it's ultimately up to you to put in that effort. I promise you that by the end of the workshop, you’ll leave thinking…wow…FATIMAH DOES THIS FORREAL! One of the most surreal experiences was witnessing how they delivered feedback to writers across different mediums, including poetry, plays, film, memoir, and novels. Fatimah’s practice moves fluidly across forms, meeting each writer with succinct, insightful, and honest feedback, no matter the style or genre. Every lesson, conversation, and piece of feedback invited me to think about how to earn lyricism in my work. I am a better writer because of Fatimah’s mentorship. They care about every artist while maintaining a healthy mentor-mentee relationship. I’m incredibly grateful for the experience and would recommend any of their writing workshops to anyone looking to invest in their writing practice and cultivate the time for personal and creative growth.”—Shenny De Los Angeles

“I felt my work was understood and appreciated in Ingrid's nonfiction workshop. Her focus on descriptive feedback, first presented through unexpectedly moving letters from my peers describing the work's craft and mechanics, and then carried throughout the discussion, allowed me to feel seen in a way I haven't experienced in previous workshops. Ingrid's care and curiosity about author intention makes for incredibly productive discussions about craft and content, which she facilitates via shrewd and imaginative questions about how the work is appearing and how it could change to better accomplish the author's goals. I was really impressed by her ability to see a hangup in the work and translate it into a generative question that allowed us to reimagine that moment through craft in a way that always felt elegant, elevated, and delicate—and never sacrificing meaning nor emotional truth. I look forward to the next time I can learn from her.”—Carolina Murriel

“I had the privilege of participating in a nine-month intensive fiction writing course led by R. O. I can say without hesitation, in those nine months, under R. O.’s guidance, I grew exponentially as a writer. R. O. understands the courage required to put words on a page and then to share those words with a sometimes unfeeling and critical world. As an instructor, she has a gift for offering feedback that is focused and helpful but delivered with kindness and respect. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from R. O. My time with her has made me a better and more confident writer.”—Brent King 

“Working with and learning from Ingrid over the span of a one year incubator course in 2020 was nothing short of transformational for me and my writing. Not only is Ingrid's command of the craft of writing deep and considered, but her understanding and practice of the intuitive and subterranean aspects of creative work opened my work in ways I could never have imagined. She brought out the best in the nine students in our intimate cohort, and balanced both creating an environment conducive to camaraderie and the generative aspects of writing, while upholding a rigorous standard for what excellent storytelling and literature looks and sounds like. Out of the nine students in my cohort, three went on to professionally publish the early drafts we workshopped in Ingrid's course together. I myself was compelled to finally apply to an MFA program and was accepted into my first-choice program. I graduated a year ago and could not be happier with how my writing continued to be nourished—and it all started in my incubator course with Ingrid! I could not recommend working with Ingrid enough—if you're ready to take both your writing and your writing practice seriously, you will be in the most skillful and generous of hands with her.”—Cameron Price

“R. O. is a wonderfully sensitive reader, a supportive and clear-eyed teacher, and an indispensable guardian spirit of any community she joins! She co-instructed my workshop at a summer writing conference where the cohort shared manuscripts of remarkable caliber across diverse themes, genres, styles, and lived experiences. R. O. met each piece on its own terms and guided discussions with a deep commitment to supporting the writer's vision—asking generative questions, making space for new ideas, and ensuring that, by the end of each conversation, writers were fueled with energy and excitement to return to their work. I especially appreciated her transparency about her own creative process, and the way she taught with the clear understanding that writing—and sharing writing with others—are acts of both courage and vulnerability. Generous and unsparing in her advice on craft, publishing, and the realities of living as a writer in our precarious times, R.O. left a lasting impression on me. I have no doubt that anyone who has the opportunity to study with her will be as inspired by her commitment and wisdom as I was during those long summer days.”—M Lin, author or The Memory Museum

“My experience with the year novel generator was amazing. In just a short year, I was able to complete my first manuscript, and, most importantly, I was able to form a community of writers who were also dreaming about and writing their first book. My experience taking a class with Ingrid Rojas Contreras was during the pandemic, and it was truly a magical time of learning, creating, and gathering inspiration from a writer who is so intentional in every class she teaches. After the class was over, I left with lifelong friends and not only a first book but also the confidence of knowing I would be able to do it again."—María Alejandra Barrios Velez, author of The Waves Take You Home

“I took a writing workshop from R. O. Kwon when I was just beginning to write. I’d never published anything and had only the vaguest idea of what it meant to be a writer. Her insights about my early drafts were invaluable. (I still think about her note to get out of my characters’ head and into their bodies whenever I sit down to write). Kwon also went out of her way to teach us about the publishing industry, what resources are available to writers…If it wasn’t for Kwon’s advice and generosity I don’t know that I would have ever finished my novel.”—Rickey Fayne, author of The Devil Three Times

“Working with Ingrid in a year-long novel generator program was deeply formative, and remains the most meaningful workshop experience I’ve had. It helped me fundamentally reshape my manuscript and, for the first time, establish a sustained writing practice. Ingrid has a rare instinct for designing practices and holding spaces that open work from the inside—guiding writers toward their own voices and enabling them to tell their stories with clarity, momentum, and conviction. She is rigorous and exacting, unfailingly honest, and precise in her attention to structure, detail, meaning, and the beauty of language itself. Beyond the work on the page, Ingrid’s teaching sharpened my thinking, strengthened my discipline, and—most importantly—gave me the courage to reorganize my life around writing. The seriousness with which Ingrid treats the work helped me understand writing not as something done on the margins, but as a sustained practice undertaken in relation to other writers, mentors, readers, and broader artistic communities that carry and challenge the work. Much of what I have since built—in editorial work, teaching, and literary community—can be traced back to that insistence and permission. I entered Ingrid’s workshop in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, amid profound global and personal uncertainty. The container she created was steady, generous, and sustaining—a space where care and rigor were held together, and where showing up for language and creativity felt not only possible, but necessary. Ingrid's mentorship continues to be a touchstone for me: an example of what it means to teach with integrity, mentor generously, and commit fully to the long, demanding, and sustaining work of writing.”—Andra Otilia Nicolescu