Bikozulu Masterclass 2023

What is the Creative Writing Masterclass?

The Creative Writing Masterclass is an in-person learning experience hosted by Bikozulu.

Our goal for the Masterclass is to inform and inspire our participants to write more professionally, more creatively.

Jackson Biko himself teaches the class.

He also prepares the curriculum; it draws from his personal experiences as a creative writer, 15 years in the industry and counting.

Biko has also published two books and won many creative writing awards.

The genre we focus on is creative non-fiction. That is, creative-nonfiction for writing in magazines, blogs, newspaper features, personal journals and any other platform that embraces creativity in its storytelling.

What are the dates and timings for the Masterclass?

We will hold the Classes every quarter this year, all in-person.

Wednesday to Friday, each day from 9 a.m to 4.30 p.m.

This is our 2023 calendar:

  • March-2023 Edition: Confirmed, 29 to 31 March 2023
  • June-2023 Edition: Tentative, 28 to 30 June 2023
  • September-2023 Edition: Tentative, 27 to 29 September 2023
  • December-2023 Edition: Tentative, 13 to 15 December 2023

Is there still an online Masterclass?

No, all our Classes this year will be hosted in person.

What is the charge for the Masterclass?

Charge per participant is Sh40,000.

The slots are on a first-come first-served basis – each slot goes to whoever pays first.

We do not reserve slots for anyone.

You can also make payment to reserve a slot for a future Edition.

What are the payment options?

You have two options.

Option one: Pay in two installments. Make a deposit of Sh20,000 to reserve your slot. Settle the balance of Sh20,000 a week before Class.

Option two: Pay the full amount of Sh40,000 upfront.

You will make your payment through our Marketplace.

What are the prerequisites to join the Masterclass?

There’s only one: you just have to love words (reading and writing them), and telling stories on paper

How do I know if the Masterclass is a good fit for me?

Our Masterclass is a good fit for you if you are:

  • A novice writer looking to kick-start your professional writing career – you want to know what it takes to make a decent living from your words
  • Are seeking the push to get back into your old habits of reading and writing
  • Looking to incorporate colour and creativity in how you communicate in writing
  • Have written/are writing a book and seek the creative-writing skill to tighten your copy, before publishing your book
  • Employed full-time and would like to develop the basic skills to write on the side and make some money
  • Generating content online and would like to build an audience to market your content to (on websites, blogs and social media channels)

What isn’t covered in your Masterclass?

Our Masterclass does not cover the following in its curriculum:

  • Report writing for official communication
  • Story-telling particular to NGOs
  • Copywriting for ad execs
  • Script writing for TV and radio
  • Poetry
  • Elements of style specific to fiction

What's the Masterclass curriculum like, in a nutshell?

Our curriculum explores writing as a craft, an art and as a profession.

We will cover the following – and more – during the Masterclass:

  • Storytelling in the genre of creative non-fiction
  • Intros and breaking into a story
  • The art of description and dialogue
  • Simple but emotive writing
  • Habits of a good writer
  • Collecting and refining story ideas
  • How to create writing discipline
  • The art of interviewing
  • How to make money from your writing
  • The world of self-publishing.

We will also host other writers from the industry as guest speakers.

I want to join the next MasterClass