Teaching

CRAFT & PEDAGOGY

Teaching & Retreats

I teach writing as a practice of attention — to language, to memory, to the self that shows up on the page. All levels welcome, from beginners to longtime poets to elders finding new stories to tell. I also lead small, immersive writing retreats: fewer people, more time, a deeper encounter with the page.

Currently Running

CURRENTLY RUNNING

Where the Poem Begins

📍 The Writers Grotto · Online (Zoom) · Mondays & Thursdays, 6:00–7:30 PM PT

An eight-session generative poetry class exploring image, permission, line, form, movement, and revision. July 6–30, 2026.

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CURRENTLY RUNNING

Write Stronger Poems Through Form

📍 The Writers Grotto · Online (Zoom) · Fridays, 12:00–1:30 PM PT

Exploring the pantoum, sonnet, tanka, and ghazal — how formal constraint creates emotional movement and stronger poems. July 10–31, 2026.

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CURRENTLY RUNNING

Creative Writing & Storytelling

📍 Litquake Elder Project · Online · Every Tuesday, 1:00–2:30 PM PT

A weekly workshop for elder writers — reading published work, writing from prompts, and sharing in community. Co-taught with Tureeda Mikell, Michelle Kicherer, and Denise Sullivan.

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CURRENTLY RUNNING

Community Living Campaign Writing Workshop

📍 Litquake Elder Project · Online · Every Wednesday, 6:00–7:45 PM PT

Readings, discussion, writing prompts, and sharing. Co-taught with Melissa Cistaro, Antony Fangary, Tureeda Mikell, Tam Putnam, and Denise Sullivan.

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Upcoming

UPCOMING · AUGUST

Write With Image, Not Explanation

📍 The Writers Grotto · Fridays, 12:00–1:30 PM PT

A four-week prose class on image, compression, emotional restraint, and sentence movement — replacing explanation with vivid writing. Suitable for fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid writers. August 7–28, 2026.

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UPCOMING · AUGUST

What We Carry: Writing Ancestral Memory Through Story, Image, and Inheritance

📍 San Diego Writers, Ink · Write Your Story Now

Exploring how ancestral memory becomes poetry and prose — through story, image, and inheritance. August 22 & 29, 2026.

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UPCOMING · SEPTEMBER

The Strange Shape of the Poem

📍 The Writers Grotto · Fridays, 11:30 AM–1:30 PM PT

Fragmentation, repetition, visual structure, and hybrid poetic forms — exploring emotional movement through structure. September 4–25, 2026.

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UPCOMING · OCTOBER

Writing Between Forms

📍 The Writers Grotto · Fridays, 11:30 AM–1:30 PM PT

A hybrid workshop exploring poetry, memoir, essay, prose poetry, braided essays, and genre-crossing forms — studying Bhanu Kapil, Jenny Boully, Maggie Nelson, Natalie Diaz, Lia Purpura, Alexander Chee, and others. October 2–23, 2026.

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UPCOMING · OCTOBER

The Unsaid: Writing Through Silence, Secrecy, and Omission

📍 San Diego Writers, Ink · Write Your Story Now

A workshop on what we leave out — silence, secrecy, and omission as craft. October 10 & 17, 2026.

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UPCOMING · NOVEMBER

Character Without Backstory: Revealing the Inner Life Through Scene, Dialogue, and Image

📍 San Diego Writers, Ink · Write Your Story Now

Exploring how character emerges through scene, dialogue, gesture, and image — not backstory. November 7, 2026.

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See current class dates and register →

Sabina Khan-Ibarra teaching online

“I’m less interested in perfect answers than in meaningful questions.”

RETREATS · FIRST COHORT FALL 2026

Keeper of Stories Retreats

Rooted in the belief that writing begins with attention, these retreats invite participants to slow down, listen closely, and explore the stories that matter most to them. Through generative prompts, close reading, discussion, and dedicated writing time, we engage with memory, image, place, and lived experience.

Days together, rather than hours, change what’s possible: there’s time to return to a poem after sleeping on it, to sit with a story past the point where you’d normally stop. Whether you are beginning a new project, returning to the page, or simply seeking creative renewal, Keeper of Stories Retreats offer a welcoming space to write, reflect, and connect.

Generative prompts Close reading Dedicated writing time Memory & place Small & intimate

The first Keeper of Stories retreat is planned for fall 2026. Join the waitlist to be the first to know when exact dates and location are announced.

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FROM STUDENTS

“The poems I began in this class went on to be published. Sabina’s thoughtful, craft-driven approach helped me create some of my strongest work.”

“She makes complex craft concepts tangible without oversimplifying them. Every class left me with practical tools I still use in my writing.”

1:1 MENTORSHIP

Private Coaching

I work one-on-one with writers at all stages — from first sparks to final revisions. Sessions might mean a manuscript consultation, focused work in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction, help preparing MFA applications, or a submission strategy for journals and agents. Limited spots available each season.

Inquire About Private Sessions