PERSONAL EFFECTS:
AN INTER-GENERATIONAL WOMEN’S MEMOIR WRITING WORKSHOP

This class will explore the relationship between the individual’s autobiography and the period in history in which she lives. We will explore the motivations that have compelled women throughout the ages to write their memoirs - and work together to write our own.

Our writing will spring from prompts based in memory, history, the differences between our adult and childhood selves, and the social, political and cultural contexts in which our lives are taking shape.

Each workshop will include a reading and discussion from selected texts and books by women authors who have shared their lives through memoir and poetry.

Participants of all ages and educational backgrounds are encouraged to attend. Discussions and workshopping will be livelier with a mix of age groups.

THE PURE JOY OF POETRY

Each of our workshop sessions will open with a half hour to focus upon the work of a contemporary poet. The first book to be discussed is Jayne Relaford Brown’s My First Real Tree, published by FootHills Publishing.

A book (or selected texts) by the "poet of the month" will be assigned to be read in advance, and discussed during the first half hour. The hour and a half of workshop time following will consist of exchanges of creative work by participants. Optional assignments and imaginative exercises will be offered. Our goal is to explore sources of poetry within the self while honing our techniques on craft. To write poetry is to connect with the self and the world and to experience the joys of language. Both new and established writers are invited to take part in this supportive workshop.

BOOK OF DAYS:
A WORKSHOP IN JOURNALLING

Writing, like everything else, takes discipline. In this workshop we will explore a variety of journaling techniques from outlining, sketching and freewriting to the three-minute “brain drain.” We’ll begin each session with prompt to stir your imagination. Whether you seek an spiritual outlet for the self or just a way to record your daily thoughts, this workshop will give you the energy you need to add the ritual of writing into your everday life.

Both new and established writers are welcome.

UNFOLDING THE LOTUS:
A WORKSHOP IN BOOKMAKING

In this workshop we will explore a variety of book forms - books as containers, books as messages, books as metaphors for what they contain. Participants are welcome to bring content ideas (poems, stories, memoir, drawings, etc.) or they can arrive empty-handed and gain ideas while we discuss and create some forms from the whimsical to the dramatic. You will leave this workshop with a finished handmade book of your own, and the pride that goes with making something with your own two hands.

No previous design or book-making experience necessary. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

I AM THE VOICE OF AMERICA:
POETRY FOR TEENAGERS

Discover a way to tell your story. Breathe in the world and breathe out poetry just as millions of others throughout the world and history have done. In this workshop, poetry is something that you will define for yourself. We will gather together in conversation, read and discuss poems by contemporary teen and adult poets, practice reading poems for an audience, write some of our own poems and revise and support one another’s work. This workshop can culminate in a reading for the community, or in a printed anthology. All teens are welcome.

EKPHRASTIC DELIGHTS:
POETRY FROM ART

In this workshop we’ll primarily discuss writing poetry in response to visual art, although in ekphrastic work the pendulum can swing either way. Our writing may define, redefine, or react to (in whatever way feels valid to the writer) the original piece of art. That piece of art can be anything from the design on a can of shoe polish to an Old Masters painting. We’ll read some examples of ekphastic poems and take a few field trips to find the inspiration for writing our own. This workshop may culminate in a poetry reading and/or a print anthology of the work created.

THE HOUSE THAT SANG:
STORIES OF THE COMMUNITY

Get to know your community and the stories of it’s architecture, people and natural resources through this workshop. Through readings, field trips to the local library and historical society for research, and walks around town, we’ll discover the collective voice of your community and create a series of stories, poems and/or essays to reflect that spirit. All ages and degrees of writing level are welcome. It is recommended that the workshop culminate in a reading of the work created at a community center of the group’s choice.

WRITING IN THE KEY OF RED:
CROSS-MODAL POETRY

Sure, you might say you "saw red" when your boss ignored your great new proposal, but a true synesthete may see red splotches when hearing music, or feel a sensation like a heavy rock rolling up and down her arms when she eats French fries. Can ordinary words have specific colors, peculiar shapes and music? In this workshop, we won’t turn anyone into a synesthete (impossible!) but we’ll get as close as we can to criss-crossing the senses to generate poetry that is musical, magical and at times, surreal. All levels of writing ability are welcome.