Hey there!
I recently posted a link to a four-day generative writing class which will be *in person* in Portland. I’ve got about six spots left. Snag one? This class should be a good time!
To clarify, by “generative” I mean that the focus will be on generating new work. We will also focus on a few key cornerstones of the craft.
My goal is to support your writing, wherever you are with it. There’s an old line about writing (often mistakenly attributed to Hemingway) and the punchline is, of course, “I just open a vein and bleed…”
Writing is hard. It can be hard in strange ways. This round, for four weeks, let’s not open a vein, so much, as open our minds and let the words come a little easier…I’ve got a few tricks for helping writers get words on the page! To say the class is aimed at keeping some fun in the process doesn’t mean that the writing itself can’t be weighty, dark or troubled. Not at all. Sometimes, that’s the fun stuff…! Ha! but we don’t have to beat ourselves up in the process.
I have roughly twenty-five years of teaching experience. I’ve taught at private colleges, public universities, community colleges, weekend workshops and other venues, before taking few years off. Now, I’ve put a lot of thought into how I’d like to step back into teaching. My dream is this: Find deceptively simple portals, ways of entering into the process, stepping away from anxiety and ambition, while sinking deeply into craft, dreams and community.
Ideally, we’ll forge a path to newly reenergized writing.
The link to that course is here, with more details and a description:
That one is Monday evenings, 6-8 PM, at Rose City Book Pub on NE Fremont. More details for those who sign up.
A number of people have asked if I might have an online version of this course. I appreciate it! So great! Because of the requests, I’m working on one and will get back to you shortly. More soon.
I have another course which I haven’t yet begun to publicize. This one—again, in person, in Portland—is a writing workshop. By that I mean there is an expectation that participants will bring in work and share it. Through direct on-the-spot feedback, you will carry home the voices and wisdom of many writers, at various levels of accomplishment and practice, an ever-strengthening sense of audience, in relation to your work-in-progress. It’s amazing how much a good workshop can speed up the writing process, projects. Also, through the process of engaging in workshop you will strengthen your ability to analyze work and discuss material with the author and others, always with the goal of being supportive.
The first class, Writer’s Recess, is aimed at generating new work.
The second is designed for revising and continuing work which you may already have in draft form, as well as new work inspired by the workshop.
The two courses can work in combination. They also work as stand-alone courses. Either way!
If you have questions, I’m here. Please, ask.
It’s exciting to get back to teaching. I hope you might be a part of one or the other or both of these courses.
On your side, in the literary and pop culture pursuits!
M
Chuck sent me. Nice to meet you! It makes me so happy to see incredible writers like you and Suzy and Lidia and Chuck sharing your wisdom and experience. I desperately need a class like this because I've been struggling for a while with my writing. An insane amount of self-doubt.
Having read Chuck's book Consider This, I have a bunch of new rules spinning in my head. It feels like they sort of fused with my inner critic haha
Also I love hearing stories about Tom's workshop.
Thanks for the info! Fingers crossed for the future online course!! Have a great class, all!