Writing Workshops
Upcoming:
Poems & Company: A Two-part Workshop
September 2024
Rose Villa, Milwaukie, Oregon
For information or to request future workshops, readings, book-group visits, or lectures, please email [email protected]
Previous Workshops:
* Writing with Rumi
Come read and write in a workshop focused on and fueled by the generous poetry of Rumi. We'll read a variety of translations and consider what makes his poetry both mystical and practical, not to mention widely appealing. During our time together we'll also write a number of our own poems inspired by Rumi's work. All levels of writing experience welcome. Join us for a feast of poetry; as Rumi's poem 1315 states, "We've given up making a living. / It's all this crazy love poetry now."
* Chairs that Fly and Other Wonders: A Friendly Introduction to the Prose Poem
If you've been curious about the strange invention called the prose poem, join us as we take a closer look at this fascinating creation made out of poetry and prose. As author David Young says, “The prose poem is a very special invention, like a chair that flies...." In this workshop, we'll see what gives it wings as we take a look at various prose poems and create our own through a number of different writing exercises. Come and discover the prose poem with us: all levels of experience welcome.
* Neruda for Writers
Come and explore the work and life of Pablo Neruda -- poet of the secret life of objects, poet of the people, poet who loved to write with green ink. In this workshop we’ll read a range of Neruda poems and try a variety of exercises inspired by this poet who declared, “Poetry is an act of peace. Peace goes into the making of a poet as flour goes into the making of bread.” Neruda also said that writing is like breathing. Together we’ll take a deep breath and a close look at this generous and prolific poet. All levels of writing experience welcome.
* The Good, the Bad, and the Delightfully Strange: A Love Poetry Workshop
If you’ve been wary of writing love poems, or have had a folder of them stashed away for years, join us as we take a new look at love poetry. Together we’ll read a range of vital poems and see what makes them tick. From forlorn to vibrant, from Rumi’s Friend to Christopher Smart’s cat, we’ll explore the many facets of love poems and try a variety of exercises to create our own. All levels of writing experience warmly welcome.
* Reading Jane Austen: Sponsored by Soapstone
Perhaps we shouldn’t find Jane Austen’s novels as fascinating as we do: people from another era sit quietly and talk. They politely drink tea. Characters take uneventful walks to neighboring towns. Yet the tensions, passions, and histories in that world of small gestures make the novels of Austen complex, astute, and, in a word, irresistible. This study group will look at four of Austen’s enduring novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion. We’ll consider the questions Austen’s work raises, especially her recurring and timely inquiry into whether the heart and mind stand a chance in a world dominated by status and money.
Participants are asked to read one novel per session and join in a relaxed and friendly discussion. Since Austen’s characters valued good conversation over tea or a meal, we will too: please feel free to bring your lunch or pick up a cup of tea at the TaborSpace café.
Whether you are new to Austen’s work or a long-time fan, a reader looking to immerse herself in another world or a writer hoping to gain new insights from a past master, this study group welcomes you.
* Experimenting with Found Poetry: A Hands-On Workshop
“Found poetry” has been often been described as the literary version of a collage: taking any kind of writing and reworking/re-seeing/re-saying it as poetry. In this workshop, we’ll explore the vibrant possibilities the found poem creates. We’ll take a close look at a variety of found poems and try our own hand at erasure poems, centos, cut-ups, and others, using lines from books, candy wrappers, instruction manuals, and other seemingly non-poetic sources. Experimenting with found poetry has a way of creating sparks that change the way you see your own writing and process. Come and play with words: all levels of experience welcome.
* Poetry and Its Sisters: Writing About Art
Whether giving voice to a painting, interpreting a statue, or confronting a photograph, poetry has always had a lot to say about its sister arts. In this workshop we’ll take a look at a range of intriguing ekphrastic poems and see how they work and what they do. We’ll also see what happens when we ourselves write in response to other art forms. W.H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, and Rainer Maria Rilke and many others couldn’t resist the ekphrastic poem — come and see why.
* Rilke for Writers: A Poetry Workshop
If you’ve been intrigued by the intense lyrics and beautiful elegies of Rainer Maria Rilke, join us as we explore the work of this remarkable poet. In this workshop we’ll look closely at a range of Rilke’s poems and techniques, uncover the myths and truths of his life and process, and try a variety of writing exercises inspired by Rilke’s work. With Rilke as our guide, we’ll follow his advice to “be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves….”
* The Prose Poem (A two-part workshop)
Try a taste of the prose poem, that strange and wonderful concoction of poetry and prose. In the first session of this two-part workshop, we’ll sort through the elements of this fascinating form and read a selection of poems from writers old and new. As author David Young says, “The prose poem is a very special invention, like a chair that flies...." In the first session, we’ll see what gives it wings. In the weeks between sessions, we’ll write our own prose poems and then meet again in the second session to share them and talk about how we can continue to experiment with this remarkably rich, fun and feisty form of poetry. All levels of experience welcome.
* Whitman and Dickinson for Writers
Come write, read, and sit at the table with two remarkable poetry guides: Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Instead of seeing these poets as untouchable literary ancestors, in this two-part workshop we’ll take a look at the very practical things we can learn from them as fellow writers who loved and struggled with this craft. Together we’ll read poems by each author and try a variety of writing exercises suggested by their work and ideas. If you’ve been wary of either poet, or simply curious about them, this is a great way to make discoveries about their writing, as well as your own. All levels of experience welcome.
* Small and Beguiling: A Short Poem Workshop
The short poem is a beguiling creature, offering hope to tired and harried writers while revealing surprising depths and distances within its bounds. In this workshop we'll read small poems with large hearts as well as tiny poems that expand to encompass wide places of the mind, seeking how they work their magic. We'll also generate our own poems and play with a variety of options offered by this encouraging, intense, and versatile form. All levels of experience welcome.
* Starting Here: A Poetry Workshop of Many Beginnings
Whether you are returning to the page after a day or a lifetime away from it, sitting down to write can be daunting, especially when the blank page is more of a locked gate than an open door. In this workshop we’ll look at practical techniques for getting started. We’ll also read wise and kind poems for inspiration, and try a number of new poems so that you leave the workshop with writing already underway. Naomi Shihab Nye says that poems hide – but not impossibly far away: “What we have to
do / is live in a way that lets us find them.” Starting here, we’ll begin to find them again. All levels of experience welcome.
* First Steps in Creative Writing
Whether you want to begin your memoir, plot out that short story you've been dreaming of, or write a beautiful letter, every piece of writing, like every journey, starts with a single step. Whether you are new to the page or have always loved putting your thoughts into writing, join us as we follow the trail of our ideas into writing. If you've always wanted to write but have been held back by memories of old school papers marked up with red ink, this is the place to start. Together we'll look at various types of writing and try our hand at our own in a supportive environment, discovering our strengths and voices as we go.
Upcoming:
Poems & Company: A Two-part Workshop
September 2024
Rose Villa, Milwaukie, Oregon
For information or to request future workshops, readings, book-group visits, or lectures, please email [email protected]
Previous Workshops:
* Writing with Rumi
Come read and write in a workshop focused on and fueled by the generous poetry of Rumi. We'll read a variety of translations and consider what makes his poetry both mystical and practical, not to mention widely appealing. During our time together we'll also write a number of our own poems inspired by Rumi's work. All levels of writing experience welcome. Join us for a feast of poetry; as Rumi's poem 1315 states, "We've given up making a living. / It's all this crazy love poetry now."
* Chairs that Fly and Other Wonders: A Friendly Introduction to the Prose Poem
If you've been curious about the strange invention called the prose poem, join us as we take a closer look at this fascinating creation made out of poetry and prose. As author David Young says, “The prose poem is a very special invention, like a chair that flies...." In this workshop, we'll see what gives it wings as we take a look at various prose poems and create our own through a number of different writing exercises. Come and discover the prose poem with us: all levels of experience welcome.
* Neruda for Writers
Come and explore the work and life of Pablo Neruda -- poet of the secret life of objects, poet of the people, poet who loved to write with green ink. In this workshop we’ll read a range of Neruda poems and try a variety of exercises inspired by this poet who declared, “Poetry is an act of peace. Peace goes into the making of a poet as flour goes into the making of bread.” Neruda also said that writing is like breathing. Together we’ll take a deep breath and a close look at this generous and prolific poet. All levels of writing experience welcome.
* The Good, the Bad, and the Delightfully Strange: A Love Poetry Workshop
If you’ve been wary of writing love poems, or have had a folder of them stashed away for years, join us as we take a new look at love poetry. Together we’ll read a range of vital poems and see what makes them tick. From forlorn to vibrant, from Rumi’s Friend to Christopher Smart’s cat, we’ll explore the many facets of love poems and try a variety of exercises to create our own. All levels of writing experience warmly welcome.
* Reading Jane Austen: Sponsored by Soapstone
Perhaps we shouldn’t find Jane Austen’s novels as fascinating as we do: people from another era sit quietly and talk. They politely drink tea. Characters take uneventful walks to neighboring towns. Yet the tensions, passions, and histories in that world of small gestures make the novels of Austen complex, astute, and, in a word, irresistible. This study group will look at four of Austen’s enduring novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion. We’ll consider the questions Austen’s work raises, especially her recurring and timely inquiry into whether the heart and mind stand a chance in a world dominated by status and money.
Participants are asked to read one novel per session and join in a relaxed and friendly discussion. Since Austen’s characters valued good conversation over tea or a meal, we will too: please feel free to bring your lunch or pick up a cup of tea at the TaborSpace café.
Whether you are new to Austen’s work or a long-time fan, a reader looking to immerse herself in another world or a writer hoping to gain new insights from a past master, this study group welcomes you.
* Experimenting with Found Poetry: A Hands-On Workshop
“Found poetry” has been often been described as the literary version of a collage: taking any kind of writing and reworking/re-seeing/re-saying it as poetry. In this workshop, we’ll explore the vibrant possibilities the found poem creates. We’ll take a close look at a variety of found poems and try our own hand at erasure poems, centos, cut-ups, and others, using lines from books, candy wrappers, instruction manuals, and other seemingly non-poetic sources. Experimenting with found poetry has a way of creating sparks that change the way you see your own writing and process. Come and play with words: all levels of experience welcome.
* Poetry and Its Sisters: Writing About Art
Whether giving voice to a painting, interpreting a statue, or confronting a photograph, poetry has always had a lot to say about its sister arts. In this workshop we’ll take a look at a range of intriguing ekphrastic poems and see how they work and what they do. We’ll also see what happens when we ourselves write in response to other art forms. W.H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, and Rainer Maria Rilke and many others couldn’t resist the ekphrastic poem — come and see why.
* Rilke for Writers: A Poetry Workshop
If you’ve been intrigued by the intense lyrics and beautiful elegies of Rainer Maria Rilke, join us as we explore the work of this remarkable poet. In this workshop we’ll look closely at a range of Rilke’s poems and techniques, uncover the myths and truths of his life and process, and try a variety of writing exercises inspired by Rilke’s work. With Rilke as our guide, we’ll follow his advice to “be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves….”
* The Prose Poem (A two-part workshop)
Try a taste of the prose poem, that strange and wonderful concoction of poetry and prose. In the first session of this two-part workshop, we’ll sort through the elements of this fascinating form and read a selection of poems from writers old and new. As author David Young says, “The prose poem is a very special invention, like a chair that flies...." In the first session, we’ll see what gives it wings. In the weeks between sessions, we’ll write our own prose poems and then meet again in the second session to share them and talk about how we can continue to experiment with this remarkably rich, fun and feisty form of poetry. All levels of experience welcome.
* Whitman and Dickinson for Writers
Come write, read, and sit at the table with two remarkable poetry guides: Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Instead of seeing these poets as untouchable literary ancestors, in this two-part workshop we’ll take a look at the very practical things we can learn from them as fellow writers who loved and struggled with this craft. Together we’ll read poems by each author and try a variety of writing exercises suggested by their work and ideas. If you’ve been wary of either poet, or simply curious about them, this is a great way to make discoveries about their writing, as well as your own. All levels of experience welcome.
* Small and Beguiling: A Short Poem Workshop
The short poem is a beguiling creature, offering hope to tired and harried writers while revealing surprising depths and distances within its bounds. In this workshop we'll read small poems with large hearts as well as tiny poems that expand to encompass wide places of the mind, seeking how they work their magic. We'll also generate our own poems and play with a variety of options offered by this encouraging, intense, and versatile form. All levels of experience welcome.
* Starting Here: A Poetry Workshop of Many Beginnings
Whether you are returning to the page after a day or a lifetime away from it, sitting down to write can be daunting, especially when the blank page is more of a locked gate than an open door. In this workshop we’ll look at practical techniques for getting started. We’ll also read wise and kind poems for inspiration, and try a number of new poems so that you leave the workshop with writing already underway. Naomi Shihab Nye says that poems hide – but not impossibly far away: “What we have to
do / is live in a way that lets us find them.” Starting here, we’ll begin to find them again. All levels of experience welcome.
* First Steps in Creative Writing
Whether you want to begin your memoir, plot out that short story you've been dreaming of, or write a beautiful letter, every piece of writing, like every journey, starts with a single step. Whether you are new to the page or have always loved putting your thoughts into writing, join us as we follow the trail of our ideas into writing. If you've always wanted to write but have been held back by memories of old school papers marked up with red ink, this is the place to start. Together we'll look at various types of writing and try our hand at our own in a supportive environment, discovering our strengths and voices as we go.
