Beginnings: January 2018
What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
--Mary Oliver
The first days of January can be a bright and heady time, full of promise and anticipation. They can also be dark and disappointing--why should this year be any different from the last? I try to make time and space in the new year to reflect on I've been and where I might like to head. Nothing as pithy and catchphrase-worthy as a resolution. A state of the union, if you will.
I hope you'll join me to explore life on the page at one of the below occasions. If I don't see you, be well, hope big, love deeply.
January Writing Workshops
Introduction to Creative Writing
Have you always thought about creative writing but never knew how to begin? This class will introduce you to the basic elements of storytelling, such as character, setting, and dialogue. Whether you are interested in writing fiction or nonfiction, this class will help you find your own creative voice and start getting your stories on the page. Bring a pen and a notebook (or a laptop if writing by hand is a challenge).
Date & time: January 30–February 8, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30–8:00pm (4 sessions)
Location: Durham Arts Council, 120 Morris St.
More information & registration here.
Short Assignments
In her book Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott encourages us to get our writing started with short assignments, describing everything we can see through a one-inch picture frame. We'll focus in on the details to start creating place and character.
Date & time: January 22, 2018, 6:30pm-8:30pm.
Location: The Mothership, 401 W Geer St, Durham.
New Year's Reading List: Books on Writing
If your writing muscles are creaky after the holiday break, revitalize with a book on writing. Here are some of my favorites.
Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones. A direct, down to earth book that addresses roadblocks and helps encourage a more regular writing practice.
Francine Prose: Reading Like A Writer. Nice, detailed book on craft with plenty of examples culled from a range of texts.
Stephen King: On Writing. Humor and wisdom for writers at every stage, as well as an honest telling of his own journeys in writing and life.
William Zinsser: On Writing Well, Writing About Your Life, How to Write a Memoir. Zinsser was a nonfiction master, and his books should not be missed by those interested in how to tell the truth on the page.
John Gardner: The Art of Fiction, On Becoming a Novelist. These books at times can feel outdated, but the kernels are still nutritious.
James Woods: How Fiction Works. A little pretentious at times, but I found no shortage of insight here.
Before you head over to Amazon, please consider your local independent bookstore. Did you know you can call your bookstore, ask them to order a book for you, and they will call you when it's arrived? You get to have a conversation with a nice, helpful person and no box to recycle afterward. It'll brighten your day more than a button click, I assure you.
To Go Poem
Before you head off into your day,
read this poem by José Olivarez:
I Walk Into Every Room and Yell Where the Mexicans At