Writers tend to be an isolated bunch. The pandemic has only heightened our isolation. However, we all benefit from coming together in spaces that encourage our creativity and push us in new directions even if it is through a screen. Join the professional writers of the Missoula Writing Collaborative for our biannual Writers’ Room on Saturday, March 6, 2021. Hone your writing skills in a genre you’re familiar with or reach out and try a new one. Register for classes in the morning and/or afternoon. All classes will be on Zoom. OPI Credit Available.
10 am – 12 pm
The Obituary, Writing Your Own// Robert Lee // This class is life affirming. It is our chance to reflect on the adventures and accomplishments of our lives, to work on a timeline of significant events, and to consider what stories we hope people will share when we are gone. By penning our own obit, we will dwell not on death but on lives well-lived. This exercise will also prove valuable to anyone considering memoir. Please join us. I think we will all feel uplifted at the end of this class.
Food Writing// Emily Freeman // Learn how to bring the tastes, smells, and colors of the kitchen (or garden) to the page. We’ll read, discuss, and write all about food. Warning: you may emerge hungry!
You’re a Sky Full of Stars: On Metaphor // Becca Carson // In this generative workshop we will harness the power of metaphor to create drafts of poems that move out of the cliche and into the grit of the specific. This generative workshop will interrogate the machinery of poems that work well and we’ll use that same machinery to build our own work. Participants will read from a variety of work and be afforded time to write and edit original drafts. This workshop will operate in a hands on, interactive format and leave participants with material to build on after the workshop ends.
2 pm – 4 pm
The Art of Brevity: Flash Nonfiction// Melissa Stephenson // In this generative workshop, we’ll explore the thrills and challenges of creating complete pieces in a compressed space (ideally 750 words or less). We’ll analyze examples of modern flash nonfiction and discuss how to make the leap from the tiny to the enormous in our own writing. We’ll take time to write, share, and talk about options for revising, collecting, and publishing flash pieces as well.
Make a Scene// Caroline Patterson // Starting with a moment of impact, we’ll use senses, dialogue, and character to create the first scene of that story that has been lingering in your imagination.
COST:
1 two-hour class: $26 students/seniors
1 two-hour class: $32 general public
2 two-hour classes: $42 students/seniors
2 two-hour classes: $54 general public
OPI credit available for teachers!
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