An Online Writing Event
Fri. March 26th, 3 pm PST 6 p.m. EST
For years I have considered writing and reading stories and poems to be a sacred act, and often when a story is read to me I feel like I am receiving a prayer. Inviting the sacred into the creation of our stories and poems casts a spell on us as we are writing, and the spell we cast goes out to the reader as they absorb our words. We invite the reader to awaken a part of their soul and lean into the personal and universal wisdom.
Poet Carol Ann Duffy writes, “Some days when we can’t pray, a prayer utters itself, so a woman will lift her head from the sieve of her hands, and stare at the minims sung by a tree, a sudden gift.
In this 2 1/2 hour live, interactive class, storytellers and poets will learn to:
- Connect with the spiritual for our creative content
- Invite rhythm and prayer into our writing creations so we open our hearts and the hearts of our readers
- Open the gates to the divine wisdoms that live inside us all
Join author and writing teacher Laura Lentz, poets Ellen Bass and Barbara Ras and chaplain Elizabeth Becker for a live online writing exploration, where we will be inspired by masters of the written word – Ellen Bass and Barbara Ras. After we receive their wisdom, we will create our own sacred story or poem in the class, then break into small groups to read them out loud to each other.
Learn from Authors Ellen Bass and Barbara Ras
Ellen and Barbara will read from their own sacred poetry to inspire you to create your own, discussing how they invite the sacred into their work. Together, they will share their writing practices, the lens they have as artists to create compelling poetry that serves as an invitation to the soul. Learn how to turn the every day of life into sacred art through these two masters of the written word.
Create your own poetry & story in the workshop
After Ellen and Barbara read, Laura and Elizabeth will read additional inspiration and offer writing exercises to invite the sacred and prayer into poetry story, teaching a short class with exercises to drop writers into their own sacred word artistry.
Writers will write for thirteen minutes together, then break into small groups of eight writers to read their stories back.
Read Your Story in Small Groups of Eight
Each group will have a trained Story Educator to listen to your story after you write in Zoom breakout rooms, and offer feedback. Laura and Elizabeth will both host their own a breakout rooms. The act of receiving each other’s stories in a safe, contained group where you will receive positive feedback on your work by all participants is an act of grace. Laura’s online writing events and our community of writers continues to expand throughout the world, while offering live, intimate classes that expand into a larger community for sharing and feedback.
Share your Sacred Poem or Story after the Event in a Private Facebook Group
After the event, you will share your story with other writers who have taken the class and will be posting. It’s a safe, expansive group for sharing your work to a larger, supportive creative community.
About Ellen Bass
Ellen Bass is a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. Her most recent book, Indigo, was published by Copper Canyon Press in April 2020. Other poetry collections include Like a Beggar (Copper Canyon Press, 2014)—which was a finalist for The Paterson Poetry Prize, The Publishers Triangle Award, The Milt Kessler Poetry Award, The Lambda Literary Award, and the Northern California Book Award—The Human Line(Copper Canyon Press, 2007), and Mules of Love (BOA Editions, 2002), which won The Lambda Literary Award. She co-edited (with Florence Howe) the first major anthology of women’s poetry, No More Masks! (Doubleday, 1973).
Ellen’s live and recorded Friday Living Room Craft Talks are series that offer poets wisdom on creating and editing poetry. Ellen Bass and other contemporary award winning poets appear in her craft talks. For more information, www.Ellenbass.com
About Angelo Geter
Angelo ‘Eyeambic’ Geter is a dynamic poet, spoken word artist and motivational speaker who merges his passions for poetry and speaking into a unique performance that
educates, entertains and inspires. Angelo’s work touches on a variety of issues including social justice, race, grief, character and manhood. He blends his pieces with commentary, stories and personal narratives that transcend a traditional lecture or performance.
Over the course of his career, Angelo has amassed several accolades. He currently serves as the Poet Laureate of Rock Hill, SC, and a 2020 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. Geter is also a 2019 All-America city winner, 2018 National Poetry Slam champion, Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam finalist, Southern Fried Regional Poetry Slam finalist and has performed and competed in several venues across the country. His work has appeared on All Def Poetry, Charleston Currents, and the Academy of American Poets “Poem a Day” series.
Angelo ‘Eyeambic’ Geter is a dynamic poet, spoken word artist and motivational speaker who merges his passions for poetry and speaking into a unique performance that educates, entertains and inspires. Angelo’s work touches on a variety of issues including social justice, race, grief, character and manhood. He blends his pieces with commentary, stories and personal narratives that transcend a traditional lecture or performance.
Over the course of his career, Angelo has amassed several accolades. He currently serves as the Poet Laureate of Rock Hill, SC, and a 2020 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. Geter is also a 2019 All-America city winner, 2018 National Poetry Slam champion, Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam finalist, Southern Fried Regional Poetry Slam finalist and has performed and competed in several venues across the country. His work has appeared on All Def Poetry, Charleston Currents, and the Academy of American Poets “Poem a Day” series.
About Barbara Ras
Barbara Ras’ collection of poems, Bite Every Sorrow (LSU Press, 1998), was chosen by C. K. Williams to receive the 1997 Walt Whitman Award. In his citation, Williams said: “Barbara Ras’s poems are informed by a metaphysically erudite and whimsical intelligence…her verbal expertise and lucidity are as bright and surprising as her knowledge of the world is profound. This is a splendid book, morally serious, poetically authentic, spiritually discerning.” Barbara’s new book The Blues of Heaven is available for order March 9th, 2021
Watch Barbara Ras read her her poem Washing the Elephant for a taste of how prayer shows up in poetry.
Barbara’s other books of poetry include One Hidden Stuff (2006) and The Last Skin (2010). She is also the editor of a collection of short fiction in translation, Costa Rica: A Traveler’s Literary Companion (Whereabouts Press, 1994).
About Laura Lentz
An internationally respected author of the popular writer’s workbook STORYquest, the Writer, the Hero the Journey, creative coach and writing teacher, Laura Lentz has been teaching themed writing workshops for over ten years for writers and authors.
Laura is the founder of Literati Academy and teaches weekly, intimate, small writing workshops in an expansive community that includes writers from all over the world. Laura’s 6-week themed online workshops occur throughout the year and are designed to help students create content through inspiration and timed writing prompts, while learning the craft of writing. Laura’s next six week writing series is The Sacred Poetics of Story: Adding Magic to Memoir
Laura is on the faculty of the Kauai Writers Conference. She is teaching a location based master class at the 2019 Kauai Writers Conference where writers can create at sacred spots throughout Kauai.
About Elizabeth Becker
Elizabeth has been writing poetry and personal essays in Laura’s online writing groups for years, and has taught several Literati Academy writing workshops including STORYquest Memoir writing. Her background in marketing and hospitality have fueled her mid-life shift into becoming an Interfaith Chaplain and Spiritual Companion. She often uses story-telling as a means for transformation. A student of grief and renewal, Elizabeth designs retreats and workshops, and is pursuing her masters degree in Divinity. Her memoir and poetry writing projects are woven into her life in a magical cottage, shared with her children and 97-year-old father, John Becker.
