Being a human is harder than ever in our world on fire. For writers, these challenging times invite us to Resistance Writing – a call for tolerance, reflection, reconciliation, and healing. The wisdom from our lives weaves is like golden threads sewn into a beautiful human story. The darker the shadows that are cast on us on the world today, the more our stories are needed to connect us to each other. Every writer and poet right here, right now—we are the resistance.
The only chance we have of changing this world, and bringing humanity together is through our teachable stories, which continue to have a positive ripple in the world after we are gone.
As a writer, poet and storyteller, your voice is necessary to invite grace into our challenging times. Your words and essays will sing us out of the shadows, and invite the gifts of your life to begin the massive job of healing and change. We are biologically wired to write and share our stories. Though science tells us we are made of stardust, it’s more likely we are made of stories – our own, our ancestors and the people whose lives weave into our own.
“Story also acts as a conduit of information, wisdom and values
around which people can unite.
In this sense, a story creates coherence.
It takes disparate and confusing elements and integrates them into a meaningful plot.
It turns a problem into a mission
and moves us
through a series of events toward redemption”. Toko-Pa
One bonus Sunday evening Class with poet Ellen Bass
In addition to six small group live online sessions (and one night in my living room when Covid quiets down), writers will get to write with all the writers taking this course in one online session with poet Ellen Bass and other poets who will host a class and panel on Transformative Writing on October 3rd, Sunday afternoon. The session will be recorded, and additional panelists will be announced before the course begins.
Poet Ellen Bass says “poetry is the way I pay attention, appreciate, give praise, struggle, grieve, rage, and pray.” Ellen’s most recent collection, Indigo, was published by Copper Canyon Press in 2020. Her other poetry books include Like a Beggar, The Human Line, and Mules of Love. Her poems appear frequently in The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, and many other journals. Among her numerous, and included in them is the Guggenheim Foundation and three Pushcart Prizes. She is known for gathering award winning poets who meet in live & recorded sessions to discuss the craft of poetry.
Ellen’s Teaching will include other poets, and will be on the topic of Transformative Writing. This Bonus Session is Sunday, October 3rd (session will be recorded for students who cannot attend on this day)
4 p.m. PST / 7 p.m. EST
The Thing Is By Ellen Bass
TOPICS EXPLORED IN THIS 7-WEEK SERIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
ADAPTATION – We are all being called as writers to participate in the fractured world, and it calls for us to adapt. We will write about moments in our recent lives when we have had to adapt to change – home, employment, aging, finances.
VOICE – Writers hear about finding their voice, but our voices are being tuned throughout our lives by events that help shape our stories and our sense of what matters to us. James Baldwin says that language is the key to identity and social acceptance. When were we accepted, and when was our language and voice used against us.
ENDURANCE – Our challenges are many in this time in history. But looking back on history, endurance was part of what got our ancestors through the challenges. There is a saying that even warrior knows when to rest. In this class we will explroe stories of endurance in body and spirit.
BELONGING & EXILE – So many are suffering in what John O’Donohue calls “The Dark Valley of the Broken Belonging.” In this class we will explore the “I” and the “we”, and the stories in our lives where we were brought together in a common good, whether it was listening to music or sitting in a prayer circle. We will explore the shadow side of belonging, including exile.
BOUNDARIES & BORDERS – Creating boundaries is how we grow and help others grow beside us. Boundaries are often uncomfortable, funny and needed. Exploring boundary stories will be a needed exercise in a world where we are all asked to stand six feet apart.
CARETAKERS – In our lives, we are all summoned to care for each other, and some of the caretaking has been a challenge and call to stewardship. How do we care for others and who has cared for us. We will explore the honors and challenges of stewardship.
TRANSFORMATION– Poet Ellen Bass and other panelists discuss transformation in life, story and poetry
Writing about What Matters
By participating in these live classes, you learn the art of writing by practicing, deeply listening, reading out loud and hearing what is good in your story reflected back to you.
LEARN IN A SMALL, LIVE GROUPS
Writers work closely together for six weeks, deeply bonding and supporting each other’s creative leaps. Writers who must miss a class may audit another live class on the schedule.
If you have to miss a week, you can audit the class with another live group on another day, or receive the class via Keynote. Writers learn from the curriculum, but also from the positive feedback received from other writers. When we focus on what is good in writing, we develop an ear for inviting more of what is good.
CREATE CONTENT FOR A LARGER BODY OF WORK
Many of our students have gone on to publication through this process of writing every week, and many of our writers are authors often writing beside writers who are new to the practice. We all learn from each other’s work each week.
DEVELOPED CURRICUM - INSPIRATION TO WRITE
Pre-writing exercises often lead us into a longer write.
After, we share our stories and deeply listen with positive feedback. Writers in each intimate group of 8 to 10 students become part of a larger Facebook writing community with other writers taking the same curriculum. Throughout the weeks, writers share and comment through the Facebook community.
Through this practice of creating and deeply listening, writers begin to uplevel their writing, and bring poetic form into their work.
Educator: Laura Lentz, author
Laura Lentz is the author of STORYquest, the Writer, the Hero, the Journey and the soon to be published Grace of the World, an anthology to honor earth. Laura is a writing coach and developmental editor, teaching creative writing workshops online and on the north shore of Kauai for ten years. Her workbook helps writers write to every stage of their story inspired by the Hero’s Journey through 12-weeks of writing prompts and examples out of best selling memoirs and poetry. Laura helps writers create content and expand their body of work through unique methods – offering challenging and thought provoking writing prompts inspired by poetry, mythology and segments from literature.
Laura creates the curriculum for the 6-week writing workshops also taught by Guest Teachers.
Laura’s 6-week workshops are online and on the north shore of Kauai. Laura serves on the faculty of The Kauai Writers Conference, Covid willing… and is conducting a Master Class for writers who want to write in sacred places on Kauai and allow Kauai’s beauty to influence their work.
Educator: Robin Gadient
Robin Gadient, teacher of STORYquest, the Writer, the Hero, the Journey has developed a following as both a writer and a teacher. Robin has been writing in Laura’s writing groups creating poetry and heart opening stories for several series. Sometimes the student becomes the teacher right before your eyes. Robin graduated from UCSB with a BA in literature. Robin has the uncanny ability to hold space for all writers and respond in a way that creates the needed energy to create her community within a larger community.
Educator: Beth Dyer
Beth has taught writing, world literature and art. She has made her professional home with the Central California Writing Project at UC Santa Cruz where she designed curriculum and taught workshops. Beth has also been a Professional Development Coordinator for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. Beth’s passion is to empower writers by creating a safe and inclusive environment in which they can write and share freely. Beth lives in Santa Cruz, CA where she raised her daughter and son. She has two grandsons and recently welcomed her first great-granddaughter. Beth holds three teaching credentials and an administrative credential. She has an MA in Teacher Leadership from San Jose State University.
Classes for this series are Sold Out.
To be notificed of our next series, email Laurawriter@me.com
Thursday Online – SOLD OUT
with Laura Lentz
– 7 sessions –
September 30
October 7, 14, 21, 28, Nov. 4
4pm PDT / 7pm EST
Class is 2 1/2 hours
___________________________________
Guest Teacher Ellen Bass
Sunday, October 3rd 4 p.m. PST
Video available
$220
Sunday Online
with Laura SOLD OUT
– 7 sessions –
September 26
October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
10:30 a.m. PST
Class is 2 1/2 hours
___________________________________
Guest Teacher: Ellen Bass
Sunday, October 3rd 4 p.m. PST
Video available
$220
Monday Online
with Laura Lentz – SOLD OUT
– 7 sessions
September 27th
October 4, 11th, 18th, 25th, Nov 1
Guest Teachers Ellen Bass:
Sunday, October 3rd, 4 p.m. PST
Video available
4pm PDT / 7pm EST
Class is 2 1/2 hours
$220
Tuesday Online –
with Laura – SOLD OUT
– 7 sessions –
September 28,
October 5, 12, 19, 26, Nov.2
Guest Teacher Ellen Bass:
Sunday, October 3rd, 4 p.m. PST
Video available
4pm PDT / 7pm EST
Class is 2 1/2 hours
$220
Wednesday
Kauai & Online – SOLD OUT
– 7 sessions –
Sept. 29 Oct. 6,13, 20, 27,
Nov. 2
_________________________________
Guest Teacher Ellen Bass
Sunday, Ocober 3rd, 4 p.m. PST
Video available
__________________________________
5:30 p.m. Hawaii / 8:30 p.m. PST
Class series is 2 1/2 hours
$220
Classes Taught by Robin Gadient or Beth Dyer
Saturday Online
with BETH DYER
SOLD OUT
– 7 sessions
Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30,
Nov.6
Guest Teacher Ellen Bass:
Sunday October 3rd
4 p.m. PST
Video available
10:30 a.m. PDT
Class is 2 1/2 hours
$220
Saturday Online
with Robin Gadient –
SOLD OUT
– 7 sessions
Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Nov.6
Guest Teacher Ellen Bass:
Sunday October 3rd
4 p.m. PST
Video available
10:30 a.m. PDT
Class is 2 1/2 hours
$220
Friday Online
with Robin Gadient –
SOLD OUT
– 7 sessions
Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Nov.8
Guest Teacher Ellen Bass:
Sunday October 3rd
4 p.m. PST
Video available
10:30 a.m. PDT
Class is 2 1/2 hours
$220