Writing the Stories of Our Life with Dawn Thompson 4 Tuesday evenings, September 22 - October 13 Time: 6:30-9:00pm Location: SE Portland, Sellwood Cost: $80.00
"Everyone has the right to tell the truth about her own life." -Ellen Bass
The
story of your life is the most important story you’ll ever write. There
has not been one exactly like it in all of human history. You are its
author, constantly writing its unfolding. What fires have you walked
through? What have you lost? Who and what have you loved? What
experiences have you lived that have changed you forever? Which stories
from your life are calling to be shared? If you do not tell your story
who will? When
we write what we know, our words carry a depth of feeling and a truth
that have the potential to change lives, including our own.
In
this workshop, we’ll have the opportunity to go within to mine the
stories of our life that are calling to be recorded. We’ll explore how
to write our stories without necessarily having to stick to the facts,
blending memory with the fertile realm of our imagination. We’ll
experiment with drawing connections between our stories and with
uncovering the often hidden opportunity for transformation they contain. No writing experience necessary. Register at: register@pdxwomenwriters.com
Writing Our Stories of Loss and Grief with Dawn Thompson 4 Tuesday evenings, November 3, 10, 17, 24 Time: 6:30pm-9:00pm Looking for a workshop host in exchange for fee Cost: $80.00
"The
only real guarantee is change. The very cells in our bodies are
constantly dying and being re-born. We must learn to honor that which
is leaving so that we can embrace the new life."
Each
of us carries in our bones profound stories of loss. These stories
become part of the contours of our heart and sometimes live in
unexpected places in our bodies. They deepen our capacity to experience
the full range of what it means to be human. Sometimes these stories of
our letting go and our grief whisper from the realms of our unconcious.
Sometimes they are the shrill cry we hear first thing each morning. Our
stories of loss and grief come in many forms. The death of someone we
love. The ending of a relationship. Illness. Leaving home. The aging of
a parent. The loss of freedom when a a child is born. The unexpected
letting go of an old way of being.
In our culture we do not
learn to honor these stories. However, they are stories that wish to be
told back to ourselves. They are stories that want to be shared. Your
story is my story told by a different teller. When the whisperings of
these stories remain unconscious, they significantly impact our lives
because our decisions and ways of seeing ourselves must first pass
through their filter. In this workshop we'll create a safe space to
explore our stories of loss and grief, both as profound material for
our writing and as an essential source for our personal evolution.
College Application Essay Workshops co-ed workshop It's not your story, it's how you tell your story. GPA.
SAT scores. They may be average, may be great, but they don't tell who
you are. What makes you unique. Your college essay is the one way to
hold your achievements in the spotlight. Focus on the story that shows
you will succeed at this university.
Here's how: Get to know and
like your writer self: turn off your inner critic. Then we'll use
prompts to get you to aim deep, find your interesting story. Next, make
your story sing: get at the rich details. We will give each other
feedback to get at what is working, what stands out. Finally, revise,
revise, revise. You will receive written feedback from Jennifer with
suggestions for your essay.