| Date: | October 22, 2016 |
| Time: | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM |
| Venue: | YMCA at Virginia Tech |
| Cost: | $130.00 |
| Description: |
The YMCA at Virginia Tech presents Joy of Writing Workshop, Amherst Writers and Artists Creative Writing Workshop on Saturday, October 22, 2016 in the YMCA Conference Room. The Joy of Writing workshop supports dreamers, doers, and dabblers in establishing and sustaining a writing practice. If you’ve always wanted to write but don’t know where to start, our structured experiences will get you writing and provide you with strategies to keep you going as you explore and develop your voice as a writer. We ground the facilitation of the Joy of Writing in our six-plus decades of writing practice, 18 years participation in a writing group, and the inspiration of teachers such as Dorothea Brande, Julia Cameron, Peter Elbow, Natalie Goldberg, Anne Lamott, Priscilla Long, and Brenda Ueland, amongst others. Pat Schneider developed the Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) method; her book Writing Alone and with Others (2003) presents its fundamental principles. The AWA’s basic tenets — confidentiality, and treating all writing as fiction -- are straightforward. Putting them into practice yields a powerful workshop experience, unlike others you may have had. Each session gives writers plenty of writing time, and time for all who wish to share their words. Then there is time for writers who read their work aloud to receive supportive feedback — about what worked, what resonated, what landed for the listeners. The comments are about the writing, not about the writer, not about the listener. You, the author, don’t ever have to talk about what you’ve written, ever again. There will be a lot of writing during this workshop and participants will need to be able to write for extended periods of time. We strongly encourage writing longhand; we understand that some people may need to use a computer out of medical necessity. Participants will need to bring a notebook and pen or pencil. Lunch is on your own. Hot drinks and snacks will be provided. In the morning, we will share exercises designed to help establish and sustain a writing practice and identify their writing interests. In the afternoon, we'll share the AWA method of prompted writing and feedback that leaves writers wanting to write more. To register online, visit: http://www.vtymca.org/open-university. Participants must be at least 13 years old to register. For more information, visit: http://www.vtymca.org/index.html or https://www.facebook.com/vtymca or call 540-961-9622. |