CRC Presents "Our Life Stories Conference"

W o r k s h o p D e s c r i p t i o n s


Poetry
Julia Connor
So many of our life experiences, the good and
the bad, are stored in a split second of enhanced
consciousness. Our memory of these indelible
experiences, as well as our daily attentiveness
to what floats before our eyes, are the raw
materials of artistic mind from which the writing
of poetry springs. Through the use of simple,
hands-on, playful exercises, we will endeavor to
discover anew the flavor of our lives and capture
it in the potent language of the poem. Open to
all levels of experience.

The Making of a Story
Emmanuel Sigauke
This workshop looks at the process of telling
stories through writing, first establishing the
relationship between the story-telling tradition
and the story-writing process. It will cover
the basics of a story from idea to drafting
and revision. In this interactive workshop,
participants will do short exercises to spark the
beginnings of short stories and novels.


Writing From Memory – how point of view works
Quinton Duval

The workshop will be a discussion of writing
memoir or autobiographical fiction/poetry and
how the use of different points of view affects
the outcome. Examples of each genre will be
discussed by the group. We will focus on quick
exercises that give the group some practice at
using various points of view to tell their story.
Participants should bring a snapshot of an event
that was important to them and that they would
like to write about.

Writing About Your Own Experiences
Tim Herrera
You are more interesting than you realize!
Everyone has interesting personal stories
to share with family and with friends. This
workshop will help you dig through your personal
experience gold mine and find those precious
nuggets about you and your family to share.

A Certain Slant of Light – looking at our lives
Kathryn Hohlwein

This is a three hour workshop. It is
recommended you sign up for both Part 1 and
Part 2.

Part 1 – will be on intensive contemplative lyrical
writing, with emphasis on personal perspective.
We will begin with quick spontaneous exercises,
move on to uncensored “automatic” writing, trust
our first impulses, and honor both retrospection
and introspection. We will then do a few
exercises in remembering through specific
senses.
Part 2 – we will do in-class writing and critiquing,
and participants can draw from images
revealed in the first workshop to intensify their
work, whether in prose, or in first drafts of a
poem.

The Pride in Self-Publishing
Nan Mahon

This workshop will discuss self-publishing and
the ways to go about it. If you need 10 copies
or 1,000 there are methods to get it done. The
satisfaction of a bound and finished product is
a source of pride. Putting a story in print need
not be an expensive venture but will keep the
writer’s story preserved for generations to come.
Find out how to get started and where to go. See
examples of what others have done.

Showing Where the Story Happens (Morning Only)
Dennis Schmitz
Orientation and focus are the ways the writer
makes a place and keeps the reader inside the
narrative. The workshop exercises will show you
how to find your way back in your own memory
and invite the reader along.

Balancing Creativity and Nonfiction in Memoir Writing
David Weinshilboum
The very term “creative non-fiction” is almost
a contradiction in terms. Some prominent
writers have encountered problems when
their “creativity” has led to fictitious, factually
inaccurate pieces. This workshop encourages
imagination while remaining true to the
memoir genre. The workshop will offer specific
techniques and philosophies that published
authors have used to balance creativity and nonfiction.


For bios of the Conference Faculty click here.