Teaching

I write to discover what I know.   Flannery O'Connor

 

In the world of dreams, we give ourselves permission to contradict, overlap, travel in time, inhabit multiple spaces and fill them with the impossible. Our subconscious is let loose and the stuff of our daily lives becomes extraordinary.

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How do we, as writers, tap into this creative force and collect it for our own work? How do we make sense of the nonsensical? How do we harness the power of memory and association to create a coherent narrative?

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In this four-hour workshop, we will study the work of Gerald Stern, Diane Seuss, Kim Addonizio, Louise Gluck, and other writers who have traveled this path before us. What are the techniques they use to mine their own dreamscapes and memories?  How do they comprehend and organize the mind's unpredictable and sometimes incomprehensible associations?  What is the scaffolding they build to contain the illogical? 

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In a series of guided writing exercises and prompts we will explore our own dream fragments for material and practice the art of arriving at the unpredictable. We will study craft, stretch our writing muscles and see what our subconscious can teach us. 

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This is a generative workshop for writers of all genres. In preparation, take notes on your recent or recurring dreams. Or make lists of things you’d like to dream about or never dream about. Printed source sheets will be handed out to participants. Please come with writing materials—journal, pen or computer.