Song of Myself - Summer Creative Writing Workshop

Appropriate for adults of all writing levels.

7 - 9 p.m. Thursdays, July 11, July 18, July 25, August 1, 2013

Caribou Coffee Community Room, Ingersoll Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa

Poet Walt Whitman writes, "I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume." And author Marianne Williamson writes, "Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you." These writers suggest that to be in relationship with others is to understand the self, is to be in relationship with others, is to understand the self . . . you get the idea. Raccoon City Writers is pleased to offer this four week course exploring one's self and relationships, by plugging into the electricity of everyday life, the good, the bad, and the incredibly mundane, through creative writing. 

The class will be structured around literary reading, writing, and discussion. We will be reading and learning from authors such as Joan Didion, Anne Lamott, David Foster Wallace, and U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Tretheway. Plus we will discover some wonderful emerging writers. Mostly, we will do an awful lot of original writing in class (with absolutely no judgement). The primary teaching method will be carefully facilitated group discussion. The course will be structured as follows:

Week one, July 11 - Objects of memory (writing tool: setting)
Week two, July 18 - Body and soul scars (writing tool: metaphor)
Week three, July 25 - Letters, the kind you may never send (writing tool: character)
Week four, August 1 - Extracting the extraordinary (writing tool: observation)

Whether you are aspiring to write your book, are curious about your untapped writing potential, want to hone your sills, or have no idea what the heck you're going after -- you are welcome here. The course is designed to work in progression and also for each class to stand alone. You may sign up for all four weeks (recommended, of course!) or drop in for just one class (which is totally cool too). 

Let's sing electric through words, ideas, and life experience!

Appropriate for adults of all writing levels.

7 - 9 p.m. Thursdays, July 11, July 18, July 25, August 1, 2013

Caribou Coffee Community Room, Ingersoll Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa

$50 for all four sessions

$15 drop in rate per class 

This workshop is designed to build from one class to the next,
and also for each class to stand alone.

Advanced registration is not required, but appreciated. To register or for questions, please send a private message in the box at the left side of this webpage, or just leave a message below this post.

The course is adapted with much gratitude, and by permission, from materials developed by Sarah Marty-Schlipf for the classes she taught at the Federal Corrections Institute in Pekin, Illinois.

Instructor: Terri Mork Speirs, holds an M.F.A in Creative Writing from Antioch University in Los Angeles, specializing in creative nonfiction. Terri has taught composition classes at the Des Moines Area Community College and is an experienced group facilitator. She is committed to creating a safe space for students to unleash their creativity and harness their authentic selves. Terri is deeply grateful to her mentors and classmates at Antioch for teaching her how to read, write, and share.