Radio Station KFKD :: October Creative Writing Class

Join the River City Writers in our next creative writing workshop: Radio Station KFKD, a four-week exploration of four chapters in Bird by Bird, Some Instructions on Writing and Life. In this seminal craft book, author Anne Lamott offers a book-load of writing advice in her trademark style of hilarity and soul. Lamott says that the single greatest obstacle to discovering your own voice is Radio Station KFKD, which "If you are not careful, will play in your head twenty-four hours a day, nonstop, in stereo..." She talks about how one ear recites one's specialness, and the other self-loathing. How does a writer get quiet, stop the racket, and become open to creativity?

One way to turn off the noise inside your head is through group workshopping, joining together in community to push, pull, and prod words, sentences, and paragraphs, transforming them into -- eventually -- understanding, meaning, and purpose. (With generous doses of kindness, of course. We don't shut down writers.) 

In this class we will examine four specific chapters in the book, through discussion, writing, reading aloud (always optional) and in-class work-shopping with strong facilitation (for those who choose to have your pieces discussed.) This will be a safe place to explore your own writing voice, always pushing forward to greater development. Toward the end of the course, we'll discuss the possibility of presenting a public reading. (As we did in August, and it was awesome.)

These are the chapters that will shape our discussions and writing:

Class One - October 3 -- Polaroids (39-43)
Class Two - October 10 -- Radio Station KFKD (116-121)
Class Three - October 17 -- Index Cards (133 - 144)
Class Four - Finding Your Voice (195 - 201)

It is recommended to acquire your own book. (It's likely to be readily available at your local independent bookseller, Beaverdale Books, Half Price bookstore, or any behemoth bookstore chain.)

Thursdays, October 3,10, 17, 24
7-9 p.m.
Smokey Row Café in Des Moines

$50 for all four weeks (prorated for three or less). Class will be limited to 12 people to allow for maximum in-class writing, reading and discussion, as requested in recent student evaluations. Please pay online or in class. (Scholarships available based on need. Talk to the instructor, Terri Mork Speirs.)

To register: Send me an email. Or chat with me in person, or send a message through the box on the left.

Instructor: Terri Mork Speirs