Friends, I am pleased to announce my spring workshop:
More World: Art and Attention
(All Genres)
8 Meetings ~ Wednesday evenings
April 3 – May 22, 2013
Explore what it means to practice deep attention to the world(s) around us and to the worlds in our writing—the kind of attention that reveals transformative richness and resonant coherences easily overlooked. Expand your craft toolbox in any/all genre(s) as you play with sensory description. Practice another kind of sustained attention through close readings of our two excellent texts to see what they reveal about objects and intimacy, description and love, and the creative energy available when we release control and choose to be wholly present—in this world and on the page. Join Kate Asche in an Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) generative writing workshop for all genres. Generate new work weekly, and (if you like) receive gentle critique on one short selection of writing. Talk casually with other writers as you connect more deeply in our writing community. Snacks and tea provided. **This class may feature an optional group field trip to the DeYoung in San Francisco, to see the current exhibition of Dutch masterworks—so we can see with our own eyes the kind of detail Mark Doty analyzes in Still Life with Oysters and Lemon. One date may be offered for a group trip; any and all trip expenses are the responsibility of each student and are NOT included in course registration
Textbook(s): We will read two books in this class: Still Life With Oysters and Lemon by Mark Doty (ISBN 978-0-8070-6609-6) *and* The Art of Attention by Donald Revell (ISBN 978-1-55597-474-9)
Class Size is Limited: This private workshop is limited to 9 participants, plus the facilitator. Writers in all genres and at all levels are invited to participate.
How Do I Reserve a Space? Email asche (dot) kate (at) gmail (dot) com. I will send you a brief registration form. To complete registration (and reserve your place), please mail your completed registration form to me with payment. Registrations are accepted in the order received.
Workshop Cost and Payment Due Date: The cost of this workshop is $255 for returning students (if postmarked by 3/16/13) or $270 if postmarked 3/17/13 or later.The cost is $270 for new students (if postmarked by 3/16/13) or $299 if postmarked 3/17/13 or later. (Referred by a friend? Or, recommending this class to a friend? Ask about my referral program—you may both be eligible for discounts! Discounts cannot be combined or applied retroactively.)
Details: Each meeting, we’ll enjoy discussion of that week’s reading selection, which we will have read in advance. Next, we’ll spend time writing new drafts and sharing them (if we wish), as we respond to a prompt related to that week’s discussion topic. The final two meetings will include supportive workshop critique of participant manuscripts.This class will be facilitated in the AWA method, in which all shared writing is treated with respect and honor. The focus is on the writing itself, and the writer will learn what is strong, what is memorable, and what people admire in his/her first-draft work, as well as receive supportive feedback and strategies for continued work on the submitted manuscript. No one is required to submit a manuscript. Manuscripts will be distributed and read the night of their discussion; manuscripts limited to one piece per person (up to five double-spaced pages, size 12 font) per course.
Time and Location: We will write together at the ThinkHouse Collective (1617 18th Street in Sacramento) on Wednesday evenings. Our social time begins at 5:45 p.m., with class beginning promptly at 6:00 p.m. until 8:45 p.m. (If the class fills completely, we may run a bit longer.) If you wish to participate but cannot arrive before 6:00 p.m., please discuss with Instructor. Permission for late arrival may be granted at Instructor’s discretion, but no discount or make-up instruction will be given for time missed.