Class Descriptions: 1-Day | 2-Day | 3 & 4-Day | On-going Classes

3 and 4-Day Writing Classes

Stealing The Dictionary
“When I first read the dictionary, I thought it was a long poem about everything”—S. Wright

Most of us think of the dictionary simply as a desk reference in which to find definitions and correct spellings of words. In fact, there are over 40,000 dictionaries and A-Z Guides currently in print, including dictionaries of people, places, theories and diverse areas of study, from colonial woodworking to botany to witchcraft. Within the past few years, many fiction writers, memoirists and poets have also discovered the dictionary as a form in which to tell a story or amass a field of fragmented creative texts. We will begin our own investigation by “stealing” the idea of a dictionary and using it to structure a creative text.
Students in recent classes have created dictionaries of dreams, memories of water, dictionaries of things broken and unbroken, dictionaries of staying and leaving, the A-Z of a husband lost to cancer, a dictionary of sacred sites and even a dictionary of ex-boyfriends. Dictionaries are easy to write and they can be can be funny, serious, poetic, fictional or anything in between. The goal is for each writer to structure and begin their own unique text of any length or subject, stealing the elements of a dictionary that are most useful to them.

We will throw out the rulebook as we write, inventing our own forms as we go along. We will write and talk together in class, examining examples of creative dictionaries by other writers. This class is open to writers of any genre or level of experience. (Note: This class is frequently taught as part of the annual Summer Writing Program at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.)

The Art of Imagination
When we were children, we lived easily in the vast, unique and magnificent world of the imagination. As we grew older, we were required to distinguish between imagination and “real” life. As writers, part of our work is to journey back to that vast world, exploring the millions of possible ideas and stories that can emerge from the waking dream of pure creativity. In this class we will imagine and create texts from the unique territory of our own minds and hearts. We will discuss the ways in which imagination, assembly and invention work in different genres of writing, including fiction, stories, poetry and non-fiction. This class is open to any interested writer.

Weekend Writing Retreat
This weekend retreat is a chance to meet at a beautiful mountain cabin outside of Allenspark, Colorado to write together and to use creativity and deep rest to help restore body and soul. The Pondhouse is a solar-powered, fully furnished, custom-built cabin in the middle of miles of hiking trails that back up to the National Forest. It is a quiet, peaceful place to relax. The retreat runs from Friday evening to Sunday evening and there are single and double occupancy rooms available. Tuition includes all daily writing classes and three meals a day. There will be a block of free time each afternoon for relaxing, writing, hiking, napping, reading, bodywork or whatever you choose. The two daily writing sessions will be held in the great room of the cabin, which is centered around a huge stone fireplace. In these sessions we will talk, try some writing exercises and discuss ideas and techniques to keep ourselves writing. By engaging memory, imagination, curiosity, creativity and good humor, we learn how to support one another as writers and how to strengthen our own work. Writers of any genre and any level of experience are welcome; all you need is a notebook and a pen. Enrollment for the retreat is limited to five people.