Creative Workshops 2007
Dec/Jan Writing Newsletter
Stop Press Lee Cahill launches www.sabookworm.com
Thanks to Lee for a site that informs and supports writers. Check
out this good news.
Stop Press 19.30 Sat 8 Dec Bosman stories Col’cassios Franschhoek 021 876
4222
It is not the story that counts. It's
the way you tell it (Oom Schalk
Lourens)
You are invited to join me for an
evening of fun, laughter and great food & wine, with Herman Charles Bosman stories. Listen to Oom Schalk narrate stories of love, leopards, peach
brandy, concertinas and psalm singing.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Dear writer
Slender memory stay
with me (Li-Young Lee)
When we use words, their origins,
ancestors and cousins arrive with them. Ghosting in words such as lethal and
lethargy is Lethe, the river of death and forgetfulness in mythology. May
this season instead be one of awakening, remembering (re-member as opposed to
dismember or forget) and reminiscence?
Spend time in the arms of Memory, the mythological woman.
For nine nights Zeus lay with Mnemosyne
(Memory) entering her holy bed. And when the days were accomplished, she bore
nine daughters,(the Muses) all of one mind, whose hearts are set upon
song. They sing the laws of all and the
goodly ways of the immortals, uttering their lovely voice.
The Chinese-American poet often writes of his father. In a
poem Mnemonics he describes him as ‘a serious man who devised complex
systems of numbers and rhymes.’ His father could recite much of the Old
Testament and over 300 poems from the Tang dynasty. W.H. Auden
called poetry memorable speech. Why not learn words you love off by heart so that through osmosis,
they enter and change you?
2008 workshops
no Specific workshops for Dec .The first
in Jan 08 is
Finding Meaning though Words
Sun 27 Jan in Egoli 09h00-13h00
We discover meaning by creating a work or
doing a deed, by experiencing… goodness, truth and beauty … nature and culture
or by encountering someone and lastly, by the attitude we take toward
unavoidable suffering. (Viktor Frankl)
We explore the meaning that is unique
to you, through the art of creative writing. You will be guided to seek your creativity and
imagination and find words to tell your story… to infuse that story with
meaning and make it more alive. The
workshop also focuses on how to be present in our writing and engage readers
and ourselves as part of a great conversation that opens into mystery.
Coral Wilder coralw@telkomsa.net 011 622-8793 083 450-9148
Here is some of the work planned not yet
scheduled - for 08
·
a ‘writer in residence’ assignment at Penryn
College Nelspruit,
·
metaphors and healing for hypnotherapists
(Egoli possibly 25/26 Jan contact Ian Opperman ian@ianopperman.com
)
·
working with grassroots poets in Franschhoek in
preparation for the May Franschhoek Literary Festival
·
a creative writing workshop at the Cape International Book Fair mid June(
through Carl Schlettwein Foundation)
·
co-ordinating a Storywell team training
caregivers in creative modalities to prompt stories from children
infected/affected by HIV/AIDS and to offer them psycho/social support
…and in other lands
·
creative journal writing with students in teacher training in
·
stories and leadership in
·
Poetry and Beauty, the Fourth Art Management and Organization Conference
in
What would you like to see on the
writing calendar? Speak Speak
…and the one on one mentoring for
clients in southern Africa,
Here are some partnership
adventures:
·
25-28 April – story telling at Buddhist Retreat Centre Ixopo with Bob
Commin
·
5-9 May - The Helderberg Writing Escape extravaganza with Jo Casto (magazine articles, business writing) Elma Pollard
(journalism and creative journaling) and Dorian (life story/fiction )
·
end Nov - Reflecting. Writing and Being. Hogsback East
5-
Email Courses
there are 4 on offer… join writes from the great
anywhere…
Poem Poem Poem (PPP) Making Poetry (Dorian/ Bob Commin )
Bring forth the poet hiding inside. Slip past the critic to
the fields that Rumi sings of – “out between ideas of
right doing and wrong doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” Next
course Feb. 08. Beginners welcome.
So far three have signed up - one from
The
Poet’s Voice (PVC) Advanced Writing Course (Dorian/Bob Commin)
The apprentices master
the trade…We begin focussing on poets we love and lean via osmosis. Next course Feb. 08.
Flyer on
request.
Poetry
for Publication (PFP)
Bob and I guide you in writing and selecting your poems for a
shared or solo self publication. PFP arises from a question Anne-Marie Moore
asked after completing PVC.
“Where to next?”
Write Write Write: Writers’
Development: Email Course
(WWW)
Elma Pollard, whose weekly earth column in the Bolander, is getting much acclaim, facilitates most of this course. There have been requests for follow-up
courses so Elma has created wwwfollow1. Want to craft stories? New intake every month.
Elma combines life and writing coaching - an enabling process. (starlight@wol.co.za. 084 868 2908) see her new site www.greencoach.co.za courtesy of my son Dominic.
Workshops/Literary
Events with other Folk
Bob
Commin (poet,
creativity coach , storyteller and pastor) runs poetry
courses/events in the Southern Suburbs (Obs to Fish Hoek) (h)
021 447 9550 082 202 5303 bcommin@netactive.co.za
www.making-poetry.com
Shed some old skins
I’ll pick up the monthly newsletter once more at end Jan.
May you remember who you are.
Dorian
PS
Thank
you to all those who circulate this
letter.