Literary Supplement: Writing Workshops

The following is a listing of writing groups and workshops available in our area in February and the months upcoming. Chronogram does not vouch for any of these classes or the credentials of the instructors.

“The Memoir Workshop” with Fred Poole
On Sunday, February 25th, Fred Poole, of Authentic Writing Workshops, will be facilitating a memoir writing workshop at Ariel Booksellers in New Paltz from 4-5 PM. Poole told Chronogram: “The best writing being done now is in the form of memoir, as opposed to novels.” “The best writing,” Poole said, “ is always writing that’s close to concrete reality.” The workshop will focus on the starting point of writing: “getting access to a person’s own story,” Poole said.
A new session of Poole’s Authentic Writing Workshops will be starting in late February and early March in Woodstock. For more information, call Marta Szabo at (845) 679-0306. For information about “The Memoir Workshop,” call Ariel Booksellers at (845) 255-8041.

Writers in the Mountains Workshops
Iris Litt, author and workshop leader will offer two writing intensives, “Writing Poetry—and Getting It Published,” and “Writing the Short Story, Novel, Memoir or Creative Non-Fiction—and Getting it Published,” starting in late April in Woodstock. Writers in the Mountains, a Roxbury-based writing school, works with writers to find and develop each writer’s individual voice and finding the suitable markets for their work. For information, call Iris Litt at (845) 679-8256.
Litt will also be teaching two courses at Ulster County Community College’s Business Resource Center in Kingston—“Writing Poetry” and “How to Write Advertising”—starting in late April. For information, call Iris Litt. To register, call (845) 339-2025.

Hudson Valley Writers’ Center Workshops
The Hudson Valley Writers’ Center, located in the hamlet of Sleepy Hollow in Westchester, offers classes and workshops throughout the year for writers to strengthen technique and explore creative outlets with established writers. Upcoming classes include: “From Manuscript to Marketplace” with Herbet Hadad, Feb. 21st-April 11th;“Creative Non-Fiction” with Rebecca McClanahan, Feb. 22nd-March 22nd; “Poetry” with Susan Pliner, February 14th-April 4th; and “Tapping Creativity: Exploring Dreams, Weaving Stories,” with Susan Tiberghien on March 4th. For information, call (914) 332-5953; www.writerscenter.org.

Poetry Play with Cait Johnson
Poet Cait Johnson hosts an open poetry writing group on the second Sunday of each month at the Center at High Valley in Clinton Corners. One of the purposes of the group, says Johnson, is to create “a container and a safe space so that people can be freed up to write what is in their hearts.” The group works thusly: A topic is suggested for the upcoming meeting, such as “Feet”, and each person brings a poem to share with the group. Through the poems, the group explores different aspects and ways into the topic. Then the group disperses for 45 minutes of solo writing time. Afterwards, people share their poems and a group poem is constructed from the group’s various verses. The next meeting of the Poetry Play group is on Sunday, February 11th. Call Cait Johnson for information and the next topic at (845) 876-0449.

“Soul Talk”: Journal Writing with Judi Rittel
Journal writing therapist and writing teacher Judi Rittel will be hosting a journal writing workshop at Mirabai Books in Woodstock on Sunday, February 18th, from 2-4 PM. The afternoon will focus on breaking down the barriers in the psyche that separate the writer from engaging in a meaningful dialogue with the self, which is the heart of journal writing, according to Rittel. The workshop will include “relaxation and meditation techniques to bring you to a place where you can open up your self-talk,” according to Rittel. “We have all the answers,” said Rittel, “we just don’t remember them. That’s what journal writing brings out. For information call Mirabai Books at (845) 679-2100.

“You Can Write Song Lyrics” with Terry Cox
Lyricist and author Terry Cox will offer a mini-workshop at Barnes & Noble in Poughkeepsie on Friday, February 16th at 7 PM. Cox, who’s had more than 150 of his songs recorded for TV, film and by such artists as Vanessa Williams and Faith Hill, will advise fledgling songwriters on the essentials of writing lyrics, selling songs and getting songs recorded. For more information call Barnes & Noble at (845)485-2224.