Unfurl your story! Fall workshops with Writing Ourselves Whole

We’re getting the fall workshop schedule together here, and I wanted to keep you informed as to what’s coming up!

Writing the Flood (our general-topic writing playtime!) meets every third Saturday of the month in Oakland;
Write Whole: Survivors Write (a writing group for women survivors of sexual trauma) begins its fall session on October 1; and
– the fourth quarter of Dive Deep (our advanced manuscript/project-focused group) begins October 7.

At Writing Ourselves Whole, we actively work to engage the stories that can be the hardest to tell or write, and create spaces intended to allow for risky writing and powerful support. All stories and experience levels are welcome! Read on for more info about these writing opportunities, and lease let me know if you have any questions or would like to register — I’d love to write with you!

Can’t attend any of these workshops but want to stay in the loop about what’s coming in 2013? You can join our mailing list here: http://bit.ly/PGmmlj

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*Write Whole, Writing the Flood, and Dive Deep*
Transformative writing workshops with Jen Cross/Writing Ourselves Whole!

Transforming our language is one of the ways we transform our lives.

~~ Writing the Flood ~~
Open the gates and let your writing voice flow!
a half-day, general-topic writing workshop
Meets every third Saturday of the month, 1-4:30pm (unless otherwise noted)

Writing The Flood is a writing group for anyone looking to prime the writing pump: using the Amherst Writers and Artists method, we will write together in response to exercises designed to get those pens moving, and get onto the page the stories, poems, essays, images and voices that have been stuck inside for too long. This is a time to work on a larger project, get started on new work, play on the page, or write yourself through a block and back into your writing voice. The fee for this workshop is $50, with a sliding scale. Limited to 10. Workshops held in Oakland (and sometimes in San Francisco), near BART and other public transportation.

Fall Writing the Flood Dates:
– September 15
– October 20
– November 17

Join us!

 ~~ Write Whole: Survivors Write ~~
Open to women survivors of sexual trauma.
Eight Monday evenings, October 1 – November 19, 2012

~ Gather with other women survivors of sexual trauma in this workshop, and write in response to exercises chosen to elicit deep-heart writing, and deal with such subjects as: body image, family/community, sexuality, dreams, love, faith, and more. You’ll be encouraged to trust the flow of your own writing, and receive immediate feedback about the power of your words! Although the setting is a supportive one, the workshop is different from a “support group,” as the focus of the workshop itself is on each person’s writing; we create beauty out of the extraordinary, difficult stuff of our lives. Write Whole meets in San Francisco, in a wheelchair-accessible space. The fee for this workshop is $350, with an early-bird discount for all those who register by September 1; payment plans are always available.

Reminder: Identities such as “woman” and “survivor” are understood to be self-defined!

Join us!

~~ Dive Deep ~~
An advanced manuscript/project workgroup
Our fourth quarter opens on October 7, 2012

Commit to your writing and dive in! This workgroup is designed for those who have delved into  (or are ready to commit to) the deep dive of a large* writing project: a novel; poetry, story or essay collection; play or screenplay; daily blogging; preparing work for publication; or any other long-term writing project. (“Large” is relative — whatever your writing project is, if you want support and accountability and regular connection around that work, we would love to have you!)

Though writing is a solitary pursuit, no writer has ever completed a long work alone. Divers will meet three times per month for writing exercises, project check-in and accountability, manuscript feedback, coaching and peer support. This group can help you meet your writing goal, and provide community and encouragement as you go deep into a writing project. This is necessary work you’re doing; give yourself all the tools and support you need.

We currently meet three times a month (two Sunday afternoons, one Thursday evening;) for writes, feedback, coaching, writing-connection. Food’s a definite at all three meetings! Workshop fees: This is an ongoing group; the fee is $200/month, with a three-month initial commitment required; the group will remain closed for three-month cycles, then will open at the end of those cycles for the possible addition of new members. Dive Deep is limited to 6 members at a time. I am building a waiting list for this workgroup, and due to active interest, I am looking at the possibility of opening a second group.

Join us!

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No previous writing experience necessary! These Amherst Writers and Artists model workshops are held in San Francisco and Oakland, close to BART and other public transportation. Spaces are limited, and pre-registration is required. To register or for more information, email jennifer@writingourselveswhole.org or visit www.writingourselveswhole.org!

About your facilitator: Jen Cross is a freelance writer whose work has been published in more than thirty anthologies and periodicals. She has facilitated writing workshops since 2002. She received her MA in Transformative Language Arts from Goddard College, and is a certified facilitator of the Amherst Writers & Artists method (http://www.amherstwriters.com/)

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