New Workshop Idea

One of the Mimosa women mentioned on her feedback sheet that she would like to see more covered on the submission and publishing process. I can't say I'm an expert in that area, but I have had many things published. And I *do* intend on having a workshop on just that! It shall be called: (sound the horns) Inside Out Writing Workshops Presents: From Mind to Magazine: how to publish your poetry We'll cover the submission process near the end of the 5 weeks (one day a week), but in the beginning we'll talk about what makes a good poem and go over prompts and fun exercises to get our minds working. Then we'll workshop each other's pieces (that will take bravery so those of you too shy to share your poetry, step up to the plate and challenge yourself! You won't be disappointed!) - and by workshop, I mean "critique" (I go over a very kind but effective critiquing process) the work. From there we'll move on to publishing. I have yet to find a venue... I'm looking into the UW Department of Continuing Studies as well as UW's Mini-Courses, but do not fret, if they don't accept me, I will seek out another venue that will have me and the workshop will happen. So keep checking back here for more details on that! Be well, Lisa Marie

Mimosa Workshop

What a success this workshop was! Proof that magic can happen with only two particpants and myself. I want to thank A and D incredibly for adding to a very special afternoon. This workshop was quite different than the first, at Avol's, however both were remarkable. The space we used today in Mimosa's community room was wonderful. It set just the right tone. I knew right away today would have a more "spiritual" bent on things. We sat on lush pillows with sunlight streaming through the gauzy curtains. Both women were seasoned writers, so I didn't need to go through the basics as much. There was more back-and-forth conversation this time around, probably because I felt more comfortable with the material and with myself as a writing guide. I don't like to think of myself as The Teacher, for I just wish to guide the participants on their own writing journey. We discussed the benefits of healing through writing and the ladies had many wonderful personal experiences. I found myself sharing stories, as well. Instead of doing one prompt for 10 minutes and then turning that into a poem, story, or memoir piece and then doing a second prompt for 10 minutes and doing the same, they asked for a list of prompts (ooh! think, quick!) so I gave them a short list and asked them to choose one and write for 15 minutes on that. We each shared our free-writing. A and myself wrote about somewhat-serious topics while D wrote light-heartedly. She almost apologized for it, which I found interesting. I don't want anyone to apologize for writing a light-hearted piece, especially when the other pieces are fairly heavy. Light is needed in the dark. A flashlight is needed to dive into the deep places. Light-hearted writing can be just as good as deep, heavy, "darker" writing. That is something I have to learn, as well. So D taught me a valuable lesson. I want to encourage light-hearted writing in these workshops as well. I'm just used to writing about heavier subjects, that's all. See? The "teacher" is learning from her "students." That is the best kind of class, in my opinion. Next up: Inside Out Writing Workshop at the Meeting Grounds, 494 Commerce Drive, Madison. November 17th, 2007. Email insideoutwriting@gmail.com to sign up early! This will be the last FREE workshop I offer so take advantage of it now! I'm thinking about posting a poem a month that has to do with healing through writing so keep a look-out for that soon. As I've said to past participants, if you would like one of your pieces published on this blog site, as an example of what we do, email me and we can make that happen! Be well, Lisa Marie