Inside Out Writing Workshops

Shining From Within Retreat

2009-02-14T07:43:00.000-08:00

Hello Inside-Outers!!! While I'm revamping Inside Out Writing Workshops, I have a wonderful opportunity for you. See below. It's well worth the cost and time. I'm so excited by it!
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Shining From Within
A day retreat to awaken Mind, Body and Spirit

Host:
Melissa Simonson, Lisa Marie Brodsky, and Tatsiana O'Neill

Time and Date:
Sunday, March 8, 2009

Time:
8:00am - 5:00pm

Location:
Holy Wisdom Monastery

Street:
4200 County HWY M

City/Town:
Middleton, WI

Contact InfoPhone:
608.216.9845

Email:
igniteyourvoice@gmail.com

In this one-day retreat for women, Spiritual Life Coach, Melissa Simonson of Ignite Your Voice Coaching, Lisa Marie Brodsky, M.F.A, creator of “Inside Out Writing Workshops,” and Tatsiana O’Neill, owner of It’s All About You, Yoga and more, LLC will combine their gifts to create an opening for you to listen to your body’s wisdom, use the creative process as a tool for self-nurturing and discovery, and make choices in alignment with your soul. After a day of experiencing the fun and freeing power of Kripalu Yoga Dance, diving into powerful inquiries, using creative writing to take you deeper, and connecting with other magnificent women, you will leave feeling empowered, more aware and equipped with the tools to manifest joy in your life, NOW. Please join us for this glorious opportunity to dance your dreams, ignite your passion, and express your wisdom as you shine from within.

Cost: $125 or $100 when signing up with a friend

Contact Melissa with questions and to register: igniteyourvoice@gmail.com or 608-216-9845. Registration Deadline: Wednesday, March 4th.

About the facilitators:

Melissa Simonson sees it as her life's work to be an authentic expression of her inner truth, and to assist others in being the same. As a Spiritual Life Coach, Astrologer, and Inspirational Speaker, Melissa creates a space of fun and acceptance as she invites her clients to discover the extraordinary within their everyday lives. By asking powerful questions and bringing the spiritual down to earth through her own stories, she helps individuals realize that joy and abundance are not impossible to obtain, but rather a birth-right that we can realize at any time. Visit http://www.igniteyourvoice.com to learn more.

Lisa Marie Brodsky received her Master of Fine Arts in Poetry in 2005, and has since been published in numerous literary magazines along with her book of poetry entitled, “We Nod Our Dark Heads” (Parallel Press, 2008). In her “Inside Out Writing Workshops”, Lisa Marie teaches writing techniques in order to facilitate healing and magical self-discovery. Bringing openness and deep compassion, she creates a loving space for participants to discover and express the beautiful people that they truly are. Visit: http://insideoutwriting.blogspot.com to learn more.

Originally born in Grodno, Belarus, Tatsiana (Tanya) O’Neill moved to the U.S. as a student in 2004. Following a background in dance, she fell in love with Yoga as a restorative and spiritual practice, and received her certification as a Kripalu Yoga Instructor (200 hr) in 2007 and as a Yoga Dance Instructor in 2008. Tanya brings with her realness and grace as she invites her students to come as they are and discover the wisdom and joy that can be found within their bodies. Pouring her heart and soul into her teaching, Tanya makes it her goal to change the world, one student at a time. Visit http://www.itsallaboutyou-studio.com to learn more.

On Hiatus - but in transition

2009-01-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

Hello all,
For those curious, Inside Out is taking a short break.

My next project is to combine Inside Out with Melissa Simonson's workshops. Melissa is a sensitive, intuitive, shining soul who infects everyone with joy. I can't wait to see what we come up with in thinking about a combined workshop. So far we are just in the talking stage, but I will update you once we have something.

Until then, enjoy the Winter season and write write write!

Lisa Marie

Next workshop - Nov. 22nd!

2008-11-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks for being patient - I now have the next workshop set up. It is

Saturday, November 22, 2008
2:00-4:30pm
Avol's Used Books

I want to expand the workshop a bit, make some changes (I'm always making changes and shaking things up a little)... what do YOU want to see in a creative writing workshop? I'd love to hear from you. Either write a comment or email me.

Here's to expansion!

Lisa Marie

10-25 Workshop Cancelled

2008-10-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

Due to unforseen circumstances, the Avol's October 25 Workshop is cancelled. I will set up another workshop asap.

Thanks,

Lisa Marie

Avol's Workshop 10-25-08

2008-10-11T14:20:00.001-07:00

Come One, Come All, to an Inside Out Writng Workshop on Saturday, October 25th at Avol's Used Bookstore.

We'll uncover...

We'll discover...

We'll write and share (if you want to) and dig deep down inside ourselves.

Email me at insideoutwriting@gmail.com to register.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Lisa Marie

While You're Away, Go On and Play!

2008-07-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

This post will be dedicated to those participants who want to do a little extra after my workshop. It will consist of prompts and exercises to further your journey through creative writing and healing. You'll want to refer to this page often and I will often refer to this page as well. Please note that with some of these prompts and exercises, it is best to have taken my workshop to know what I mean when I say "x..y...z." So, on with the show!

A Walk in the Dark (taken from Laura Cerwinske's "Writing as a Healing Art")

You are undergoing an initiation in which you must walk blindfolded. It is up to you to choose the location, the person who can accompany you, and whatever you will bring along with you. Do you choose a beach, woods, suburban street, city sidewalk? Who will your partner be? Do you do this in bare feet, shoes, boots, or other protective footwear? What do you bring along with you, if anything?

After completing this exercise, ask yourself: What did this assignment tell me about my sense of trust in another person and in my own senses? What did it tell you about the environments in which you feel safest, and your need (or lack of need) for planning and equipment?

Me: I realize this may sound like a strange exercise for writing students/participants, but think about how tuned in you'll be. Tapped in, tuned in, turned on, as Abraham-Hicks says. You'll need to smell where you are, touch and hear. And above all, there's the trust issue. You have to let yourself become vulnerable and put your safety into another's hands. Remember, if this becomes too frightening, you can always say stop. But push yourself. Pick a trustworthy partner and feel your inhibitions leaving you. Walk proudly forward paying attention to every nuance.

Collages aren't just for first-graders

You betcha! I used this in a workshop once and it was wildly successful. We ran out of time so we couldn't process our collages or talk about them in detail so give yourself plenty of time. Get some magazines. I recommend Oprah Magazine, Victoria Magazine, Poets and Writers Magazine, Writer's Digest, any magazine that has pretty pictures that you like - maybe a gardening magazine or an interior decorating magazine. Now enter your inner child and use those scissors and cut out images and words that resonate with you. Glue them together onto a sheet of poster board. Do it however you want. This exercise has very little rules. You can do a collage that's like a "vision board" where you put things you'd like to see come to you on it. Your vision of your future. Or you can put pictures and words which represent you. Once you are finished, put it where you can see it. View it from different angles.
Stay in touch with the feelings that came up during the process. Allow language to arise naturally as if the collage had a voice.

Body Art Inspiration

No, I don't mean permanent tatoos, although if you want to go there, that's fine with me. I mean picking a word that means a lot to you. That inspires you. I owe my word to my boyfriend. It was his word first, but as soon as I heard it, I knew I had to write it on my hand. Before I even met him, though, I used to write on my hand as a source of inspiration. Many a day at a certain job I hated I would write "the process of life supports me." Plain as day on the top of my left hand. Sure, people would look and ask. I'd say it's my mantra. My little bit to get me going.

Here is a picture I took long ago of that hand:

So my word these days is ENOUGH. I have had ENOUGH pain in my life. ENOUGH tragedy. I will go out and DO something about it! What word inspires you? It could be YES. It could be GRATITUDE. Be daring, be creative. You can use a phrase like I did long ago. Sure, it will wash off in the shower, but you can always reapply. :)

I Remember...

This writing exercise originated from the great writing teacher, Natalie Goldberg. I often use it in workshops to grease the palette. To take that first dive. Write "I remember" and just go wild. You can stick with one memory or you can dive into multiple memories. Be specific. Keep your pen to the paper. If you get stuck, write "I remember" over and over until something comes. If the memory of chicken noodle soup reminds you of that restaurant over on First Avenue but that memory all of a sudden reminds you of the radishes in the garden, GO WITH IT. Dare to be illogical. This exercise never gets old. It's like a true exercise: keep doing it to increase those muscles.

And that, my friends, is the first installment of what to do after you come to my workshops. I'll be adding more ideas as we go along.

And for those of you just browsing the site and who haven't come to a workshop, why don't you join us? It's always such a fun and bonding time.

Go out there and write your hearts out.

Lisa Marie

Televised Workshop Temporarily Postponed

2008-07-06T04:31:00.001-07:00

If you've signed up for the July 13th workshop hoping to be on TV, sorry to disappoint you, but that date wont't work for channel 3. I'm still having the workshop at Mimosa and it is still free so I say, come on out anyway! Call Mimosa to register!

I'll give you the date of the workshop that Channel 3 will attend as soon as I know it.

Thanks for understanding!

Lisa Marie

NEW WORKSHOP!

2008-06-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 13, 2008 is the next workshop, folks. I'm so excited because Susan Siman and Channel 3 are going to do a story on it, as I said in the last entry. I have no idea what her plans are - if she's going to film any of the workshop itself or only ask participants and myself to say a few words...I'll get back to you on that. Certainly, if anyone has a problem with being on camera you can either

1. stay off camera and opt not to speak to Ms. Siman

2. Come to the next workshop which will not be televised.

:)

In any case, it will be extremely exciting. Very graciously, Mimosa is offering its upstairs activity room for our use. It's my favorite place to hold my workshop.

And best of all -- IT'S A FREE WORKSHOP!

So why not sign up?

Best,
Lisa Marie

Inside Out on Channel 3!

2008-06-08T18:10:00.001-07:00

Hi folks,
Susan Siman from Channel 3 is interested in doing a story on Inside Out Writing Workshops. I need to find a venue and participants for this to happen. I think I have the venue, now I need the participants. Would you be willing to possibly be on television and say a few words about the workshop and how it has affected you? I don't know what Ms. Siman has in mind, so I don't know how much coverage, exactly, there will be. But when I get a venue and a date, I'll come back here and let you know. If you know ahead of time that yes, you'd like to participate, email me at insideoutwriting@gmail.com

Thanks!

Lisa Marie

Shannon's writing piece

2008-03-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

I navigated the chuck holes and flooded streets, pensive- yet so excited to get to the writing workshop. Listening to PRI radio (ironically enough - they were interviewing authors that had written about death). The thought went through my mind "I am so relieved that this day is another opportunity- a blessed opportunity to encounter life, and the living, something new". I wondered what it would be like.

As I listen to the other women here - I feel a sense of relief and comfort, at the safeness of each of the women's ability to share. Just a small sparkle, a glimpse of who they are-This is nice.

Thank you God for getting me here. I am relieved. I am smiling inside and out. It feels nice to breath such a sweet essence.

-- Shannon Howell

2nd Mimosa Workshop a Huge Success!!

2008-02-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

Each workshop keeps getting better and better. I think it's a combination of I know more of what I'm doing and people are more willing to share. I walked out of this workshop with a deep apprecation for humankind and the suffering we endure - and the need to "sing" it out. Write it out.

My participants were Shannon, Heidi, and, of course, the ever-helpful Becky. I dropped the ball on advertising this time, but I've learned my lesson. But the small group made for instant connections all-around. I knew Heidi from years before and I already knew Becky; I did not know Shannon, however.

Each woman brought a unique gift to the group. And trust me, the kleenex was passed around.

We tried some new exercises I brought along which worked wonderfully. What we missed out on were about 3 more exercises due to time constraints. So I think I shall extend the time period next time.

Once again, I was blown away by these women's bravery and honesty. We came together as relative strangers (well, most of us) and left as friends on a journey of self-discovery. I can think of few things more beautiful than that.

Shannon wrote a journal piece that I'm hoping she'll send to me so I can post it here. It's so heartfelt and just what the workshop is all about.

I'm also looking for testimonies - short quotes to put on the blog and on my flyers... if you've been to one of my workshops and enjoyed yourself, do write me at insideoutwriting@gmail.com and share a quote with me. I'll only use your first name and age, if that is all right with you.

Here are some pictures from the fabulous day and thank you, Mimosa, for the beautiful space!

For future notice, I'll be traveling to Kalamazoo, Michigan, in early April to give a reading from my newly published poetry book and also give a workshop. Look for the next Madison workshop to be in either late April or early May. By then the weather should be much better than it is right now! :)

Be well,

Lisa Marie

NEW WORKSHOP!

2008-01-31T11:48:00.000-08:00

Come join me at Mimosa Books and Gifts on Sunday, February 24, 2008 from 2:00-4:00pm. Details in the sidebar. I will be trying a few new things, so to you veterans, come on out as well! And note that there's a fee, but if you bring a friend, each only pays $10.00. How great is that?
I hope you're staying warm with these frigid temperatures and being good to your precious selves.

Email me with any questions. Call Mimosa to sign up.

Be well!

Lisa Marie

Meeting Grounds Workshop!

2007-11-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

I think it's been a good workshop when it runs past the end-time. There were four of us. Becky, my co-hort (and photographer), "S" and "J". A nice small group, which I like, as you know. I was going to be trying some new exercises and activities so a small group was ideal to test them out. We had quite a mixture of people. J was a mom and the eldest of the group (though very beautiful and spunky) and didn't have a lot of experience writing. S got her degree in creative writing so she had experience - plus she was going to a slam contest that night. And Becky writes for herself (very well, I might add).

The workshop started out informally with us all talking about the troubles and highlights of working in our chosen field or not working in our chosen field. I was happy to hear that S did not work in writing, but she was happy with that. Obviously quite accomplished in writing, it made me have hope that I could find something "not writing related" job-wise and still be happy.

In this workshop, I used the book, Poetic Medicine by John Fox which is a fountain of wisdom in the poetry therapy world. And yes, there is a world of Poetry Therapy. More on that in a different entry. But suffice to say, this book was indispensable.

We journaled and I was immediately happy to see all participants get to their writing right away. This has happened each workshop so far - they're all so ready to write! I love it! And when I explained Natalie Goldberg's technique of keeping the pen to paper, writing continuously for ten minutes, these brave souls kept their pen to the page and didn't stop writing until I called "time." I'm so excited when I have writers that do that.

One of the poems I meant to read to them was a short one by Wendell Berry regarding grief. Here it is for interested parties:

To Know the Dark
by Wendell Berry

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is raveled by dark feet and dark wings.

The biggest change in the workshop today was that I wanted to try a collage and try to write a poem about the images that came to us. And that would require time; I did not know how long. I left about 45 minutes and the ladies swarmed the magazines I brought and began cutting away like mad kindergarteners. :) We each noticed our different style of collaging: J piled images on top of each other for a fantastic layering effect, as did Becky, and S made a neat pictoral collage while *I* (as J noticed) used mostly words and laid out the pictures in a linear way.

I want to say something about confidence and knocking the "buzzard" off your shoulder. We are all self-conscious about our work, we all don't think we are that good. Well, most of us don't think we are that good. Those who think they are good have gotten enough praise and publication in their life to have healthy (or exceedingly unhealthy) self-esteem. J was hesitant to share her "I Remember" prompt because it wasn't like the rest of ours. She ultimately decided to share, and I'm so glad she did because it was beautiful! So detailed. I hope she takes her writing seriously and continues. Never compare yourself with others to the point where it stops you from writing or sharing. Everyone has different styles and practices. One day I may write about my teaching philosophy.

S practiced a poem that she was going to recite at the Slam tonight and that was amazing. I loved that 4:00 had come and gone and we were still talking about writing. I wish we would have had more time to explore the collages and write further, but that's a lesson I'll have to learn.

I thank S, J, Becky and the Meeting Grounds for a lovely afternoon of writing and gathering together as women of suffering, but also joy.

I don't have a date for the next workshop; I might have to have to go on a slight hiatus as I prepare applications for fellowships and teaching opportunities, but I will definitely have my next workshop in January. I will post more when I know more.

Be well! Today was a grand success! Thank you to all participants!

Lisa Marie

Meeting Grounds Workshop - come join!

2007-11-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

Flyers will be going up next week for the Inside Out Writing Workshop at the Meeting Grounds off Watts Rd. on Commerce Dr. Sign up by emailing me here. This will be the last free workshop listed. Take advantage of it!

November 17
2:00-4:00pm

New Workshop Idea

2007-10-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-06T14:42:00.001-07:00

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

New workshop added!

2007-09-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

Serendipitously, today I found a new location for an upcoming workshop. The Meeting Grounds off Watts Rd. near Brennan's. The date will be November 17th, so if you can't make Mimosa, come to this cozy cafe with EXCELLENT coffee!

More details to follow...

Pic of Mimosa

2007-09-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Still plenty of room and time to sign up!

October 6, 2007
2:00-4:00

Be there!

Avol's Workshop

2007-09-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

This will be the first post of this new blog site for Inside Out Writing Workshops. My first workshop was at Avol's Used Bookstore on September 8, 2007 and it was a wonderful success. We had four participants and I was amazed at how open they all were. Usually, in a new workshop, you can expect some shyness, but these brave women immediately shared their writing when asked. They were all amazing writers, too. One woman didn't have any writing background and still wrote with beautiful color and flavor. All of them did, really.

My friend and participant, Becky, took some pictures afterward while I was talking with a participant, but due to privacy, I won't publish any pictures with class participants in them.

I was glad to see that we had times of laughter during our workshop as well as tears. We wrote about memories of family members, gardening and someone even wrote a fictional piece about her day.

I look forward to the next workshop at Mimosa Books and Gifts on State St. and Gilman on October 6, 2007. There will be slight changes from the first workshop as I learn what works and doesn't work.

Please sign up at Mimosa for the next workshop.

And check back later for further workshop ideas I'm cultivating.

Be well,

Lisa Marie