TEACHING

In my classes, students, as apprentices acquiring a craft, read and discuss writing by master authors. Practicing with prompts and exercises, they discover by doing. In work-shopping, they learn from each other. At the end, they are equipped with skills to continue working on their projects.

UPCOMING CLASSES

Fall/Winter 2012: Tuesdays, 6:00-8:00 p.m., October 16—December 11

Telling the Story

Nothing grabs a reader more than a good read, a story a reader just can’t put down. This course will center on storytelling across all genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry). We’ll do short readings from master storytellers and discuss how these writers captivate and hold an audience. We’ll do writing exercises focusing on the essentials of good storytelling—developing plot, character, dialogue, point of view, image and metaphor. We’ll critique each other’s work along the way. By the end of the course, students will share their polished good reads with the class. Small copy fee payable to teaching artist.

WORKSHOPS

An experienced leader, I enjoy directing seminars or workshops for students of all ages, writing groups of all types, and book clubs of all styles.

Upcoming:

Free Conference for Writers Aged 50 and Over: Saturday, June 2—Sunday, June 3, 2012, at the Loft Literary Center

Saturday, June 2, 3:45-5:00 Breakout Session: Short-Shorts with Marge Barrett

In this workshop participants will explore the world of short-shorts (writing under 1000 words).  Examples from across the genres and from a variety of writers will be shared. Discover how storytelling essentials can still be present even with an economy of words. Some writing exercises will be included.

Jackpine Writers’ Bloc: 3rd Annual Nimrod Writer’s Workshop, Friday, June 22 (5:00 p.m.)—Sunday, June 24, (Noon), 2012

Jerry Mevissen’s Brigadoon Farm in Nimrod (near Park Rapids), MN.

The Power Of Place

As described by writer Mark Doty: “The inner life happens in the body, and the body is always somewhere. For me, it’s the vehicles the world provides, what Whitman called the ‘dumb beautiful ministers’ that allow us to see the soul. What’s the self in an empty room? Breath and memory. I’m interested in being connected, engaged, in place—though of course one reason we need a world to study is to see ourselves reflected there…the work of art, to bring the world into ourselves.” Plan on exploring this broad concept of place in this multi-genre workshop. With readings and writing exercises in verse and story, we’ll study the sense of place in characters, plots, and structures.

EDITING AND CONSULTATION

I edit and critique manuscripts for writers of all levels. Working in consultation with the author, I offer feedback and suggestions for changes to craft and structure, charging $40 – $50 hour, depending on specific needs and time constraints.