Blog

Second Friday Carve your own Stamp for Gift Wrap and Cards!

January 14, 2019

Try your hand at making your own stamp: a fun introduction into the technique of relief printmaking. Take this stamp and make cards and gift wrap for the holidays. Learn how to design and carve a stamp that you can take home with you. December’s Second Friday event will feature a special holiday sale, highlighting […]

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Short Story Fiction Writing

January 14, 2019

Explore short story fiction writing by studying narrative craft elements like story, plot, character, scene, structure, archetypal patterns and dialogue. We’ll examine professionally published pieces and your own work. By the end of the course, you’ll be ready to begin a story based on a word or an idea. You’ll also understand how to evaluate […]

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Short Story Fiction Writing

January 14, 2019

Explore short story fiction writing by studying narrative craft elements like story, plot, character, scene, structure, archetypal patterns and dialogue. We’ll examine professionally published pieces and your own work. By the end of the course, you’ll be ready to begin a story based on a word or an idea. You’ll also understand how to evaluate […]

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The Nuts and Bolts of Freelance Writing

January 14, 2019

Learn the ins and outs of freelance writing from a local journalist, who can teach you the art of brainstorming and pitching stories, the etiquette behind communicating with editors, negotiating and selling your writing and the rewarding editing and publishing process.

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The Lyric Essay

January 14, 2019

Explore the lyric essay, which is dense and shapely like a poem. You’ll explore how, like a poem, this form of writing conveys ideas and feelings using musical/lyrical effects like repetition, rhyme, and rhythm. You’ll also learn that good lyrical essays must engage with the factual since they are not fiction. We’ll work on a […]

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The Writing Life– NEW!

January 14, 2019

Start the new year off on the right foot by developing a structured writing routine. We’ll use regular prompts in these weekly workshops, designed to get your pen moving and your creativity flowing.

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Writing the Moment – New!

January 14, 2019

Explore poetic short forms to hone your power of observation. Focusing on the haiku and other Japanese short forms, we’ll study examples of each style and do multiple rounds of writing/sharing. Since mindfulness is a central concept in these writings, the class will open with a short meditation. Participants will be encouraged to take what […]

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Writing the Memoir

January 14, 2019

Through writing, explore and focus on the most meaningful and memorable parts of your life. Thomas Larson writes that “memoir is most successful when it is not the ‘story of a life,’ but a focused part of that life—a dozen summers spent working on a grandfather’s farm, a long relationship with a dying relative, the […]

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Writing the Memoir

January 14, 2019

Through writing, explore and focus on the most meaningful and memorable parts of your life. Thomas Larson writes that “memoir is most successful when it is not the ‘story of a life,’ but a focused part of that life—a dozen summers spent working on a grandfather’s farm, a long relationship with a dying relative, the […]

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Writing Worlds: Worldbuilding in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Other Genres – New!

January 14, 2019

Having a richly developed world is the seed of good speculative fiction. We’ll study examples of worldbuilding techniques and learn to create richly-developed settings for your personal writing projects. This course will include elements of writing, research, some drawing and exploration of images, as well as workshopping to help participants create their own imaginary worlds.

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Writing the Shadow

January 14, 2019

Explore the dark self, what Carl Jung called the “shadow” part of our psyche. Sometimes we see it in our dreams, sometimes it appears in dark imaginings. We’ll learn what the shadow can add to our creative writing by experimenting with timed writing, dream journals, guided imagery and active imagination.

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Writing the Personal Essay – New!

January 14, 2019

Essays are arguments, one writer’s attempt to make meaning out of life. People have been writing essays for more than half a millennium but it’s only in the last century that we’ve made them quite so personal. Traditional essays are formal but the personal essay is candid and conversational. It can enlighten and inspire. On […]

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“The Sparkling Moments”: A Poetry Writing Workshop – New!

January 14, 2019

How do you take advantage of the creative opportunities that are present in your writing, and recognise the sparkling moments? Plows turn over top layers of earth so that fresh nutrients can surface. Workshopping your poems in this class will help you uncover rich worlds, too.

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“The Sparkling Moments”: A Poetry Writing Workshop

January 14, 2019

How do you take advantage of the creative opportunities that are present in your writing, and recognize the sparkling moments? Plows turn over top layers of earth so that fresh nutrients can surface. Workshopping your poems in this class will help you uncover rich worlds, too.

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Advanced Poetry Writing

January 14, 2019

Continue your rigorous study and critique of poetry alongside other experienced writers. If you’ve read poems in solitude, this is a great opportunity to join a critiquing community. You’ll learn how to both graciously give and receive critiques.

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Analyzing Cinematic Stories: What Makes Movies Great

January 14, 2019

A movie needs to be more than a display of technical virtuosity; it should also tell a compelling story. Explore a variety of film genres and filmmakers, from Chaplin to Coppola to the Coen Bros, always with an eye to the story. You’ll gain a greater appreciation for cinema, as well as getting a chance […]

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Beginning Poetry– NEW!

January 14, 2019

Start from scratch to write poems, read poems, learn about forms of poetry and discuss your work. We’ll use packets of poems, exercises, and essays supplied by the instructor. We’ll also use the 2019 Dodge Poetry Packet and another textbook to explore poetry.

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Break the Rules of Your Medium – NEW!

January 14, 2019

Stuck in a rut? Trying to find a new groove? Through a series of discussion, and class-guided creative assignments, we’ll take a critical look at the framework of rules that we as artists create and follow in our work. This class is open to artists working in any medium. Expect to complete creative exercises outside […]

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Collage Poetry – New!

January 14, 2019

Experiment with poetry for the first time or expand on your poetry writing skills, then print your poems in the letterpress studio. We’ll complete a hands-on exploration of poetic forms such as erasure, tanka, cento and pantoum. Then we’ll use typewriters and explore ways of making poems with scissors, paper and glue. In addition to […]

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Collage Poetry

January 14, 2019

Experiment with poetry for the first time or expand on your poetry writing skills, then print your poems in the letterpress studio. We’ll complete a hands–on exploration of poetic forms such as erasure, tanka, cento and pantoum. Then we’ll use typewriters and explore ways of making poems with scissors, paper and glue. In addition to […]

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Equinox Ginko: Poems & Pochoir – New!

January 14, 2019

Explore the poetic form known as ginko, or haiku walk— based around a walk in nature that’s typically held at the start of a season. As a celebration of the autumnal equinox, we’ll take a walk as a group, with notebooks, pens and pencils to take notes and collect images along the way. We’ll walk […]

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Finding Your Poetic Voice

January 14, 2019

Learn to develop your poetic voice. We’ll read and examine several types of poems like internal monologues, epistolary poems and elegies, written in a variety of voices, tones and styles. Practice constructing and critiquing your poems with an emphasis on developing a recognizable voice. You’ll create work with interesting speakers and a tone that connects […]

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