Workshops can be designed for all ages, from pre-kindergarten through adults. They may concentrate on poetry, fiction, songs, short essays, journaling, playwriting, or a combination of more than one form. All of my workshops are designed to validate the personal experience of participants and to help them express themselves with freedom and confidence.

Workshops may range from a single, one-hour classroom visit to residencies of one to two weeks. I have also designed an eight-week course in creative writing for adults. A singing performance or reading may be added to any workshop.

Workshop fee range: $350 to $650 per day, plus expenses, according to the following schedule:

Single workshop session................................$350.00
Two sessions in a single day..........................$450.00
Three sessions in a single day........................$550.00
Four or more sessions in a single day..............$650.00

Readings and singing performances are negotiable.

Here are examples of some workshops I have conducted:

From the Inside Out: Your Own Story, Your Own Words: A one-day session that concentrates on making personal experience vivid, direct, and accessible. This workshop may be tailored to any age level.

Make Your Own Folk Song: Songwriting with History Writing a song about an event in history can bring history to life, making it memorable and personal. In this workshop designed for teachers, participants will learn to shape a collection of facts, images, and personal experiences into a song. Teachers will learn how to use and expand the workshop activities to help your students learn and preserve their local history through original songs. This workshop can also be presented as a two- to three-day workshop for children.

Kids in Print: A two-week workshop designed for beginning writers, culminating in a published collection - and a live performance - of young writers' poems, stories, and songs.

Creative Writing for Adults: An eight-week workshop to unleash creativity and hone writing and editing skills with readings, in-class exercises, and gentle critiques. A perennial favorite, this class meets at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston, usually in spring.

Murder, We Wrote: A one- to two-week playwriting and acting workshop for middle or high school students, also featuring actor/playwright Arla Ralston. Working collaboratively, students solve a murder mystery, write the final scenes, rehearse, and perform.

Sources of Song: A performance/workshop, conducted with singer/songwriter Julie Adams, that explores the many and varied sources of songs, from personal reflections to weird noises.

Download printable one-page brochure PDF file.

Upcoming Workshops:

May 18-23, 2008: Elderhostel Creative Writing Course at Cedar Lakes Conference Center. Poet Mary Oliver calls the senses "the five rivers." Using them makes for vivid, memorable writing—in a business letter, a blog, a song, or a novel. Examples, discussion, exercises—and some laugh-out-loud wordplay—for beginners and seasoned writers. This week-long course at Cedar Lakes, near Ripley, will also include time to work on your personal writing. For more information or to register for the class, visit the Elderhostel website and search under "Cedar Lakes."

October 6-12, 2008: Radio Essay Writing at Ghost Ranch. Come to the most beautiful part of New Mexico in glorious October, during the ranch's Fall Writing Festival. In this class, you will learn to craft your own observations, opinions, and insights into succinct, memorable pieces suitable for radio broadcast. We'll spend some time discussing what makes a radio essay different from other forms of writing and performing. We’ll explore the many and varied inspirations for short essays — from childhood memories to pet peeves to passionate beliefs. We'll talk about how to approach your local radio station with essay ideas and audio samples, and how to record an essay in the studio. We'll listen to some great essays, gather ideas by using writing exercises, shape free writing into essays, read aloud — and revise, revise, revise. (Producing a polished two-minute essay may be one of the best editing exercises there is.) You'll leave Ghost Ranch with at least a few well-crafted essays and an appreciation for every precious second of airtime. For more information or to register, please visit Ghost Ranch website and look in the online catalog under "Fall Writing Festival" or "Radio Essays."

November 21-23, 2008: Women's Writing Weekend, Tygart Lake State Park. The first Women's Writing Weekend was so successful that it has already been put on Tygart Lake State Park's event schedule for November 2008! Spend a whole weekend nourishing your creativity in an intimate, beautiful setting at one of West Virginia's favorite state parks. We'll get acquainted on Friday night, spend lots of time writing and revising on Saturday (there may be time for hiking, too), and gather for a special evening of reading and sharing Saturday night. On Sunday, you'll go home with renewed energy for writing and some good exercises to keep you going.

Download a printable one-page flyer about the Women's Writing Weekend at Tygart Lake State Park.