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Workshops are kept small and fill quickly.
To check availability call (203)227-3250 or email info@
westportwritersworkshop.com
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NEW!
Mindfulness and Meditation for Writers | |
with Paul Epstein ND
Mindfulness meditation is a simple and direct practice; the moment to moment observation of the mind/body process through a calm and focused awareness. Learning to observe experience from a place of stillness enables us to relate to life with less fear. Seeing life as a constantly changing process, we begin to accept pleasure and pain, fear and joy, and all aspects of life, with increasing equanimity and balance.
Mindfulness also allows access to one's inner wisdom and deepens insight. It is thus a powerful tool that a writer can use to spark inspiration, enhance creativity, and overcome obstacles.
Join us for this six-week workshop, in which you will learn and practice mindful meditation as a practical tool for the writer. In guided meditations, we will practice techniques to enhance creativity and open the doors of insight and perception. We will also explore how to mindfully handle procrastination, anxiety, resistance, and all the other the hindrances and obstacles that can arise in writing. The goal will be to apply what we learn and practice in meditation to the writing process, ultimately allowing you to write with comfort, passion, inner peace and presence.
Bring notebooks and prepare to do some writing as well.
WHEN:
6 Mondays 7 to 9 p.m., beginning Apr. 23
WHERE:
Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport
COST:
$295 for 6-week session.
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NEW!
On Being a Critic
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with Erica Sanders-Foege
This workshop is for anyone with an opinion and a yen to share it - or better yet, get paid for it.
Every well-written review, whether it features a book, a restaurant, a concert, a movie or a product mentioned on a blog, satisfies three requirements: it is entertaining; it is informative (and accurate); it is balanced. Each type of criticism may involve a different approach, but all share the goal of creating a strong nonfiction narrative that keeps the reader engaged while being informed.
This workshop will cover the basics of writing professional quality reviews for bloggers, aspiring journalists, and would-be columnists. In addition to discovering what makes a successful review, participants will learn how to incorporate related rules of reportage, such as fact checking, fairness, and legal issues (e.g. libel).
For those interested in finding a publishing outlet, On Being a Critic will address strategies for getting published. Topics will include how to research and target both print and online outlets, develop editorial contacts, study house styles, and pitch ideas and columns.
Each week, review assignments will be handed out then shared at subsequent meetings. Participants will receive honest, constructive feedback, answers to questions, and valuable lessons in craft, with the intention of elevating the quality of the work to the level of professional and publishable criticism.
WHEN:
8 Tuesdays, 7 to 9 p.m., beginning Apr. 24
WHERE:
Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport
COST:
$445 for 8-week session.
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Get Published Brown Bag Mastermind |
with Marcelle Soviero, MFA
Bring lunch and we'll discuss publishing opportunities and keep each other accountable for our action plans to get published. Meet to track our submissions progress on a bi-weekly basis in a supportive atmosphere. The group meeting is designed to keep writers accountable for submitting their short work (essays, short stories and poetry) to new markets on a consistent basis, with the goal of publication.
"Marcelle Soviero's sharing of her knowledge and experience, her steady, supportive voice urging us to send out our work--to where and to who--have been invaluable for me. She took the multi-faceted world of publishing, sliced it into absorbable pieces and served several critical helpings at every session.
~ Linda Gibson
"Not since Marcelle's How to Get Published workshop have I learned so much about the submission process. The bi-weekly Brown Bag meetings covered how to write a bio, how to research and find potential target publications and information and deadline dates for essay writing contests. Marcelle provided information and website information for literary magazines, newsletters and blogs for writers, and research markets for target publications.
"Since taking the workshop, I have had two pieces accepted for publication. I can't understand why everyone doesn't take this workshop!"
~ Randi Olin
"This workshop was an invaluable resource for those of us new to the publishing process. Every bit as important as the wealth of practical information Marcelle provided was the accountability inherent in attending each meeting. In the same way the workshops provide deadlines for writing, this workshop forced me to submit, submit, submit; through contests, straight queries and blogging. I now have essays out to multiple publishers and a blog that's drawing hundreds of views and revenue! I wouldn't have done any of this without Marcelle and her direction.
~ Kathleen Nash
WHEN:
4 Mondays (bi-weekly) 12 to 1:30 p.m., beginning May 7
WHERE:
Westport Writers' Workshop, 3 Sylvan Road South, Westport
COST:
$195 for 4-week session.
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| Consider also the following
upcoming one-time workshops: |
| SATURDAY WORKSHOPS |
Publish Your eBook: A Writer's "How To" - June 9More to come
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How To Register
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Log on to Westport Writers' Workshop and click on REGISTER NOW for instructions for registering by mail or with PayPal.
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About Marcelle Soviero
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Marcelle Soviero is an award winning essayist and poet. Her essays have been published in numerous markets, including the New York Times, Salon.com, Literary Mama and New York Metro regional newspapers. Her poetry has appeared in literary magazines including The Georgetown Review, Calliope and Charlotte Poetry Journal. She is the author of The Body That Wants, an award winning poetry chapbook.
A former editor and staff writer at Popular Science magazine, Marcelle has published hundreds of nonfiction articles, including cover stories. She has a BA in Creative Studies from Hofstra University and an MFA in English/Poetry from New York University. Marcelle has lectured and taught at The New School, New York University, and in various libraries, bookstores and schools nationwide. She lives in Wilton with her husband and five children.
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About Steve Otfinoski
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Steve Otfinoski has written more than 150 books for young readers, including Putting It In Writing and Extraordinary Short Story Writing, both for Scholastic. The latter was named a Book for the Teen Age in 2006 by the New York Public Library. It was the third of his books to receive this honor. He has also written two books on rock music for Billboard Books. His short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and two anthologies, Within Reach and Short Circuits, edited by Don Gallo. His third adult novel, Throne of The Third Heaven, won an honorable mention in the first Fairfield Book Prize competition in 2011. Steve is also a playwright with more than fifty productions Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway and in theaters throughout Connecticut. His theater company for young audiences, History Alive!, has been performing his one-person shows on Connecticut and American history in schools throughout the state for two decades. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from Fairfield University. Steve has taught creative writing at the Summer Institute for the Gifted at Yale University and Stratford Continuing Ed. He is currently working on a historical novel about the explorer Meriwether Lewis.
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About Paul Epstein
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Dr. Paul Epstein is a naturopathic physician, speaker, mind-body therapist, mindfulness meditation teacher, and workshop leader. He cofounded the Israel Center for Mind-Body Medicine and was featured in the May/June 2007 issue of Spirituality and Health magazine. Paul travels worldwide as a speaker, leads mind-body therapy trainings and mindful healing retreats. He offers professional mentoring services and maintains a private practice in Westport, Connecticut. He is the author of the recently released book, Happiness Through Meditation. |
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About Erica Sanders-Foege
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Erica Sanders-Foege is a writer, editor and critic whose book reviews have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, People magazine and The Washington Post Book World, among other publications. In addition, she has contributed to Spinmagazine, This Old House and Newsday. She is currently president and founder of Woodside Creative, a book packager in Westport. |
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How To Register |
Log on to Westport Writers' Workshop and click on REGISTER NOW for instructions for registering by mail or with PayPal.
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