Writing Workshop for "Non-Writers" - Jan 2021
Bi-Weekly Thursdays 6-8:30 CT
(1/21, 2/4, 2/18, 3/4, 3/18, 4/1, 4/15)
Platform: Zoom
Pricing: Sliding Scale
Participant Limit: 15
Workshop Leader: Jessica Pierotti
After an incredibly successful fall round of this workshop, we are running it again starting in January 2021!
Language is a foundational part of our daily lives--from our speech and thought, to texts, emails and Twitter. Yet many struggle to pursue the craft of writing, or to define their writing practice as “legitimate.” We hope this workshop will foster confidence, and help refine participants’ capacity to structure language to better communicate their ideas.
This 7-session workshop is intended for those that see themselves as “non-professional writers.” Participants will share their written works and provide critical feedback for one another. The group is open to any style of writing, from journalistic to poetic. Most Importantly, expect conversations to be candid and emotional, and for issues of privilege, identity, current events and politics to be raised. This is a zero-tolerance space for racist, mysoginistic, homophobic, transphobic or other discriminatory actions of any kind.
What is a "non-professional writer”? You have limited to no experience presenting your written work publicly, you did not receive an academic degree in literature or creative writing, but you do have a writing practice in some capacity. Perhaps that means you regularly journal, you write short stories, or you have an active creative practice in another medium. The category is not rigid, but participants should take developing their work seriously and expect to be challenged by this workshop. If you are unsure if you are a good fit, feel free to send us an email at info@drawstringmag.com for feedback.
Expectations: Participants should be dedicated to attending all sessions and prepared to present works to the group every other session. The group will also discuss skills, goals, creativity, and creative blocks. Each session you will receive a written edits from workshop members and the workshop leader.
* We encourage BIPOC community members to pay the lowest sliding scale option regardless of economic status. *
Questions? Contact us!
A Message from Jessica:
This workshop is meaningful to me because I have long struggled to recognize my potential as a writer. I have always read avidly, and passionately admired the craft, but instead of writing I focused on creative mediums that provided greater mediation for my thoughts and feelings. Once the pandemic hit, everything felt too urgent for obfuscation and insecurity. I reached to language immediately as a critical tool in the crafting of a revolution.
At the launch of the first issue of Drawstring Magazine, I wrote in my Letter From the Editor something that I continue to resonate strongly with.
“…writing feels like something we can do right now. Words are free. You can put them in an infinite number of combinations to entertain yourself. You can play with words. You can sculpt them like clay or carve away at them like marble. They are ever present in our heads, on our screens, and on our tongues. Words feel comforting right now, and recession proof.”
Releasing my voice as a writer has been revolutionary for me, as has the experience of working as an editor to help others produce work. I used to think being a great editor meant you had some sort of godly capacity to catch misplaced commas and perfect spelling. Though I did enthusiastically participate in my Spelling Bee in 3rd grade, I still misspell “receive” every single time. I have found that the job is instead about 50% cheerleader, and 50% reading-between-the-lines to discover what the writer truly wants to say. I hope this workshop can help a few other writers create their own personal revolution.