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The Way in: Memoir as Discovery

September 28, 2021 - November 15, 2021

Writing is a powerful tool for self-expression and discovery. By writing into our experiences, desires, and dreams, we shed light on our lives and the human condition. In The Way In: Memoir as Discovery, we will hone in on key aspects of life that we have all experienced in one way or another: friendship, addiction, love, and death, and what we’re calling “the ineffable,” those hard-to-express spiritual experiences in our minds, bodies, and nature. We will center ourselves in the technique of discovery writing and work in community to read and reflect on our own work as well as published writers such as Joan Didion, Patti Smith, Carolyn Knapp, Augusten Burroughs and others. This class is an experiment. It will respond organically and beautifully to the people in the room. Both experienced writers and newbies are invited to attend; people that hope to publish their work and those that don’t. It is, above all, a safe space to feel, create, and express, in loving community.

When: Tuesdays, 6-8 PM

Where: Online – a Virtual Springhouse Offering

Facilitators: Laura Jones and Kim O’Donnell

Laura Jones had a deep epiphany reading Truman Capote one bored hot summer, lazing on the couch.  She was just a kid, but she realized he also heard the fine music of words rolling around in her head.  They spoke the same language, and that language was poetry.  Since then, she’s devoted her life to working in the arts.  As a nonfiction writer and journalist, she widely published essays, memoir, articles, and reviews, and wrote seven fiction books in between.  Before that, she enjoyed a career making film and television with PBS and Disney.  She was one of the founding producers behind the now well-known documentary series, Art21, which introduced contemporary art to a generation of Americans.  Her own documentary The Dance Space Story ran for a decade on public television, and her full-length screenplay Creative Nonfiction won a staged reading in Chicago.  She holds two graduate degrees, including an MFA in writing from Northwestern University and an MA in interdisciplinary work from New York University.  As an undergrad, she was a Tisch School of the Arts University Scholar and traveled nationally and internationally meeting dancers, artists, playwrights, and actors, and in general, soaking up all the great culture of the last three decades.  As an educator, she hopes to share her love of art and creativity with everyone she meets.  Oh, and she once killed Gwen Stefani in a No Doubt music video — but that was just for fun.
Kim O’Donnell started writing when she was ten.  The first sentence in her five-year journal was about a boy named Hotrod. In the fifty-one years since that first journal entry, Kim has developed a passion for writing as a tool of intimacy and connection, with herself and with the world.  She has written thousands of letters to friends, has composed hundreds of speeches, and has continued to keep journals that track the experiences of her life.  She has also studied writing with Natalie Goldberg.  After a successful career working in the legal profession as a lawyer and a judge, she has spent the past 14 years deeply immersed in the work of personal transformation and healing from traumas in her early life.  Writing has been a significant part of this journey. She is a skillful communicator and has a passion for creating safe spaces for people to share who they are.  She is currently enrolled in Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher training program and has co-founded The Deep Belonging Collective with her dear friend, Ezekiel.

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Springhouse invests in its adult programs by providing: 

  • A safe, beautiful space, and resources to learn
  • Program materials
  • Staff facilitation
  • Curriculum development
  • Mentoring
  • Tech support
  • Communications support
  • Administrative support

At Springhouse, we believe education should not be a commodity and we strive to make sure that nobody is turned away for financial reasons. Instead of tuition or program fees, we see your contribution as an investment in our vision and mission.

To make an informed investment in Springhouse for this program, please review this investment packet. Within the investment packet you will find transparent information about Springhouse’s financial position and budget, along with an invitation to explore your current finances.

After looking at your current finances, the financial needs of Springhouse, and what Springhouse invests in each program, we ask you to consider the following questions:

  • In what ways do you invest in your learning and well-being?
  • How do you invest in the future you long to live in?


Details

Start:
September 28, 2021
End:
November 15, 2021
Event Category:

Organizer

Springhouse
Phone
540-651-4673
Email
info@springhouse.org
View Organizer Website