More Free Events + Last-Minute News
Hi, friends,
I’ve been feeling so many things this equinox, when sadness and beauty intermingle so generously with one another. This time of year, more than anything, feels like a softening and surrender to the winds of change, the inevitability of regret as well as the cherished promise of renewal. More and more, I begin to see the natural story arcs in everything, even the leaf floating and twirling its way from branch to boulevard. If I were an athlete, I would play the game of curiosity, practicing always the moves that make me more inquisitive, more open, and less sure. This is the gesture I seek both in my life and on the page. Fall enhances that gesture thousands of times over. I write about some of these themes in my recent review in Brevity of Jody Keisner’s lovely new collection, Under My Bed and Other Essays—and Jody’s collection explores them as well, as she interrogates fear, especially the kind best known by women and mothers. I especially resonated with Keisner’s beautiful work in parts two and three of her book, which untangle her complex relationship with her father.
I also write today with three free literary events in October, one last-minute opening, one countdown, and a new session of Writing in the Dark. I so very much hope to write with some of you in these unfolding weeks of autumn.
We had an unfortunate health-emergency cancellation for our Radical Revision retreat in Troncones, Mexico at Present Moment, one of the most stunning oceanside eco-retreats imaginable and a paradisiacal place to write. A longtime Elephant Rock writer has been struck with back to back emergencies and needs to forfeit her spot. I hope one of you will grab it and join us in this place of unbelievable creative inspiration. This week-long retreat is for writers seeking to polish a work-in-progress toward publication. Writers will benefit from a full, hands-on workshop devoted to their own writing as well as inventive and highly productive generative writing sessions, craft talks, and seaside yoga & meditation every morning and night, and a front row seat to the roaring mouth of the Pacific and the hearth of the rising and setting sun (yes, we see both from the beach). ONE spot left!
I have another free workshop coming up, the fourth of six free public forums in the Uncertain Together series (sponsored by the Project for Advancing Healthcare Stewardship at the U of M). This workshop is Tuesday, October 11, 6-8 PM Central. During this free virtual forum on Zoom, I facilitate a narrative medicine writing exercise in which we explore the collective experience of the extended Covid-19 pandemic. We will read and discuss Jane Hirshfield's poem, "For What Binds Us.” Of the two-hour forum, we spend about 1.5 hours on the narrative medicine writing portion. You don't have to be a writer at all, but if you are a writer, you will leave with new material and some new ways of engaging with your current material. Again, the forum is free. You need only to register, via this link.
We have three last spots open for and are now counting down to this fall’s exciting life story retreat, “Thriving Along Disturbed Edges” at Hackmatack Retreat Center, Oct 7-9. This unique intensive uses the most powerful memoir curriculum I’ve ever seen. It’s perfect for writers and anyone deeply curious about how narrative shapes your identity and opens (or closes) doors for your future. The idea is to clarify the narrative arc of your life, refresh (and release) old stories, and write better, more expansive new ones. You will come away having written (using powerful structured exercises and engaging principles of writing craft), at least 12 new, vivid, engaging scenes describing your past, present, and future—including your most vibrant imaginings of what's to come. It’s the most original memoir curriculum I’ve ever worked with! Philosophically, you come away with a blueprint for your next best chapter, both in life and on the page. I would love for you to join us! Tyler and Grant just expanded the retreat center with a whole new building on the pond (Pond House) and 20 more acres complete with hammocks strung wildly in the trees. How lovely it would be to write with you in this beautiful place! Details here.
Two free literary events in Duluth in October! First, a reading at the UMD campus in the beautiful Martin Library Rotunda with indigenous poet Tim Moder. Wednesday, October 26, 6-8 PM. No registration required! Then on Friday, October 28, I’ll be doing my first ever and probably only ever in-person bookstore signing for The Part That Burns in the fantastic Zenith Bookstore, Duluth’s coolest and most progressive indie bookstore. Please do stop by and see me if you are in Duluth or anywhere near Duluth, for that matter. It would be a lovely weekend to see some fall color and say hello to the big lake.
Last but definitely, determinedly not least, the last session of the year for Writing in the Dark starts Thursday, October 13, and runs through November 17. Here’s all you need to know. I hope to write with you!
Love, love, love,
Jeannine
