My offerings for June

Pink Dogwoods by Samantha McCuen

Writers,

I just finished teaching my 4 week Personal Essay class and it was such a joy to connect with writers, hear their work and talk about how to craft essays. I left them with this message:

So much of writing is just paying attention, noticing. This goes against many things we are taught by society -- that our worth is based on how much we produce, that we have to fit as many things into the day as possible, that we have to multi task. So give yourself permission to slow down and pay attention. It is a small rebellion.

Personal writing -- well, all writing -- is certainly not efficient. There are no short cuts. Writing probably won't get you fame and fortune. It might even piss a few people off. There's always something else the world deems "more important" that you could be doing.

But a personal writing practice will help you gain awareness. It will give value to your own story. When you share your writing, you get opportunities for connection. And all of this helps us build a world where we care about each other.

***

Join the Durham Writers Salon community!
Every Wednesday from 8-9pm ET on Zoom

I was describing the salon to a colleague and friend the other day and she said, "Oh, so it's like a Write-A-Palooza?" And I was like, well, actually yes. Yes it is.

I won't be changing the name anytime soon, but this new nomenclature certainly captures the free wheeling, generative and fun nature of this offering. 

Each week we’ll spend an hour together over Zoom. I’ll begin by welcoming everyone and offering a writing prompt. Each session is a little bit different but usually we spend about 15 minutes writing quietly with our Zoom screens off (because everyone is Zoomed out these days) and then we have the option to share. Then I’ll offer another prompt and we will write quietly for another 10-15 minutes.

Critical feedback is not the goal of this salon; it wouldn't be smart to offer feedback for first drafts. We are writing and sharing for  the enjoyment of hearing words and sentences, connecting with other writers, getting inspiration from each other, and being a part of the literary community. 

This salon will take a very French-inspired hiatus in August, so jump on this opportunity before you have to wait til Fall. Purchase 1 session or a 5 session package. 

Be there! Bring a friend!