“Poetry as Refuge in a Time of Disruption,” a virtual workshop by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH) is proud to present, “Poetry as Refuge in a Time of Disruption,” a virtual workshop instructed by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg; former Poet Laureate of Kansas, educator, and WCDH alumni. The events of 2020 have touched us all.  In this new, interactive workshop, participants will learn how to use the art of poetry as an outlet for your innate creativity and an escape from the daily deluge of doom. 

This 3-day, weekend-long, online workshop starts on Friday, December 4 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm CST. It continues Saturday, December 5, with a morning session from 10:00 am to noon, and an afternoon session from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.  The final class will be on Sunday, December 6, from 10:00 am to noon.  All classes will be held online on Zoom.  The cost of the workshop is $225. This is sure to be a creative, informative, and inspiring weekend.  No previous writing experience is required, only a desire to learn a new way to express oneself. Class size is limited to twelve participants, so register early.

“I believe in poetry as a way of surviving the emotional chaos, spiritual confusion, and traumatic events that come with being alive,” poet Gregory Orr writes. Coming together to write, to find and strengthen our individual and collective voices in a time of pandemic and social change, can help us create a refuge of creativity, courage, and resilience. There we can replenish our inner well and recommit ourselves to our work, art, and community. In this experiential workshop, we'll write our ways toward shelter from the storms of our time to reconnect with what we love, what we grieve, and how we can make and hold space for one another to see more clearly our deepest callings and most effective actions in this time. We'll also share individual approaches, considerations, resources, and questions. Most of all, we'll use this workshop time to immerse ourselves in poetry—what we write and witness during and beyond the workshop—as a lifelong sanctuary that brings us greater meaning, clarity, and solace.

Caryn has generously offered to host a limited number of one-on-one conferences available throughout the weekend and in the week following the workshop for a separate fee. The writer will meet with Caryn over Zoom to review up to 7 recent poems together, discussing what craft and revision possibilities would serve the poem. Poems will be provided to Caryn via Google Docs, which she can show you how to use. The cost is $40 per 30-minute session. Conferences must be reserved ahead of time with Caryn (who will arrange payment with you via Venmo, Paypal, or check) by emailing her at carynmirriamgoldberg@gmail.com.

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Ph.D., the 2009-13 Kansas Poet Laureate is the author of 24 books, including How Time Moves: New & Selected Poems (forthcoming); Miriam's Well, a novel; Needle in the Bone, a non-fiction book on the Holocaust; and The Sky Begins At Your Feet, a bioregional memoir on cancer and community. Founder of Transformative Language Arts, Mirriam-Goldberg also leads writing workshops widely, coaches people on writing and right livelihood through the arts, and consults with organizations and businesses on creativity resilience. Learn more about Caryn at https://www.CarynMirriamGoldberg.com or hear her featured on a “Write Now at the Writers’ Colony” podcast at https://www.writerscolony.org/podcast. 

Since opening its doors to writers in 2000, the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow has made a lasting impact on the arts and literary communities providing uninterrupted residency time for novice and accomplished writers of all genres, including culinary, composers, and artists, without discrimination. The WCDH has hosted over 1,500 writers from 48 states and 13countries. For more information, please visit www.writerscolony.org or call Michelle Hannon or Chad Gurley at (479)253-7444.