Writing about Religion Workshop

Writing about religion presents a special set of challenges. Whether you’re writing about your own faith or someone else’s, it takes a high level of both objectivity and self-awareness to write about this “taboo” topic.  The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow is presenting a workshop instructed by Ruth Nasrullah that will explore how to do what scholar and writer Peter Manseau calls “elevating empathy over agreement.”  Participants will draft short pieces to share and discuss with fellow participants.  The goal of the workshop is for participants to have the start of a writing project – and perhaps a fresh outlook.

“One of my objectives is for workshop participants to reflect on the idea that peaceful coexistence requires open sharing and acceptance of others’ beliefs without judgment,” said Ruth.  “Writing is key to that effort.  This workshop will address that concept as well as the craft of writing about religion.”  

Ruth has worked as a freelance journalist since 2003, focusing on religion and spirituality, civil rights and politics, trails and travel, and public speaking.  From 2006 to 2015 she wrote the Straight Path blog for the Houston Chronicle in which she examined life as an American Muslim.  She also contributed to the paper’s Belief and Gray Matters sections. She was co-founder of the MuslimMatters online magazine, for which she regularly wrote about politics and civil rights. She has been a regular contributor to Religion News Service, Azizah, Islamic Horizons, The Trek, The Lily, and Toastmaster.  She recently had two poems accepted for eMerge, the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow magazine.

Ruth has a Master of Arts degree in journalism from Emerson College, where she received the school’s Presidential Fellowship. She also has a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction from Goucher College. 

The workshop will be Sunday, March 15th, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm at The Writers’ Colony located at 515 Spring Street in Eureka Springs.  The class fee is $75 per person. Workshop attendees may reserve a writing suite for a residency at WCDH at the subsidized rate of $75 per night, including meals, based on availability and single occupancy. Space is limited to 9, so register early!

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 1,400 writers from 48 states and 13 countries. For more information or to register for this workshop, please visit www.writerscolony.org/events or call Michelle Hannon or Chad Gurley at (479)253-7444.