Strong Offers + Links to Ponder - November 21, 2024
Things to see, read, and do.
Registration will open soon for the Hard Conversations Book Club 2025 with Patti Digh and Anisha Desai. In the meantime, here’s our book list for the year in photo form if you’d like to start reading already.
IN THE ROUGH APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON DECEMBER 5
Come write your book in a small cohort of writers.
Because you do have a book in you. And it’s not getting written. Applications are now open for Cohort 4 of IN THE ROUGH, a two-year writing program for people who want to write their book and get it out into the world. Go here for all the details! Cohort 4 starts in January 2025. Deadline to apply is December 5, 2024.
NEW WORKSHOP: Memoir Seeds!
Trying to find the kernel in your stories? This fast-paced and interactive workshop is for you. Julie and Patti, founders of the In the Rough writing program, will lead you through writing exercises and conversations that will uncover the seeds of your memoir. You will:
Learn how to use first and third person to get to the core of your memoir’s voice
Discover the “whatness” at the center of your story and have that drive the writing
Articulate more clearly the story arc of your memoir
Explore the ways sensory detail enlivens a story
Frame one scene in different emotional language and/or from the perspectives of different characters to discover what that means for your particular story
Go here for more information and to register.
Writing into Grief - January 16-19, 2025
This popular virtual retreat, inspired by my book The Geography of Loss, is back in early 2025. During these four days, we journey into and through our grief using creative processes like writing, mark-making, and small “a” art-making. Go here for more information. It is limited to six people (3 tickets remain).
Upcoming classes and events in 2024-2025
December 1, 2024: MEMOIR SEEDS Workshop from 12-3pm ET / 9-12pm PT.
In the Rough Two-Year Writing Program (Cohort 4) begins in January 2025. Applications are now being received for one of 8 spots in the program. Deadline to apply is December 5, 2024.
WRITE WHERE YOU ARE RETREATS 2025 - These virtual writing retreats spark new ideas and creativity for writers at all levels. Each is limited to 6 writers.
January 9-12, 2025 (5 spots remain)
April 10-13, 2025 (6 spots remain)
November 13-16, 2025 (6 spots remain)
Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2025 - Hard Conversations Book Club with Patti Digh and Anisha Desai (Registration opens soon)
Jan 16-19, 2025: “Writing into Grief: Art-Making through Loss” (Limited to 6 people; 3 spots remain)
SAVE THE DATE for a half-day Zine/Memoir workshop on February 15, 2025. More information to come!
Links to Ponder
"Myriam Dion Weaves Milestones of Women’s History from Vintage Newspapers. In meticulous collages, Dion highlights historical milestones like women’s labor rights and suffrage throughout the 20th century..."
This work by Antin Seder--Das Thier in der Dekorativen Kunst, 1896—reminds me somewhat of Ernst Haeckel's masterpiece, Kunstformen der Natur (1899-1904), except that it is done in the Jugendstil style and his natural history features scaly dragons, among other things. Haeckel didn't ever see a single dragon. (This appreciation and article via Public Domain review.)
And as long as we’re here, check out this concise short history of book illustration from the Literary Hub website–also see a longer issue at Wikipedia.
(The bypass made with hammer and chisel over 22 years.)
Read this sensational story of determination an willpower and love at My Modern Met: "Man Spends 22 Years Carving Through Mountain for Quicker Path Between Village and Doctor After His Wife’s Death."
Interesting appraisal of Native American art books from the Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art celebrating Native American Heritage Month.
That’s all for now. I hope you found something to enjoy here today.
Love,
Patti
Write me a letter at 638 Spartanburg Highway, Suite 70 #337, Hendersonville, NC 28739, USA, and seal it up with a pretty stamp on the front. As one does. It might take a while, but I will write you back.