Category: Previous Classes

Writing classes start July 6, 7

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Two Kickstart Your Writing classes start next week:

Wednesdays, July 6-September 14, 2011  (No class August 17)

or

Thursdays, July 7-September 29, 2011 (No class July 28, Aug. 18, Sept. 15)

Time: 6:30-9 p.m.

Location: Hollywood district ofPortland,OR

Cost: $200/10 weeks

Whether you’re working on a novel or interested in short stories, memoir, essays, articles or other forms of fiction or nonfiction, Kickstart Your Writing offers a supportive environment in which you can work on specific writing projects.

Students set weekly goals; read their work aloud; and receive positive, helpful feedback from the instructor and other students. The exact location is provided upon registration. The class can be repeated.

For more information or to receive Kickstart, a free, monthly e-newsletter for writers: (503) 288-2469 or wordpics@aracnet.com.

To register: Mail payment to Nancy Woods, P.O. Box 18032, Portland, OR 97218. To pay by credit card call (503) 288-2469.

Oregon writing retreat

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A memoir, a novel, poems and short stories where just some of the projects students worked on during the Kickstart Your Writing Retreat that took place June 24-27,  2011.

“I still consider myself a fledgling writer,” said Dave King, one of the participants. What did he appreciate about the retreat, which took place near Prineville, Oregon? “The positive feedback I’ve gotten,” King said. “That empowers me to continue, and when you continue to write you get better and better.”

For Sarah Retzer, another retreat participant, one of the benefits of the retreat was “having a place to go. I could never write for two or three hours for two days at home.” She also appreciated the constructive criticism she received during the retreat as well as the guidance and the “variety of people to give me feedback. “It’s the perfect little setting,” she said, referring to the private home on Ochoco Lake where the event was held. “Being in the presence of other writers is also helpful,” Retzer said. “I don’t feel so isolated.”

Howard Dyer also attended the event. “It’s helpful to have something structured like this, he said. “I like reading other people’s writing and learning they have a lot of the same feelings I have about the process. That is very helpful, and you couldn’t ask for a more helpful setting. It’s beautiful.”

The retreat was held at the home of June Selis, who also took part in the retreat. Plans are in the works for another, similar event.

Writing retreat in Idaho: Write in the Wild

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A friend of mine is helping with this writing retreat:

WRITE IN THE WILD
Friday, June 24 – Sunday, June 26
Island Park, Idaho

Hone your skills with the support of experienced writing coaches during a three-day writing retreat at a private lakeside location only 30 minutes from Yellowstone National Park. For more details, or to register, please visit www.IslandWritingRetreat.com
Deadline for early registration is May 26.

Writing about nature with Robin Cody

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The Friends of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge in Sherwood, Oregon are presenting the Tualatin River Bird Festival May 12-15.  The festival includes a number of workshops, one of which is on writing about nature.  This workshop will be presented by local writer, Robin Cody, on Sunday, May 15.  Cost and registration information is at tualatinriverbirdfestival.org.

Writing the Wild

Join local writer, and Oregon native Robin Cody, for a workshop that will inspire you to record your experiences in nature.  In this workshop we will practice writing about, and sharing with one another, a favorite natural place. Nailing the outdoor setting can launch a good story, fiction or nonfiction. Adults and students alike are welcome.  A box lunch is included. Robin Cody is the author of Ricochet River, Voyage of a Summer Sun, and Another Way the River Has.

Women Only: A Writing Class for Women

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January 31-March 7, 2011. No class February 14.

Mondays, 7-9 p.m.

Hollywood district, Northeast Portland, OR

5 weeks/$125

In this women-only class, students write from a female perspective on topics they choose, whether it’s an article about women’s health, a short story about a woman raising a child alone, or a memoir about what it’s like to be a woman working in a male-dominated field. Students share their writing and receive positive, helpful feedback from the instructor and other students. Designed for beginning to intermediate writers.

For more information or to register: wordpics@aracnet.com or 503-288-2469.

Writing class: Women Only: A Writing Class for Women

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Dates: Jan. 31, Feb. 7, 21, 28, March 7, 2011. No class Feb. 14.

Whether you’re interested in writing short stories or memoir, essays or articles (or other forms of fiction or nonfiction), this fun, relaxed class will offer a supportive environment in which you will share your writing and receive positive, helpful feedback from the instructor and other students. Designed for beginning to intermediate writers.

Time: 7 to 9 p.m.

Cost: $125

Location: Hollywood district of Northeast Portland, Oregon

For more information: 503-288-2469. http://www.nancy-woods.org.

Writing class: Kickstart Your Writing starts Jan 12 and 13

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Kickstart Your Writing Classes

Dates: 

Wednesdays, January 12-March 16, 2011

Thursdays, January 13-March 17, 2011

(Choose Wednesday or Thursday evenings.)

Time: 7-9 p.m.

Location: Hollywood district in Northeast Portland, Oregon

Cost: $200/10 weeks

Whether you’re working on a novel or interested in short stories, memoir, essays, articles or other forms of fiction or nonfiction, Kickstart Your Writing offers a supportive environment in which you can work on specific writing projects. Students set weekly goals; read their work aloud; and receive positive, helpful feedback from the instructor and other students. The exact location is provided upon registration. The class can be repeated.

For more information or to receive Kickstart, a free, monthly e-newsletter for writers: Contact Nancy Woods at (503) 288-2469, wordpics@aracnet.com or http://www.nancy-woods.com.

To register: Mail a check to Nancy Woods, P.O. Box 18032, Portland, OR 97218. To pay by credit card call (503) 288-2469.

Older, Wiser and Writing it Down: A Writing Class for Seniors

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You’ve been there and done that. You’ve seen trends come and go and come back again. You’ve had lots of experiences (positive and negative, funny and serious), so have plenty of stories to tell. Isn’t it time you wrote them down?

In the five-week Older, Wiser and Writing it Down class, students learn how to turn their experiences into essays, stories and articles, whether they’re interested in writing poignant pieces about their childhood or thoughtful descriptions of tough times.

In the class, students use easy, effective writing prompts (in-class writing exercises) to get their creative juices going. Then, with the help of the instructor, they develop those initial writings into finished pieces. Designed for beginning to intermediate students interested in writing for themselves, their family or for publication. Limited enrollment.

About the instructor: Nancy Woods (M. A., Journalism, University of Oregon) is a Baby Boomer who remembers when Hula Hoops first came out and when buying a pair of shoes meant having her feet X-rayed in the shoe store. A freelance writer/editor and writing instructor/coach, her essays and articles have been have been read on Oregon Public Radio and published in the Oregonian, Portland Tribune, katu.com, Northwest Palate, Oregon Home, Oregon Humanities and Oregon Quarterly.

For more information, to register or receive Kickstart, a free e-newsletter for writers: Contact Nancy Woods at (503) 288-2469, wordpics@aracnet.com, www.nancy-woods.com.

What: Older, Wiser and Writing it Down: A Writing Class for Seniors

Dates: Nov. 9-Dec. 7, 2010.

Time: Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-noon.

Where: Hollywood district of Northeast Portland, Oregon. Exact location provide upon registration.

Cost: $125/5 week

Tales from the Parenting Front: A Writing Class for Parents

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You’ve seen it all, from your child’s first smile to her first full-out, in-store, temper tantrum. The highs and lows, joys and disappointments of parenting are endless and make great stories. So isn’t it time you wrote your parenting experiences down? Whether you’re interested in writing essays, stories or articles, whether you want to get published or just write for yourself, writing about your parenting experiences will make sure they’re never forgotten.

During Tales from the Parenting Front, a 5-week writing class for parents, students use in-class writing prompts to get started and then set weekly goals, read their work aloud and receive positive, helpful feedback from the instructor and other students. The class will meet Mondays from November 8 through December 6, 7-9 p.m., in the Hollywood District of Northeast Portland. The class is designed for beginning to intermediate writers. The exact class location is provided upon registration. Cost is $125 for the 5-week session.

For more information, to register or receive Kickstart, a free e-newsletter for writers: Contact Nancy Woods at (503) 288-2469, wordpics@aracnet.com, http://www.nancy-woods.com.

About the Instructor: A parent of a grown daughter, Nancy Woods (M.A., Journalism, University of Oregon) is a freelance writer/editor and writing instructor/coach whose essays and articles have been read on Oregon Public Radio and published in the Oregonian, Portland Tribune, katu.com, Northwest Palate, Oregon Home, Oregon Humanities and Oregon Quarterly.