We sit down to write. And sometimes—when we are quiet enough, open, patient—something reveals itself and surprises us. An image we didn't know we carried. A truth we didn't know we held. A poem we didn't know was waiting. In this two-hour workshop, we'll explore what becomes possible on the page when we cultivate the receptivity and attention that the great contemplative writers examined so candidly. We'll read and discuss Keats on negative capability, Rilke on living the questions, and writers like Kafka, Tsvetaeva, Dillard and O'Connor—writers who showed up to the page without knowing where they were going. We'll also examine how these writers understood and worked with the creative anxiety that uncertainty so often brings. Together, we'll reflect on what their practices can teach us about writing through fear. This workshop combines close reading of poems and prose, mindfulness practices that cultivate receptivity, and guided freewriting exercises. Participants will leave with new tools for working with creative anxiety and creating a sustainable writing practice.
This class is part of our Writing for Wellness program, which focuses on the relationship between the creative act of writing and wellbeing. While we may look at craft during these programs, our focus will be on writing that supports ourselves as human beings.
