Sarah Pemberton Kastrup
Certified NLP Master Practitioner, AWA writing group leader,
MA in Elementary Education
Certified NLP Master Practitioner, AWA writing group leader,
MA in Elementary Education
(503) 771-3173
Tuesday Mornings - Women's Writing Circle
Women's Writing Circle - Tuesday Mornings 10 Tuesdays, September 18th - November 20th, 2018 10:00am-12:00pm Location: At Sarah's house near SE Belmont and 20th $245 This writing group is a time to come together and write our stories, sparked by compelling prompts, in the warm, rich environment of a circle of women. Based on the Amherst Writer's and Artist's Method. By offering a safe environment, this workshop supports participants to find and express their authentic voice, access their creative power and build community with other women. This writing group is based on the following 5 essential affirmations from Writing Alone and With Others, by Pat Schneider: 1. Everyone has a strong, unique voice. 2. Everyone is born with creative genius. 3. Writing as an art form belongs to all people, regardless of economic class or educational level. 4. The teaching of craft can be done without damage to a writer's original voice or self-esteem. 5. A writer is someone who writes. All are welcome. No experience necessary. To register, email Sarah expressing interest. |
Letter to the Editor Writing Group
Letter to the Editor Writing Group - TBA
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything".
This quote from Albert Einstein describes many of us. Often listening to the news can become overwhelming and frustrating because we are emotionally invested, but we don't know how to engage effectively. This writing group is a place for all who are drawn to respond by letting their voice be heard.
Letters to the editor are one of the most widely read sections of news publications and a place where people read and consider differing viewpoints. Join me in this group where we will follow step by step procedures for writing an effective letter to the editor. We will support each other in crafting and submitting letters about issues that matter.
Come with an issue that you care about...local, statewide, national, or international.
All are welcome. No writing experience necessary. To register, email Sarah expressing interest.
Letter to the Editor Writing Group - TBA
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything".
This quote from Albert Einstein describes many of us. Often listening to the news can become overwhelming and frustrating because we are emotionally invested, but we don't know how to engage effectively. This writing group is a place for all who are drawn to respond by letting their voice be heard.
Letters to the editor are one of the most widely read sections of news publications and a place where people read and consider differing viewpoints. Join me in this group where we will follow step by step procedures for writing an effective letter to the editor. We will support each other in crafting and submitting letters about issues that matter.
Come with an issue that you care about...local, statewide, national, or international.
All are welcome. No writing experience necessary. To register, email Sarah expressing interest.
Thursday Evenings - Write Your Life Brief
Write Your Life Brief - Action is a Byproduct of Clarity Dates TBA 6:30-8:30pm Tabor Space - 5441 SE Belmont St. $295 Email Sarah to register The Life-Brief is a tool for getting clarity on what matters most and expanding the possibilities for how that might come into being. In this group, we will engage in the process of creating this living document. Vision what's possible while connecting to what is true, crafting a life anchored in what matters most. Based on an article and workbook written and created by Bonnie Wan, partner and director of brand strategy at Goodby Silverstein and Partners. |
About the Amherst Writer's and Artist's Method:
(taken from the AWA website http://www.amherstwriters.com/about/awa-method)
“Whether your purpose for writing is artistic expression, communication with friends and family, the healing of the inner life, or achieving public recognition for your art - the foundation is the same: the claiming of yourself as an artist/writer and the strengthening of your writing voice through practice, study, and helpful response from other writers.”
Pat Schneider, Writing Alone and With Others
Pat Schneider, Writing Alone and With Others
The Amherst Writers & Artists' philosophy is a simple one: every person is a writer, and every writer deserves a safe environment in which to experiment, learn, and develop craft. The AWA method, which is fully described in founder Pat Schneider's book Writing Alone and With Others (Oxford University Press, 2003, and available at www.patschneider.com), provides just such an environment.
Peter Elbow, author of Writing Without Teachers, brought the writing process movement into classrooms across the U.S. In his the introduction to Writing Alone and With Others, he called Pat Schneider “the best teacher of writing I know.” The practices outlined in the book have proven effective in graduate school classrooms and in work with the homeless, in children’s schoolrooms, with nursing students, in bereavement groups and in living rooms among friends.
Unique to the AWA method, at the time of the publication of the book, are these two revolutionary practices:
Everything in the writing workshop is treated as fiction, to keep the focus on the writing rather than the personal and to minimize the vulnerability of the writer.
The teacher or leader writes with the participants, and reads aloud along with the other writers.
These practices, along with keeping all writing confidential, responding to just-written work with positive attention on what is strong in the writing, create an environment that is non-hierarchical, honest, and safe. Accomplished and beginning writers learn from one another in a generous atmosphere that works seriously to develop craft and holds personal respect for the value of every voice.
The AWA method has been used successfully with experienced writers as well as beginners, writers who have confidence as well as those who are uncertain. It has been equally effective in helping those whose voices have traditionally been silenced by poverty, discrimination, illness, age or other obstacles to achieving the powerful combination of language and confidence needed to overcome social barriers. While the AWA method is not therapy, it has great healing potential for writers from all backgrounds. Writers who have used the AWA method have published major works and taken top prizes and awards in the U.S. and Ireland, and over a thousand have completed the AWA training program in workshop leadership.
Peter Elbow, author of Writing Without Teachers, brought the writing process movement into classrooms across the U.S. In his the introduction to Writing Alone and With Others, he called Pat Schneider “the best teacher of writing I know.” The practices outlined in the book have proven effective in graduate school classrooms and in work with the homeless, in children’s schoolrooms, with nursing students, in bereavement groups and in living rooms among friends.
Unique to the AWA method, at the time of the publication of the book, are these two revolutionary practices:
Everything in the writing workshop is treated as fiction, to keep the focus on the writing rather than the personal and to minimize the vulnerability of the writer.
The teacher or leader writes with the participants, and reads aloud along with the other writers.
These practices, along with keeping all writing confidential, responding to just-written work with positive attention on what is strong in the writing, create an environment that is non-hierarchical, honest, and safe. Accomplished and beginning writers learn from one another in a generous atmosphere that works seriously to develop craft and holds personal respect for the value of every voice.
The AWA method has been used successfully with experienced writers as well as beginners, writers who have confidence as well as those who are uncertain. It has been equally effective in helping those whose voices have traditionally been silenced by poverty, discrimination, illness, age or other obstacles to achieving the powerful combination of language and confidence needed to overcome social barriers. While the AWA method is not therapy, it has great healing potential for writers from all backgrounds. Writers who have used the AWA method have published major works and taken top prizes and awards in the U.S. and Ireland, and over a thousand have completed the AWA training program in workshop leadership.