Shapeshifting Poetry – Form by Form

Start with a free verse poem or a part of a poem or a thought of what you’d like to put in a poem. Each day we will work our poetry into a variety of forms. Maybe what you have will work well as a triolet, a clerihew, or a quatern. We’ll put our thoughts into rondeaus, ghazals, and sonnets. We will see if meter and/or rhyming are the way to go. We may end up right back at free verse, but we’ll have a good challenge exploring possibilities.

This workshop is a continuation of Ellie O'Leary's April 2022 National Poetry Month project on Breathe Here (breatheherepoetry.blogspot.com). 

Instructor Ellie O'Leary is the Poet Laureate of Amesbury, Massachusetts and author of Breathe Here (North Country Press, 2021). She co-facilitates Fall Writerfest along with Nelle Stanton. 

From Blank Page To Stage

Ever wanted to write a play? Or adapt one of your stories to the screen? Hone your dialogue? Figure out dramatic action? All of the above? This scriptwriting workshop will incorporate simple, fun writing exercises and discussion of the elements of a good script (such as openings, character development, motive, compelling dialogue and more), with the aim of helping you write a short script (stage or screen). Whether you’ve yet to write your first script or have several under your belt, this workshop is aimed at anybody who’s ever stared at that blank page (and empty stage!) and wanted to fill it.

Instructor Tom Coash is a playwright, producer, and director. Coash’s plays have been produced worldwide and won numerous playwriting awards, including the National Theatre Critics Association’s Osborn Award, the Clauder Competition, and an Edgerton Foundation National New Play Award. Coash currently teaches scriptwriting at the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast Creative Writing MFA Program.

 

Fall Writerfest 2022

 The dates for Fall Writerfest 2022 are Sunday, September 11 through Friday, September 16. That's roughly dinner on Sunday through brunch on Friday of that week. The fee is $395 and is again all inclusive. You can register on the Pyramid web site:  Home - Pyramid Life Center. We are now in the process of confirming workshops as well as other details and will be rolling them out as we have them set. In order to secure your place in a specific workshop, once they are announced, you will have to pay in full. You must be in one of the workshops to attend. We are not able to accommodate accompanying guests or people wanting a personal retreat. The workshop descriptions will be posted on this blog, our Facebook page, and sent to our email list. If you are not on our email list, but would like to be, send an email to EllieOLeary@gmail.com. 

Fall Writerfest 2022

Fall Writerfest 2022 will start on the Sunday after Labor Day, September 11, 2022. We had a great experience at Fall Writerfest 2021 and are looking forward to doing it again. Workshops will be announced in the spring of 2022. 

Workshops and Seminars - What's the Difference?

Sometimes people tell me they don't understand the difference when I talk about a workshop or a seminar at Fall Writerfest. A workshop meets every morning. You preregister for one of the five workshops (play writing, creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, or work-in-progress). You will hear from your instructor before you get to Pyramid and you will be in that workshop with that instructor for the full program. Each workshop is limited to eight participants. The seminars meet once after lunch and you attend on a walk-in basis. Anyone attending Fall Writerfest can attend any or all of the seminars. We will be offering at least one of these each day on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We may offer as many as six, in two time slots, one after the other over the three days.

The workshops and the presenters are already announced on this blog; people are registering for them now. The seminars will be announced around August 12, one month before the program begins. Once you are registered and paid in full for Fall Writerfest through the Pyramid Life Center, you can enroll in a workshop by telling me (at EllieOLeary@gmail.com) which one you want. You do not need to pick a seminar until the day it is being presented and you decide whether or not you want to walk-in.

Coffee and Centering with Nelle - 7:30 - 8:00am in the Dining Hall

Coffee and Centering with Nelle

7:30 - 8:00am in the Dining Hall

Breakfast is served at 8:00am in the Dining Hall, but coffee and tea are available by 7.

You’re invited to start your day with coffee and “centering” from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m. with Nelle Stanton. Themes for each day will focus on the tasks of a writer: attention to setting, deep listening, body awareness, being “here now” as preparation for work, and letting go in order to receive. 

These topics are inherently spiritual as they speak to the unseen reality of our daily lives. None are religious - at least not the way they will be offered this week. 

Caffeine and deep relaxation may seem like an odd combination. They do, however, fuel the Body-Mind-Spirit nexus of creativity. At least, that’s the plan!

- Nelle Stanton is a retired healthcare chaplain trained in various forms of meditation, energy healing, and spiritual expression.

Registrations and Workshops

Fall Writerfest is a program held at Pyramid Life Center. Because there are two entities, registration is a two step process. Register to attend at the Pyramid Life Center. Their website is  here. 

All participants will be in one of the five workshops. To reserve a spot in a particular workshop, email EllieOLeary@gmail.com. You can email to check on availability, but you will have to be paid in full to hold a place in a workshop. The five workshops are  - play writing, creative non-fiction, poetry, fiction, and work-in-progress. Workshop descriptions are in previous posts.