Winter 2003 Workshops at Writers & Books

A Woman’s Voice

Paradoxically, the most constructive thing women can do… is to write, for in the act of writing we deny our mutedness and begin to eliminate some of the difficulties that have been put upon us. —Dale Spender

A Woman’s Voice is a 12-session program for women of all ages and backgrounds to share their life experiences in an open, non-critical workshop setting. The goal of “A Woman’s Voice“ is to teach women to write regularly, to keep a journal of their thoughts, observations and personal stories.

The program consists of five groups of women distinguished by age and life situation meeting once a week for 12 weeks. Two of the groups, women ages 35–55 and women ages 50+, will meet at Writers & Books (see course descriptions below). Three other groups will meet at various organizations around the city, and will include teens and seniors.

A special event at the end of the sessions will bring all five groups together for a day of sharing and learning about continuing the group process with a guest artist. The program will culminate in an anthology of writings from all five groups. In the early Summer there will be a public reading and publication party.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation.

A Woman’s Voice: Journal & Memoir

• W3-189 (For women ages 35-55)
• Instructor: Karen vanMeenen [ bio ]
• 12 Wednesdays beginning January 22, 7–9 pm
  plus Saturday, April 12, 9 am–3 pm
• $159 W&B members/$189 General Public
• Limit: 12

In this safe, open forum, we will write stories, poems, essays and diatribes about what is important to us, what changes over time and space, what remains the same. Participants will be particularly encouraged to keep personal journals and will explore various means of doing so while keeping up interest in the process. We will share these writings—which will take many forms—as well as read passages from some of the great women diarists and other writers working in a personal style.

A Woman’s Voice: Journal & Memoir

• W3-190 (For women over 50)
• Instructor: Anaïs Salibian [ bio ]
• 12 Thursdays, starting January 23, 12–2 pm
  plus Saturday, April 12, 9 am–3 pm
• $159 W&B members/$189 General Public
• Limit: 12

In this safe, open forum, we will work with questions and images key to our lives as women and be a support to each other. We will look at a lot of different ways to generate writing so that the writer can discover what her material is. We will share these writings—which will take many forms—as well as read passages from some of the great women diarists and other writers working in a personal style.

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