Mothering as an Artist
Though motherhood can and ideally should take a village, the writer/artist who is also a mother has many messages coming at her at all times: how much should I mother my child; how much time can I spend away from mothering to create art; is that time spent away from child and family selfish? How much is too selfish?
In this class we will discuss myths of motherhood, how we can unpack these myths, and what myths, stories and real-life examples we can look to, in order to create liberating stories and a creative practice that honors both the motherhood and the artist in us.
I broadly define “myth” to mean ancient mythologies and their descendants in folklore and fairy tales; cultural expectations that pervade Western society; and the myths closest to home, the family stories that you grew up with. I also want to loosely define “mother” to not only mean a person who has birthed a child, but any person who sees themselves in the primary caregiving role, who has to make choices in their creative practice and caregiving for a child.
It is my hope that this class will create and expand our mother-artist community and bring participants closer to a creative practice that feels aligned with their mother-lives.
Learn more and register here: https://www.tlanetwork.org/event-5959503
Changing the World with Words
This thorough introduction to Transformative Language Arts (TLA) encompasses the personal and the global, the contemporary and the historic, and how TLA can be practiced through writing, storytelling, performance, song, and collaborative, expressive and integrated arts.
Learn more about the class and register here: https://www.tlanetwork.org/event-5784438
Activating Your Family Archives
We activate the tangible objects in our archives when we tell their story. From telling the history behind a single photo or heirloom to juxtaposing generational recurrences in nonlinear formats, this workshop will demonstrate how we can create new meaning in our family stories by engaging deeply with the things we and our ancestors have saved. Participants may bring in family heirlooms, but can also work with digital photos, memories, or objects in the room.
Register for the conference: https://www.tlanetwork.org/POW-24-Registration
Foundations of Facilitation
This course introduces the foundations and best practices of facilitation to TLA practitioners. You will learn about yourself as a facilitator and explore principles for designing and facilitating effective workshops that carefully consider ways to support different populations through marketing, ethics, technology and moving in the physical space. You will also reflect on how to facilitate the work beyond the workshop space and connect to a larger community.
Using TLA to Create and Deepen Your Archive
Your family archive is the collection of memories, photographs and objects that represent and are made by you and your family, whether that’s your family of origin or family of choice. In this workshop we will explore techniques in oral history, historical research, and presenting your family archive.
If you would like to bring a tailored workshop to your community, please contact me!
Teaching specialties include:
working with personal archives
best practices for oral history interviews
writing your own story through creative nonfiction (memoir, personal essay)
writing and exploring cultural identity, global history as it relates to personal and family stories