Writing in the Dark is Back!
Happy spring, friends! Vaccines are reaching people in escalating and meaningful numbers, the days are growing longer and warmer, and the promise of a better summer and fall seems to be cautiously cresting the horizon. It feels something like renewal. I’m cautious, though—because if this last year has taught us anything, it might be to stay loose with our expectations, to expect the unexpected, and to genuinely cherish this very moment, the one we’re living here and now, despite whatever the future might bring. That’s what I am trying to do. And these shimmery days make it so much easier.
I’m writing today to let you know that Writing in the Dark is back starting April 14 and April 15. Two sections, one the traditional model, and one for revisers. This wonderful workshop was conceived back in March 2020, during the first pandemic shutdown of Covid-19 in the U.S. The idea was to create a place where we could write through the complicated, ongoing grief of these lonely, isolated, and frightening times. Dark times. And while the vaccine rollout is a huge step toward hope, the hardship left behind by the pandemic (which is still with us) is ongoing. Further, we found, after five sessions of Writing in the Dark last year, that the workshop’s foundational techniques were powerful even in the light of day. So, if you are having trouble sustaining your writing practice, you are not alone, and Writing in the Dark might be for you.
Full descriptions of WITD (and the differences between the two sections) can be found here. The workshop entered pre-registration last week among alums of the last session, and both sections are now open to general registration, with a few spots open in each. I would love to write with you! I’ve missed teaching and am so happy to be back.
Finally, two tidbits:
I’ll be in conversation with Sue William Silverman (How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences) hosted virtually by Madison’s legendary feminist bookstore A Room of One’s Own on Monday, April 12, and would love to see you there! Sue is a powerhouse and we’re going to talk about how what we most want (as readers) from a piece of writing is to be devastated, and how that devastation heals. Moderated by Kelly Thompson, editor of The Rumpus Voices of Addiction column. Here’s the link to register!
Friday is my birthday and I’m less than 20 Amazon reviews away from my goal of 100 which is, quite honestly, astonishing for my weird little book. Thank you, thank you, thank you! And this is the very last time I’ll be groveling for more reviews, so if you have a minute to push this boulder up the hill with a super short review or star rating, here’s the link to do that. Reviews keep indie presses and authors going, which has become increasingly difficult to do because of the pandemic. Just Google “independent presses pandemic” and you’ll see what I mean. That’s why leaving reviews is kind of heroic if you love diversity in your literature! I wish I’d understood this Amazon power dynamic sooner, but, now that I do, I have made leaving reviews for books I love a priority. If you want to leave a review, here’s where!
That’s all for now. Sending you all so much love and strength as we get through this last stretch (please let it be the last stretch) of this pandemic. We’ve lost so much, learned so much, grown so much. It brings me to my knees.
With love,
Jeannine
