Sundays, May 21 -June 25, 12:30 - 2:30pm Central, Virtual
why the body remembers?
You already know how the human body carries all our life experiences, and not just trauma, but all of it, in a visceral, cellular way that remains part of us forever. This is what we will explore together in The Body Remembers, a generative workshop series: how our bodies can feed our creative writing. Memory is not just a matter of the work that happens in our tiny hippocampus, but even more so what we carry with and in our glorious, diverse, and full-of-treasures-and-information bodies.
what kind of writer should take this course?
The Body Remembers is for everyone curious about how tapping into the human body for creative inspiration can lead to discoveries and realizations that will enrich your writing. Whether you are deep into your memoir or personal essay writing or just starting out, you will have gain wisdom and skill from exploring how your body gives your story texture, depth, and perspective. We will immerse ourselves in excerpts from Lidia Yuknavitch (The Chronology of Water), Kiese Laymon (Heavy), and Bessel Van Der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score), and examine essays by writers such as Abigail Thomas, Dinty Moore, Natalie Lima, Marcos Gonzales, and more. We will recognize our bodily knowledge of past events in our lives and gain more awareness of the space and consideration (and appreciation) our bodies deserve in our writing for having carried us so far and so well already. Together, we will create a collaborative environment in which to honor and gather the wisdom of the body-stories we carry.
what are the requirements?
An open mind and heart. A willingness to show up for six weeks and experiment together. A deep curiosity about language, its power and elasticity, and how it relates to experience in the body. A tolerance for new ideas. An interest in reading and discussion. A commitment to putting some new words on the page. A wish to create.
A strong internet connection and comfort navigating an online learning platform.
how does this remote class work?
This course takes place on Elephant Rock’s course platform Mighty Networks from 12:30-2:30 CT for six Sundays starting May 21. Our course has a designated course page with course materials, a private group chat, and an events tab where the workshop itself runs as a Zoom meeting
Through interactive weekly meetings over Zoom, we will engage, discuss, explore ideas around the rich creative (re-)source that is the body, as well as develop our craft and invigorate our writing practice.
We’ll begin the course with an overview about why our bodies are such a rich place to start our memory work in order to fire up our enthusiasm for the creative work ahead. In every class meeting, we will discuss a selection of body-writing texts. Before structured writing prompts, we will have 3-minute guided body scans to bring us into embodiment. In each session, participants will experience what this kind of focused, mindful treasure hunt can generate.
After the first week, each subsequent class session will be dedicated to one or two specific body parts, and all will begin the same way: with a guided body scan meditation, followed by information and inspiration from me, including a curated selection of shared readings, and one or two writing prompts. Time-permitting, sharing can be incorporated, for those who wish. The workshops will be generative, giving participants beginnings of text and content they can choose to develop or incorporate later in their projects and writing lives.
what will writers take away?
A keen awareness of the body’s ability to carry stories, and methods to facilitate mining the treasure chest that is the body for meaningful material useful in both personal essays and memoir
Writing prompts to continue exploring “writing the body,” and reading suggestions to inspire your thinking about the body as creative collaborator
Several pieces of body writing to develop on your own and/or incorporate into works in progress
Access to engaged mentors and a supportive community of fellow writers
Brief individualized discussion of your work
Specific guidance on revision
Discover new stories you didn’t know you carried in you all along and feel energized to continue mining for more
who is the teacher?
This course is led by Nina B. Lichtenstein. Nina holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast program, and a PhD in French literature from University of Connecticut. She has taught languages and literatures (in three languages on three continents) since grad school in her early twenties and has been awarded for excellence in teaching. Nina is known for her warm, generous, and inclusive teaching style. Nina’s creative writing has appeared in in many publications, literary journals, and anthologies, and she is also active in live storytelling. You can learn more about her work and bio here.
what is the cost?
Elephant Rock tuition for this class is $499 (nonrefundable). Under normal circumstances, full payment is due at least 15 days before the workshop begins. Extended payment plans may be available in cases of severe economic hardship. Please send an email to Elephant Rock to inquire.
what have other writers had to say about the body remembers?
As a large-bodied woman and writer who is too much in my head, I left Nina’s workshop with a renewed commitment to delve back into writing on a visceral, cellular level. The discussions, readings, and prompts offered a feast of various ways to remind myself to check in with what I call my Body-body for the stories I carry. ~Rickey Celentano
My experience of Nina Lichtenstein’s workshop was illuminating and revelatory. She really helped me to be in “compassionate conversation” with parts of my body that I’d covered up, minimized, or felt shame around. Highly recommend! ~Jenny Douglas
Nina's approach to writing about the body is truly transformative; she encourages me to focus on elements of myself that yield depths of insight and understanding. I love her classes. ~Pamela Lear
As soon as Nina B. Lichtenstein took the seat of teacher at my writing studio, I smiled. She brought energy, confidence, enthusiasm and expertise to my students. She guided them into the body, into their bodies, and onto the page with ease, managing the three-hour workshop with grace. ~Jennifer Lang
how do I sign up?
please click below to complete course registration and payment: