Wild Women Writing Circles
These twelve week morning circles are appropriate for both those working on a specific project and anyone wanting to develop a regular writing practice.
A wide variety of exercises, approaches, and topics will inspire your imagination and get your creative juices flowing. These may include guided visualizations, active imagination with music, writing in response to poetry and writing poetry, writing a money memoir, exploring dream images, writing myth and fairy tale. The extended length and weekly rhythm will help deepen commitment to your writing. Each series takes into account the particular interests of the participants, and everyone is welcome to submit a piece of writing for feedback toward the end of the twelve weeks. During the final session we share a potluck lunch and continue with an afternoon of open readings.
“ Where does Wild Woman live? She lives in the place where language is made. She lives on poetry and percussion and singing. She lives on quarter notes and grace notes, and in a cantata, in a sestina and in the blues. She is the moment just before inspiration bursts upon us.”
Tuesday and Wednesday Morning Circles generally begin in February and September.
Tuesdays
10am - 12:30pm
Last Session 10am - 3pm
“When I write, all those that we don’t know we can be write themselves from me, without exclusion, without prediction, and everything that we will be calls us to the tireless, intoxicating, tender-costly search for love. We will never lack ourselves.”
Participant Reflections
“What you are creating in these quiet Tuesdays of wildness is exquisite. Each form that you choose to contain our journeys into writing and self is beautiful and now to see the evolution that we have all been part of - what alchemy and what gold. This is an amazing group and I am so moved by the presence of each person in the room and then to hear them read. I love the theme of wildness and the ways you are subtly giving direction to a stream of pure life energy in all of us.” (JG)
“Marlene’s 12 week writing circle is an invitation to sink deeply into my writing, with time enough to develop a trusting relationship with my inconsistent muse. When our writing circle spans an entire season, I am not so upset by those days when the words come awkwardly. I understand now that sometimes those sessions are like pry bars - opening me to new and exciting territories which I can re-visit within the group in subsequent weeks. At the end of each 12 week circle I can hear my voice distinctly - but equally exciting is hearing the distinct and unique voices of the writers in my group.” (VL)
“Very seldom have I considered myself a writer. But after only a few mornings in Marlene’s circle of wild women writers, I knew I was really enjoying this, and wanted more and more. This, for me, was due to two things. One was definitely Marlene - she is a gifted and caring and excellent teacher! She creates a very safe space in which to tap into your creative self, your deepest self, your storied self. And each morning she finds a new way to direct you there. Women start writing, highly motivated to keep their pens or art supplies moving across the page. The second beautiful factor of the writing circle is the other wonderful wild women writers. Each has an amazing story to tell (be it in fiction, memoir, myth, or poetry), and a unique style of writing. With an opportunity to read aloud, further inspiration is generated. I have learned from Marlene and from the other women, and I value opportunities for future gatherings of this circle to keep my writing self alive!” (JW)
“I have participated in three of Marlene's wonderful 12 week writing circles. I have found these to be delightfully expansive. The format offers the wonderful luxury of time to develop a real writing practice. In the presence of a group of wonderful women writers, Marlene's wonderful and sensitively guided writing experiences gave space for me to discover my voice, and the perfect environment to invite my unconscious to come forward. I have emerged from these courses with a rich body of work to develop and fine-tune, a sense of kinship with my sister writers, and the desire to do another 12 week program as soon as Marlene offers one! Her encouragement and generosity of spirit create a beautiful and inviting environment for writing, and I have a sense of deep gratitude for the experience of expressing myself and witnessing the voices of all the participants.” (ES)
“Marlene’s Writing Circle, distinctly heart-shaped, is a Soul Space that fosters friendship and empowerment among women. Each week, Marlene welcomes us with colourful fresh flowers, baked treats and pots of hot tea, along with the invitation to move deeply into our creative selves. Week by week, as I open my gift of writing, muses attend as magical midwives. As words birth across the pages of my notebook, I am profoundly filled by their delivery. With elegance and expertise, Marlene’s presence and support enable me to embrace and explore the archetype of Writer. Marlene employs a variety of interesting and fun teaching tools and exercises including dialogue with inner figures, scene development, poetry reading, and active imagination. Through the use of new writing forms and structures, my imagination becomes tantalized by the many surprising elements of dream work, myth, music and reverie. It is a joy to grow in my ability to concretize an artistic communion between my conscious and unconscious minds and a privilege to be a member of this Circle. I live with a new appreciation for the beauty of the pen and the sound of rebirth in women’s laughter. Thank you Marlene.” (CR)