Writing Our Way to Knowing: The Path of Discovery 

An 8-week writing workshop with Nina Wise
January 23 – March 19, 2024 (no class February 13)
Tuesdays, 10:30–12:00pm Pacific Time, on Zoom

More often than not, much of what we are experiencing escapes us until we engage in practices that reveal what lies submerged. So we write. We write to allow what is inside of us — lurking, bubbling, churning — to emerge and be seen. As our experience is given form on the page, insights, connections, and syntheses arise. A colleague of mine who is a renowned neuro-psychiatrist calls my work “neuro-weaving.” 

We write to make sense of our lives and when our lives refuse to make sense, we write to befriend the chaos. In this way, we find our way home to ourselves. 

One of the keys to our stories becoming gateways to insight is CRAFT. George Saunders, author of Lincoln in the Bardo, writes that craft is “a way to open ourselves to the superpersonal wisdom inside of us.”

In this workshop, we will explore our life experiences as we hone our craft as writers. As our writing improves, so will our access to wisdom and happiness.

Week One: How and why do we tell a story: Guidelines, tips, clues and inspirations
Week Two: Who are we now and what are we doing: Character and action
Week Three: Where are we and how did we get here: Causality
Week Four: What do we long for: Yearning
Week Five: What are the riches hidden in plain sight: Discovering what is
Week Six: How to write a scene
Week Seven: How to write dialog that moves the story along and reveals something about the characters
Week Eight: Putting the pieces together: Structure

In a supportive and non-judgmental environment, we will come together each week to practice a particular element of narrative and allow our creativity free rein. Each session will include teachings and writing practice, and time to read aloud in small groups. 

Participants will be encouraged to join a cohort group for practice between sessions (optional).

All sessions will be live on Zoom and recorded. In the event you miss a session or want to review what we did, you can watch the video, which will be made available 1–2 days after the session.

8 weeks for $250

About Nina

Nina Wise is an award-winning writer, theater artist and dharma teacher. Her book, A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life: Self-Expression and Spiritual Practice for Those Who Have Time for Neither was published by Broadway Books/Random House and translated into German and Portuguese. Her stories and essays have been featured in numerous journals including The Sun, Yoga Journal, Tricycle, Shambhala Sun, and collected in anthologies. She has been awarded multiple fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, Marin Arts Council, Theater Bay Area, Society for Experiments in Contemporary Art to name just a few. More here.

Refund Policy

We understand the unexpected can arise. And we want to do our best to support your utmost well being however, because we are limiting the number of participants in this workshop, we will not be able to offer refunds. In case of severe illness that prohibits you from completing the workshop, we will discuss on an individual basis applying a pro-rated amount of your fee to a future workshop.