Unearthing the Deeper Story: An In-Person Writing Retreat, with Arya Samuelson
Everyone can agree that revision is necessary for helping a story or book become the strongest version of itself, but how do we accomplish that? How do we see our work with fresh eyes again and again? How do we unearth the deeper story – the story beneath the story, longing to be revealed? In this new workshop, participants will bring in up to 5 pages of writing that feels stuck, stale, or has simply been gathering dust. Over the course of the day, we will breathe new life into your story by learning transformative revision practices through solo writing time, partnered practices, group feedback, and — weather permitting — a brief field trip into the natural world to expose the “root system” of your story. Though there is no formal red pen workshopping, you will have chances to share your writing and will receive supportive and insightful reflections from the group as we go along., You can expect to emerge with a restored sense of excitement about revision, a multitude of possibilities for digging deeper and expanding your project, and a number of revision tools that you can use to anytime to become your own best editor.
Sunday, September 10th, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ($150)
Arya Samuelson is the winner of the CutBank’s 2019 Montana Prize in Non-Fiction, awarded by Cheryl Strayed. Her work has also been published or is forthcoming in Bellevue Literary Review, Columbia Journal, New Delta Review, Entropy, The Millions, The Manifest-Station, and elsewhere. She is a proud graduate of the MFA in Creative Writing Program from Mills College and has been studying at Lidia Yuknavitch’s school of Corporeal Writing since 2017. She teaches with LitReactor, Pioneer Valley Writers Workshop, and through her own teaching series, Writing as Ritual. Arya writes across all genres and is currently working on a novel. Her website is www.aryasamuelson.com.
