Fertile Ground: A Creative Writing Workshop for Parents

“We parents can tell our stories to friends and family members, share posts on Facebook and store zillions of photos on our phones, but how can we see ourselves, and our children, in fresh and surprising ways?” asks instructor Katharine Harer. “What do we do with the patchwork of feelings and moments we carry around inside us?”

Creative writing is the perfect repository for the rich and complex experience of being a parent. It helps us get some distance from our daily routines while simultaneously focusing and enlarging our thoughts and feelings in the clarity of expressive language.

In this one-day class, we’ll do writing activities to explore our experience as parents and to connect with our inner voice. We’ll also learn useful tips to continue our writing practice at home and receive exercises to help us squeeze in time to write between diaper changes, carpools, or trips to the grocery store. For inspiration, we’ll read authors who have roamed the landscape of parenting.

“At the end of the day, whether your child is still teething or, like my son, a newly minted grown-up, you’ll have done plenty of meaningful writing, learned accessible ways to approach writing, and shared experiences and insights with other parents,” says Katharine. All backgrounds and experiences with writing are welcome.