March Writing Workshop
March 30th (online)
Dear Friends,
I’m excited to share that I’m starting a series of monthly writing workshops. These 2.5-hour online workshops will be a chance for writers of all experience levels to come together in community to think, feel, and document our world as we are experiencing it. There will be a strong emphasis on memoir writing and family history, but the framework will be open so that writers can go wherever they choose. Each month will have a different theme that will inspire the unique texts and writing prompts guiding our sessions. The first workshop is March 30th and classes will be capped at 10 participants. Ages 14 and up are welcome and first time writers are encouraged to join.
This month’s theme is “Learning to Look” and is inspired by Pádraig Ó Tuama’s book 44 Poems On Being With Each Other. He writes in his introduction:
“I’m hesitant to imagine that poets have special insight, or particular powers of perception. We don’t. We just work damned hard to see, remember, write, see again and write more. So a poem is an act of noticing. What does it see? It sees forward and backward. It sees the futures that probably won’t happen. A poem understands that the past has a life of its own, and is both patient and impatient with lament.”
This is not a poetry workshop (so don’t fret if that is not your style of writing), but when I read this at the very beginning of this beautiful book, it jumped out to me as being relevant for memoir and family history as well. So much of looking into our past and trying to understand our present is about seeing, remembering, writing, noticing, and writing again. (And I’d also add in questioning).
There are details below for the March workshop (there are currently 5 spots left) and you can find more information on my website. I’ll always keep you updated on future workshops here, but if you’d like to be the first to know what’s upcoming, please become a paid subscriber (there are discounts for those supporters as well!).
Info for the upcoming workshop is below:
Date: Sunday, March 30, 2025 from 4-6:30pm EST
Theme: Learning To Look. We will use poetry as prompts to help us better see the world around us.
Location: Zoom. I’ll send the link once you’ve signed up as well as a reminder email the week before.
Fee: $135. If you are a paid subscriber to my Substack or if you've worked with me as a story coach, the fee is $100. (If you can’t afford the cost, reach out and let’s discuss. I don’t want money to be a barrier.)
To Sign Up: To reserve your place, please email me at rachaelcerrotti@gmail.com with the subject line: MARCH WRITING WORKSHOP 2025. Include the name of the participant, the location, and if there is any helpful or relevant information for me to know. You can also sign up through my website.
