A DIFFERENT KIND OF WRITING WORKSHOP

with poet, essayist, & musician Chris Stroffolino in a fun, nurturing, non-accredited setting

7 or 8 Three-Hour Sessions; 1st WINTER session begins LATE DECEMBER (or EARLY JANUARY. Dates & times to de be determined depending on the needs of the class (We will do our best to accommodate people’s schedules—most likely a weeknight). The workshop may culminate in a public reading /performance/talk, depending on the interest of the class.

Class Size: minimum of 7, maximum of 10.

Cost: $250: Check, money-order or cash are all acceptable.

Class Description: Do you have something to say, but don’t quite know what is the best way to communicate it? Do you need to write for the sake of self-knowledge or catharsis, but aren’t sure if you want to make it public? Did a friend, teacher or other professional writer call your writing a ‘mere journal entry?’ or a ‘song lyric?’ Did they say your poetry rhymed too much, or maybe not enough? Did they say your prose was too poetic, or had too many ideas and not enough characters? Are you frustrated that the writing they often claim is ‘better’ than yours doesn’t really speak to you? Do you believe your writing may very well be able to better the lives of others? Do you believe in magic? Do Ya?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions (or even if you think they’re silly), this is the workshop for you. Taking each student’s writing and/or performance pieces as its starting point, this workshop encourages students working in varying different ‘genres’. Students may work within one genre throughout the entire course, but will be encouraged to explore a range of stylistic options including poems, manifestoes, creative non-fiction, dialogue pieces, songlyrics, poem-paintings, texts that redefine or de-define genre, ‘hybrid texts’ or ‘non-poetry.’ Students will offer critiques of each other’s work to create a dialogue within a ‘unity in diversity’ approach. By the end of the class, students can expect a deeper understanding into the creative process as well as the business of publishing or other ways of making their work public. Note: This class is intended for all levels.

Chris Stroffolino is the author of seven books of poetry, including Speculative Primitive (2004), Scratch Vocals (2003), Stealer’s Wheel (1999), Light As A Fetter (1997), Cusps (1995) and Oops (1994). He also published two books of literary criticism, Spin Cycle (2001), and, with David Rosenthal, a book length study of Shakespeare’s 12th Night (2000). Since 2001, he’s been singer/songwriter for Continuous Peasant, and has also performed and recorded with The Silver Jews, Jolie Holland, Greg Ashley, Brian Glaze, and Rising Shotgun. His music and cultural criticism has appeared in The Bigtakeover, Kitchen Sink, Big Bridge. He was a recipient of a 2001 New York Foundation for the Arts grant before moving to Oakland where he was Visiting Distinguished Poet at St. Mary’s College from 2001-2006. He has also taught at San Francisco Art Institute, Mills College, Rutgers University, NYU, LIU, Temple, Drexel among others, and received a 2008 Grant from the Fund For Poetry. His poetry has been widely anthologized, and translated into Spanish, Bengali, Hungarian, and Dutch. He also has edited literary journals and curated several reading/talk series.

To Register, contact Chris Stroffolino at chris.stroffolino@gmail.com or 415-260-7535. Spaces are limited. No more than 10 students will be accepted per class. Interested students should submit a short 1-3 page sample (or 2 MP3 if working in primarily an audio format).