Read on to see how you can develop your skill and confidence through a remarkable writing class at the Carolina Fiber and Fiction Center
Many people have heard of the Carolina Fiber and Fiction Center, in the Octagon House, for the wonderful weaving they do and the spinning and weaving classes they offer. Less photogenic are the writing classes given by Dr. Grace Farrell.
Faith LaBossiere attended Grace's class in the fall of 2010 and says that “it gave me confidence and made me comfortable expressing my thoughts, in writing, about a difficult subject.” Faith was so positive about the 5-week course that she signed up for a second one. “Practice putting my thoughts down on paper, with Grace’s guidance, was very rewarding and gave me an important personal story that I could share with some close friends.”
Dr. Farrell will hold a new class on five Saturdays in October from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. Life Story will emphasize the development of compelling narrative from the writer's memories and imagination. Each student will choose a topic of interest and develop the written work on his or her own time. The class meetings will be used to support and guide each writer in their work and challenges in a group discussion environment. Techniques of story development will be explained as they can apply to the work of the students.
Grace’s goals for the Life Stories classes are to write freely and in your own voice, to hear and hold your audience, to break chronology and to move from the real to the imagined. The classes will not impose one style; they permit everyone to have a unique voice, a unique perspective and to write creatively. The course will teach the use of prompts, that are meant to release our talent and stifle our inner critic.
These class have proven to work well with a variety of writing skill levels, from beginning to advanced. In class you may choose to read your writing or not, you may choose to respond to others’ writing or not.
The first session will be October 1 and space is limited so contact Grace Farrell soon at gfarrell@butler.edu for more information or registration. The cost for the series of five classes is $150.
Grace Farrell - Writer and weaver, author of five books, has a Ph.D. from Brown University in English and American Literature, and has taught writing and literature in universities for 35 years.