With Marilyn McEntyre, PhD

Whether you're writing fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, your narrator is not your self. You find an angle of vision, a persona, a mood, perhaps a dimension of your own character, and develop that presence as you write. Sometimes your narrator will surprise you. She may be a little edgier, quirkier, blunter, more authoritative, or more ambiguous that you are. In this session we'll talk about discovering our narrator, learning to let him/her/them speak in ways that might stretch us, and experimenting with the distance between yourself and your speaker.

Each online workshop in this series will address a particular topic in writing, especially for those interested in personal essays and/or responses to public life. We will talk about language, faith, form, and what a lively, committed writing life entails.

Registration:: General $25/ Reduced $10/ Students Free

Location: Online/Zoom

About Marilyn McEntyre: Dr. McEntyre, a longtime professor of literature and medical humanities, teaches for New College Berkeley and Westmont College, and is on the faculty of Western Seminary’s “Sacred Art of Writing” doctor of ministry program as well as the “Forest Dwelling” program at the Oblate School of Theology. She offers spiritual retreats and writing workshops and continues to write about spirituality, language, healthcare and earth care. She also works as a writing coach. Her recent books include When Poets Pray, Speaking Peace in a Climate of Conflict, and a collection of lenten readings, Where the Eye Alights.

The dates and topics for all First Saturday Writing Workshops are (register separately here - https://buytickets.at/newcollegeberkeley):

October 7, 2023: Getting to Know your Narrative Self

November 4, 2023: Humor Helps

January 6, 2024: Playing with Prompts

February 3, 2024: Playing with Patterns (Archetypes)

March 2, 2024:  Relational Writing

April 6, 2024: Self-Editing

May 4. 2024: Authority and Humility