“Responding to a Message of Heartbreak” Writing Workshop in Astoria, July 20
Writers:
I have a novel idea for a writing workshop and I hope you can join me in Astoria on Saturday July 20th from 10-12:30. I’m calling the workshop “Responding to a Message of Heartbreak”.: Here is its unusual origin:
In March I saw something lying on the ground near a dumpster of a convenience store as I walked through the parking lot of the assisted living center where my dad is a resident.
I approached the curiosity and discovered a piece of cardboard roughly 18” by 18” with handwriting all over it in red and black ink. The size of the text varied.
I read the message. The writing was not in paragraph form. There was nothing linear about its appearance. It was more of a mishmash of riffs, declarations, confessions, digressions, screeds, lamentations, perhaps a kind of written jazz or tormented anti-valentine.
Some of the lines were:
If I die today, would anyone even notice? I doubt it. The devil will love me better.
I want to disappear and maybe they will miss me then…
Men are what’s wrong with this world. “God” fucked up.
I thought I had my dream guy…instead he became my nightmare.
Guess I’m meant to die alone. Why am I so easy to forget. So easy to throw away?
3-08-24 / 2:04 am
Wouldn’t you know it? I’m here alone again. Freezing cold.
Is love really the answer? I know it’s the problem.
I took the message home and began writing up my thoughts about it immediately. I knew I wanted to teach a writing workshop with this cardboard message of heartbreak as the subject.
In the workshop, I will run participants through a series of writing and conversation prompts related to the message. We’ll share some of our responses and conclude by writing a short piece inspired by the anonymous writer’s words of anguish.
I hope you can join me and explore this message. It’s always so wonderful to bring a group of writers together in Astoria who support one another. It’s a unique community that provides immeasurable literary and psychic benefits.
The workshop will run from 10-12:30 and cost $50. Payment will be made at the workshop or in advance through PayPal. It will be held in a private home. Weather permitting, the workshop will be held outdoors on a lawn. In the case of inclement weather, the class will be moved indoors. The class is limited to 12 participants. To register, send me an email.