Workshops

At the heart of human culture is story,
and we each have a story to tell.

Writing is a journey of self discovery. As such, each writer's story is unique and requires an array of crafting techniques.

Everyone is uniquely talented. I encourage participants to tell their story coherently, allowing emotion and the music of the language to guide their choices.

My goal is to send writers on their journey, confident in their ability
to create and ready to craft.

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The “Writing the Woods and Waters” workshop I took with Catherine was a wonderful, enriching experience! Catherine is adept at sharing innovative prompts that get the creative juices flowing, inspiring participants to tap into meaningful memories and explore vivid images that make descriptions come alive. An exercise yielded such rich responses that many participants kept revisiting these pieces throughout our four weeks together, winding up with pieces ready to be sent out to a journal. Her feedback was supportive and helpful, and the camaraderie that developed in the group was so nurturing that all of us wished the class could continue longer than our four weeks together.

--Dr. Marjorie Rhine, Professor in the Department of Languages and Literatures
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Writing the Woods and Waters

Catherine's unique teaching style (very fluid) taps into my sometimes sleeping muse, bringing out the unexpected. I have enjoyed the experience of several of her classes. She guides me to believe in myself and I find myself energized to put pen to paper.

--Nancy Nemec Griffin
workshop participant
  Writing As Wide As the Sky

Catherine's workshops are remarkable not only for the inspiration they provide, but for the sense of community that arises in the process. I left feeling like I had found "my people": writers whose work is rooted in love of a place.

  --Grace Vosen
workshop participant
A River Runs Through

It was a very productive, enjoyable and energizing experience that definitely got my creative juices flowing. The memories keep coming and I am excited to capture them on paper. Catherine is such a positive facilitator. I love how she expresses delight
and appreciation for each offering. I learned a lot.

-- Kerry Grant
workshop participant
A Plumb Line Stright to the Heart of It

Fantastic class! An excellent primer for someone who wants to submit work to literary journals but is unsure of where to begin. The Self-Editing handout is great--so much excellent advice for refining your work. I'm so glad I took the class! Thank you, Catherine!

--Leslie Mehle
workshop participant
Publish! In Literary Journals

I had the pleasure of attending several of Catherine's workshops in the past and found them to both inspire and motivate my writing. The exercises she introduces; including props, visualization and memory help to enhance the experience. Catherine's personal warmth and enthusiasm infect the classes and her encouragement bolsters writers at any level of experience or choice of genre.

--Lori Jungbluth
workshop participant
  Between Contoured Lines

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Contact Catherine. Request your email
be put on the mailing list for newsletter & workshops:
[email protected]
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Upcoming Workshops
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~ Past Workshops ~

2 Writing Journeys!!
online on Zoom
Come to one or both!

Journey I - Window into Place

Wednesday evening March 5th 25
6:30-8:00 PM CST
$20

Have you ever longed to write about a place you love
and seek a way to begin?

Or perhaps you want to enliven your stories--real or imagined--
with rich sense of place?

Join in this workshop of discovery using prompts!
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Journey II - Collecting Honey Drops

Wednesday evening March 19th 25
6:30-8:00 PM CST
$20
Have you ever wanted to capture a story of family food or a tradition?

Perhaps you want to enliven your stories--real or imagined--
with the sensory details of food?

Join in this workshop of discovery using prompts!

Information and registration:
https://folklorevillage.org/folk-school-classes/

** Hope to see you online! **

Writing From and About Place
8 weeks
Virtual
February 20 - April 10, 2023
Thursdays, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Place is the ground we walk on
and what grounds the roots of our stories.

In this course we will explore a sense of place in writing; place as home;
setting for celebration and loss;refuge in territories where we are uprooted.

We will read and discuss gorgeous writingfind the heart of place and its edges;
look for patterns and forms in memorable place writingto find our own grounding.

In each session, we will write to prompts
based on our readings and discussions.

Course Cost: $300.00
Limited to 12 participants.

Registration
https://www.wisconsinacademy.org/course/writing-courses/writing-and-about-place.

SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE: There is one (1) scholarship available for this course. Students of need are encouraged to apply through our Scholarship Application page.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COURSE? Visit our FAQ page or e-mail
Matt Rezin Operations Manager [email protected]

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Ecopoetry
Northwood Technical College
online
Mondays, November 7 & 14, 6:30-8PM
We will read examples, write to prompts, and then share and shape our writing
$28.00 / age 62+ $18.50
Course # 65782
Phone registration: 715.234.7082
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October
writes the poet Barbara Crooker
is the golden hour of the clock of the year

Gathering Gold
An outdoor poetry workshop

Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Saturday, October 8, 2022
10 PM-2 PM
Using inspiration from poems, songs, and imagery
centered on themes of October bounty and transformation,
we will spin gold!

Outdoors on a fine autumn day, we will work through creative prompts
and exercises to generate and craft our own poetic gems.

REGISTER HERE:
https://shakeragalley.org/product/22r281o/

***BONUS: Driftless Poets Workshop will follow Gathering Gold from 2-4PM**
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INVOCATION:CALL IT HOME
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~ Celebrating Our Wisconsin ~

a project spreading across the state

Driftless Area writer, Catherine Young
and artist Stephanie Motz

created the 11 x 17 inch poster poem
INVOCATION: CALL IT HOME

to inspire celebration through art becausewhat we celebrate – we protect.

Find out about the project and create with us!

Bekkum Memorial Library ~Westby, Wisconsin
Friday, September 30th
11:00 AM-Noon

Bring your favorite coloring tools ~ Everyone welcome!
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Folklore Village Folk School

BLACK ASH SHALLOW BASKET (with SONGS)
basketmaker song leader
Lianndra Skenandore & Catherine Young

Learn the art of traditional black ash basket weaving from
Oneida nation of Wisconsin basket maker, Liandra Skenandore

while song leader Catherine Young will weave music into our work,
threading songs of weaving, water, and trees.

NOTE DATE CHANGE: July 8, 9, & 10, 2022

https://folklorevillage.org/product/black-ash-shallow-basket-with-songs/

For more information contact Folklore Village
(608) 924-2000

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Earthwords 2:
Exploring the Poetry of the Book Geosmin

Pheasant Branch Coservancy
Middleton, Wisconsin
Thursday, April 28th, Noon to 2pm

with author Catherine Young &
Yahara Writing Center Leader Troy Hess

These workshops are free and are funded
by the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy

We'll walk this beautiful place, share earthwords, and write together.

Dress for the weather, and bring your favorite writing tools.

Copies of Geosmin will be available for purchase.

https://pheasantbranch.org/writing-workshops/

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Writing From & About Place

September 30, 2021 - November 4, 2021
Thursdays, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Virtual

Course Cost: $225.00

Place is the ground we walk on
and what grounds the roots of our stories.

In this course we will explore a sense of place in writing.

We will consider how place is home; setting for celebration and loss;
refuge in territories where we are uprooted.

We will read and discuss gorgeous writing
find the heart of place and its edges;
look for patterns and forms in memorable place writing
to find our own grounding.

In the last part of each session, we will write to prompts
based on our readings and discussions.

Limited to 12 participants.

Registration
https://www.wisconsinacademy.org/course/creative-writing/writing-about-place

SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE: There is one (1) scholarship available for this course.
Students of need are encouraged to apply through our Scholarship Application page .
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COURSE? Visit our FAQ page or e-mail course coordinator Christopher Chambers .

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Do you love the Driftless region?

And good writing, too?

Each hill hollow, and riverway in our Driftless Bioregion holds a story

Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Online
6 weeks: Thursdays, 7:00 - 8:00PM
March 4 - April 8
Come experience place through contemporary
and past writers
while crafting your place-inspired writing

Reading from the The Driftless Reader, Contours, and
The Land Remembers we'll create our own surprising poetry, memoir,
and flash writing.
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Open to all writers and anyone interested in reading and writing the Driftless land.
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Offered through Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
https://shakeragalley.org/product/reading-writing-driftless/
Or for more information: Shake Rag Alley (608) 987-3292

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Want to get your writing published?

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Publish! In Literary Journals
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
Online
Monday, March 1st
6 - 8 PM
With over 4,000 literary journals in print and online in North America,
there are terrific opportunities to get your work published.
Join in this 2-hour workshop to find your niche
and create opportunities for success.
Discover ways to find journals,
Structure your advantages, and use online submission systems,
plus other ideas for getting published.
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Open to all writers.
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~ Past Workshops ~

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*Behind each flash of memory is a world of story.***

A Plumb Line Straight
to the Heart of It

Memoir Explorations
Online
6 weeks, Mondays
Jan 18, 25, Feb 1, 8, 15, 22,

In this generative multi-genre workshop
we’ll use prompts and exercises to plumb the depths of our experiences
and create surprising poetry, memoir, and flash writing.

By session five, our class community will workshop our creations.
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This all-genre creative writing workshop is open to all writers
and anyone interested in memoir and discovering stories.
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This workshop is offered through Folklore Village

For more information or to register:

https://folklorevillage.org/product/a-plumb-line-straight-to-the-heart-of-it-memoir-explorations/

(608) 924-4000

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Food is an essential ingredient in relationships and story --it sears our memories because it engages our senses.
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From Memory's Kitchen

Online 4-Week Writing Workshop
from UW Continuing Studies

Wednesdays: October 14, 21, 28 and November 4, 2020
6:30 - 8:00 PM

Using food as inspiration, we'll cook up and serve stories from our lives
and shape them into prose, poems,or even children's literature.

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A River Runs Through

Rivers course through our land and through us.
Like story, river is continuous, moving through time and place.

Online 4-Week Writing Workshop
from UW Continuing Studies
Thursdays, October 8, 15, 22 and 29
6:30 PM-8 PM

Using river images and writings, prompts and exercises,
we’ll discover the stories in each of us to generate and craft poetry and prose.
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Feast: A Poetry Harvest

Saturday & Sunday November 14 - 15, 2020
1:00 - 4:00
Folklore Village online

Autumn is a time of richness.
Of delicious possibility.
A good time for gathering the best moments from the year’s adventures.

Come craft your poetic gems in this feast!
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RISE AND FALL: Writing Waters
ONLINE MULTIGENRE WRITING WORKSHOP
Monday, November 16 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Each of us has a connection with water beginning with the arteries in our hands.

Many of us have a treasured place beside a lake, waterfall,
or stream we return to in heart and memory.

In this two-hour workshop, we will explore waters and our deep connections to them.

Using writing prompts and exercises, we will discover the stories in each of us to generate and craft prose and poetry.

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Summer’s beginning is full of possibility...

a virtual writing workshop!

Friday, June 12th
9 am - noon
Online
$35.00

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Using poems, songs and imagery as prompts
to spark creativity, we'll generate and craft poetry
and brief prose~ all based on the season’s poetic awakening.

This workshop is for all –
those who never written to those who write and seek new ideas.

Essentials of Publishing: Literary Journals
How to find them, prepare your writing, and submit

Saturday, April 18, 2020 10AM - Noon
MOVED ONLINE

Join this workshop to discover literary journals, structure your advantages,
use online submission systems, and try other ideas for publishing.

Get your writing out there – and continue your success!

UW Continuing Studies class# 7203-LSA
Open to all levels of writers

continuingstudies.wisc.edu/classes/literary-magazine-workshop/

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The day-long workshop includes a lunch prepared from local foods
and a Hoedown dance for all in the evening

For details and to register: https://folklorevillage.org/the-poetry-of-ripe/

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Are you looking for a memorable writing adventure?

Come out this September to the Driftless Area for:

September 28th just happens to be Apple Fest in Gays Mills.
Along with a great writing adventure you’ll have the chance to visit a real small town celebration.

For details and registration: https://continuingstudies.wisc.edu/classes/the-land-remembers/

Hope to see you there!

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IN SEPTEMBER, JOIN ME FOR A 4-WEEK CLASS IN MADISON, WISCONSIN

WE’LL MEET AT COMMON GROUND MIDDLETON WHERE IT’S POSSIBLE TO GRAB A BITE TO EAT
BEFORE OR AFTER CLASS

https://commongroundmiddleton.blog/about-us/

For details and to register: https://continuingstudies.wisc.edu/classes/nature-writing-woods-waterhttps://continuingstudies.wisc.edu/classes/nature-writing-woods-water/

(608) 262-2451

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3-day writing class

ABUNDANCE: Writing the Driftless Foodscape/Farmscape
at the
Folklore Village Folk School

Imagine! 3 days of writing together.

What a terrific opportunity to deepen and shape the writing into final form with support within the workshop.

Nestled in farmland, Folklore Village is a beautiful location year round.
Being there in fall time will give us opportunitiesto work indoors and outdoors, and use the on-site prairie.

The workshop includes lunches each day prepared from local foods,
and admission to the Cajun Dance on Saturday evening.

For details and to register: https://folklorevillage.org/abundance-writing-the-driftless-foodscape-farmscape/

Hope to see you soon!

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Making Your Mark

You've created prose and poetry and now
you would like to see it published in a literary journal.

Where to start?

Discover the diverse and vast landscape of literary journals
and how to submit your writing.

Tea & Ink Coquitlam, British Columbia November 2017

Catherine asked each of us what type of things we liked to write about
and geared her presentation to meet our needs.

Then she introduced us to literary journals and where to find them online. She carefully went through how to submit to these journals, using two approaches. She covered
formatting and tracking of submissions. It was interesting to discuss
the differences between print and online journals, and she talked about
the alternative ways to get one’s writing out in public.

With Catherine’s terrific presentation,we are empowered
to find publication avenues we’d never thought of before.
We all learned a lot.

-- Mo Patz, Tea & Ink Founder

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Is there a workshop you would like created?
Contact me: [email protected].

YOUR CART

Workshops

*************************************************Behind each flash of memory is a world of story.

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*Behind each flash of memory is a world of story.***