FOR WRITERS IN CENTRAL OREGON Rich Opportunity to Learn & Connect This Fall

2016 Fall Writing Workshop Series Kicks off in Bend, Oregon.

This fall, professional and budding writers in Central Oregon will encounter no shortage of opportunities to hone their craft and connect with fellow wordsmiths. From writer’s groups to salons, the literary scene in the region is flourishing.
Local writer Sarah Sennott Cyr will lead two writing groups. With the title Let the Story Come Home to You, the writing groups will meet once a week for eight weeks. Inspired by the teachings of Natalie Goldberg Writing Down the Bones, timed writing sessions and meditation will be used as tools to elicit stories from the group’s lives. Beginner and seasoned writers are welcome. One group will take place on Monday nights at Sol Alchemy beginning September 14. The other will be held on Wednesday mornings at Dudley’s Bookshop beginning September 16.
Cyr will host a series of workshops dedicated to elevate the way writer’s read. Called Book Club, Elevated, five works of literature will be studied over the course of ten months. In each workshop, the author’s life, book structure, powerful passages and themes will be examined. Participants will freewrite with prompts generated from the books. The workshops will be held at The Wilds, a creative co-working space, beginning in September. (www.sarahcyr.com)
Mike and Irene Cooper, two graduates of the OSU-Cascades MFA in creative writing program, host two writing events at The Workhouse every month throughout the year. A themed, facilitated workshop is given on the first Saturday of the month and a salon is held on the third Saturday of the month (both 6-8pm).
Salons are informal gatherings where the group shares work, does freewriting based on prompts, discusses craft and workshops pieces. Workshops are $25 and salons are $5. (www.theworkhousebend.com)
The Central Oregon Writers Guild, founded in 2002, holds meetings on a monthly basis with featured guest speakers, panels, member readers and small group interaction, with topics of interest to writers at all skill levels. Meetings are free and open to the public and take place at Aspen Ridge Retirement. (www.centraloregonwritersguild.com)
Writers will also have the opportunity to gain inspiration from award-winning authors coming to town this fall. Author Katherine Boo, an American investigative journalist who has documented the lives of people in poverty, will appear at Bend Senior High on October 20 as part of the Deschutes Public Library Foundation Author! Author! Literary Series. And celebrated author David Sedaris has a sold out show at The Tower Theatre on November 10.