People love the water.
Waterside Writing Workshops are designed to improve the writing skills of non-professional writers.
Each is inspired by the Chesapeake Bay.
Each has writing prompts, storytelling, and fellowship.
And, mostly time for reflection.
Local historians, photographers, writers, and artisans will join us.
No writing experience required. Just a creative spirit.
It’s more than just water.
It’s a new way to see yourself.
show don’t tell:
how photography improves writing
September XX, 2023
Hoopers Island
Riverside Lodge
show don’t tell: how photography improves writing
A well known axiom of writing — “show don’t tell’ — is a skillful way to engage the reader by writing in sensory detail.
In other words, painting a picture.
Co-host, Robert Sullivan, is a landscape and waterside photographer based in Cambridge, Maryland. In this 3 hour workshop, we will discuss how both mediums contribute to the creative process.
What we will do:
Start with simple photography of iconic Hoopers Island scenes — cemeteries, rip rap, marina, abandoned buildings. For the second half we will turn the visual into words through writing prompts.
What you will get:
photography instruction and assistance; WWW journals (or bring your own); afternoon snack and beverage
tethered
What are you holding on to?
In rocky waters and foul weather, sailors wear a life jacket and safety harness hooked to the boat with a tether to keep them out of the water. This connection – referred to as a sailor’s ‘third hand’ – involves carefully placed hooks and shackles that allows for movement while remaining safe.
What we will do:
Get clear on what we’re holding on to that no longer serves us — a relationship, attitude, memory, grudge, body image, etc. We’ll explore the importance of remaining connected to the people who keep us ‘safe’ and how living through periods of isolation during the pandemic have changed our relationships.
Guides and Tools:
micro vision board, Jung symbolism, art, journaling prompts, and meditation.
What you will get:
TWMM journal, vision marker, representation of connection
There will be a Cocktail Connection Hour following the workshop.
compass
Sunday, September 18, 2022
1:00 – 3:00 p.m
Kent Manor Inn
500 Kent Manor Drive
Stevensville, MD 21666
compass
A compass is an instrument used for navigation and orientation that shows direction relative to the environment. It provides feedback on the current direction in which we are heading. In a similar way, our inner experiences like feelings, emotions and intuition serve as tools for navigation and orientation to how we go about our days.
What we will do:
Through readings and journal prompts, we will explore how to recognize and utilize our inner compass to bring us joy, energy, and gratitude that signals we’re on the right course.
No writing experience necessary.
Guides and Tools:
journaling prompts, Jung symbolism theory, and meditation.
What you will get:
TWMM journal, compass drawings, coffee/beverage service and sweet treat
light
Long before GPS navigation and detailed paper charts, lighthouses guided watermen safely through shallow waters and away from dangerous terrain. The Cove Point Lighthouse in Calvert County is Maryland’s oldest continuously operating lighthouse. Built in 1828 on just four acres of land, it was designated to mark one of the narrowest parts of the Chesapeake Bay and guide ships safely into the Patuxent River.
Our weekend retreat accommodates 3-4 individuals overnight for 3 nights/4 days in the Keeper’s House and other participants for afternoon sessions from 2-4 p.m. on Monday, October 10 and Tuesday, October 11.
What we will do:
Explore the various ways we metaphorically rely upon ‘light’ to guide us through times of uncertainty and change. We’ll dive into the historical importance of lighthouses and how, still today, they are a perfect symbol of guidance. Are you a lighthouse? A healer, teacher, beacon of joy? Who do you look to for compassion and direction?
Guides and Tools:
U.S. Lighthouse docent/guide, Jung symbolism, tour of Calvert Marine Museum, journal writing, evening storytelling, and outdoor meditation.
What you will get:
Overnight participants will book for 3 nights/4 days; Meals are not provided, however, there is a kitchen on the premises. All guests will receive TWMM journal, admission to Calvert Marine Museum, complimentary parking, wifi, and access to grounds. This is for a very limited number of participants.
I’m a storyteller at heart, but I’m also a writer, life coach, attorney (retired), patient advocate, docent for the Annapolis Maritime Museum and Park and skipjack Wilma Lee, and resident of Eastport and Cambridge.
I write a monthly column, “Inspired by the Chesapeake” for SpinSheet magazine, study guides for the American Sailing Association, and coordinate writing events with nautical themes to experience what it means to
move with the water.
Waterside Writing Workshops combine maritime history, iconic imagery, photography, and storytelling from locals who work the water.
No writing experience is needed, just a creative spirit.
Come join us!
For more on my life coach business, go to Anchor to Self.
For more on my consulting business go to GwenCo Health.
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