I am interested in the whole person, not merely the words they produce on the page. What matters most is that my students' unique creative potential is allowed and encouraged to blossom to its ripest potential. My workshops could all be called courses in LIFE WITHOUT APOLOGY. We usually begin sessions with a guided meditation, so everyone can tune into and heed the voice of his or her true interior, and then write from the heart, as opposed to the head, of who they are. In essence, we write from the inside out. Occasionally I will play music or read a poem that gently directs the meditation towards a writing assignment. The writers I've worked with are always surprised at the material that evolves. And the element of surprise is integral to good writing, as it transcends both the quotidian and predictable. We always do in-class writing and sharing, with supportive, nurturing and honest feedback. In ongoing classes, we workshop prepared material from previous sessions in a professional, challenging, and mutually satisfying way, and discuss publishing options, as applicable. I love to work with small groups, where intimacy is at a premium, and everyone's voice can be heard and allowed to shine.

Please note that these sessions are designed to draw out the 'best self' the poet or writer can be, and in the interests of that, I frequently offer life assignments to my students that help nudge them beyond their current ways of being.

If I had to describe what sets these classes apart, it would be that I teach from the experience of my own internal journey: long periods of silence, out of which the true movement of the heart, and one's passion, can be discovered. I have been working with some groups for over five years, and it has been a supreme joy to watch the evolution of my students, not just as published, award-winning writers, but as deeply loving, gifted human beings. Please see the student comments link in the Workshops section of this site for their opinions!