2025 workshops

“Thank you for sharing your mentoring gifts with compassion, clarity, and joy.” — Jan Meyer

Each day was a dose of love and caring as we shared our stories.” — Barbara Tarka Leonard

All of my workshops are designed to validate the personal experience of participants and to help them express themselves with freedom and confidence. I care deeply about the craft of writing, but my teaching technique is gentle coaching, never harsh criticism. I believe that learning is enhanced by a safe, supportive environment.  

I have led workshops for people of all ages, from preschool children through seniors. Topics include fiction, songs, short essays, journaling, playwriting — and, recently, origami containers! Workshops may range from a single, one-hour classroom visit to residencies of one to two weeks. A singing performance or reading may be added to any workshop. Please contact me for information about fees or to develop a custom workshop for your group. 

Learn more about upcoming workshops below:

FEBRUARY 13 & 15, MARCH 8 & 13 and more in 2025

STEP BY STEP at BIG UGLY COMMUNITY CENTER

Useful Origami: Boxes, Envelopes, and More!

 These ongoing workshops for all ages are focused on fun — with a practical purpose. Learn how to fold several kinds of boxes, envelopes, wallets, picture frames, and much more. Come for one or come for all of them! Get acquainted with the beautiful papers and (minimal) tools that make origami so accessible. Learn about the history and myriad uses of origami in education, medicine, even space exploration. Best of all, enjoy practicing this meditative ancient art in the company of friends and neighbors.

These free workshops will continue on selected days during 2025, with new projects each month. For more information and directions to the Center, call (304) 855-5402 or email Tami Boling at tboling@stepbystepwv.org.

APRIL 6-11, 2025

CEDAR LAKES CRAFTS CENTER

The Little Engine that Could: The Heart of the Short Essay

Composing the short essay—one that takes just a few minutes to read aloud—is crafting an artwork in miniature. A good short essay can be intimate, heartfelt, and moving. It combines the narrative flow of fiction, the concise quality of lyric poetry, and the emotional power of song. Creating the short essay can employ the research skills of a journalist, the critical eye of an editor, and the performance techniques of a storyteller. In this workshop we will discuss some of the reasons and inspirations for writing short essays, hear examples of memorable essays, and hone in on the advice of the late Donald McCaig, who said, “The simpler the narrative, the more emotional weight it can carry.” Each day will include a writing prompt.

For more information and to register, visit the Cedar Lakes Conference Center website.

JUNE 6-8, 2025

WEST VIRGINIA WRITERS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Cedar Lakes Conference Center, Ripley, WV

I will offer three 75-minute workshops during this annual conference. For more information and to register for one or more days at the conference, please visit the WV Writers website.

Body Language: Beholding the Body with Words

Mary Oliver called the five senses the “five rivers,” and writers know that sense imagery is key to vivid writing. What a rich source of inspiration, then, when we turn our five senses toward the body they inhabit! In this workshop we will consider several approaches to writing about the human body. We may contemplate the large and small movements of our lungs, limbs, fingers, and toes; mark the milestones of physical age and loss; turn our attention to body embellishments, from clothing to jewelry to tattoos: What messages do they send, what stories do they tell? The workshop will include a writing prompt.

The Keepsake Chronicles: Leaving a Legacy in Writing

The kids don’t want your twelve settings of porcelain dinnerware or Grandma’s silverplated gravy boat. And that big armoire in the hallway? It weighs a ton, even if it your great-great-grandad made it with his own hands. But there’s one gift that is sure to be treasured: your family stories. And those beloved-but-inconvenient keepsakes can be the springboards to wonderful essays, poems, and letters. This workshop will introduce the idea of keeping a an inventory of stories, and offer examples of ways in which creative writers have imbued those stories with humor, love, and meaning. The workshop will include a writing prompt. If you can, snap a few photos of keepsakes you may want to write about.

The Little Engine that Can: The Heart of the Short Essay

Composing the short-short essay—one that takes two or three minutes to read aloud—is crafting an artwork in miniature. A good short essay can be intimate, heartfelt, and moving. It combines the narrative flow of fiction, the concise quality of lyric poetry, and the emotional power of song. Creating the short essay can employ the research skills of a journalist, the critical eye of an editor, and the performance techniques of a storyteller. In this workshop we will discuss some of the reasons and inspirations for writing short essays, hear examples of memorable essays, and hone in on the advice of the late Donald McCaig, who said, “The simpler the narrative, the more emotional weight it can carry.”

AUGUST 29-31, 2025 (weekend workshop)

CEDAR LAKES CRAFTS CENTER

Origami Containers

This weekend class will focus on containers made of paper. We’ll make envelopes, folders, and holders of all kinds, from very simple wallets to keep business cards or receipts to beautiful modular boxes that are perfect for holding small gifts. No prior experience is necessary, and all supplies will be provided. There will be a $5 supplies fee. For more information and to register, visit the Cedar Lakes Conference Center website.

NOVEMBER 9-14, 2025

CEDAR LAKES CONFERENCE CENTER

The Keepsake Chronicles: Leaving a Legacy in Stories

The kids don’t want your twelve settings of porcelain dinnerware or Grandma’s silverplated gravy boat. And that big armoire in the hallway? It weighs a ton, even if it your great-great-grandad made it with his own hands. But there’s one gift that is sure to be treasured: your family stories. And those beloved-but-inconvenient keepsakes can be the springboards to wonderful essays, poems, and letters. This workshop will introduce the idea of keeping a an inventory of stories and offer examples of ways in which creative writers have imbued those stories with humor, love, and meaning. You’ll be asked to bring a few photos of treasured objects and/or family members. Each day will include a writing prompt. If you can, bring along snapshots of a few of the keepsakes you may want to write about.

For more information and to register, visit the Cedar Lakes Conference Center website.