Letter Writing with Stuart Horwitz

This workshop will introduce writers to the art of letter, a practice which can help a writer both communicate truths and uncover material that can blossom into independent pieces.

Attendees will experience the process of:

• choosing the right addressee, such as a child leaving for college, a person with whom there may be a difficult legacy; or a once intimate connection who has passed away/moved away—storytelling has always thrived on having (at least) one particular person in mind;
• finding the scenes that ground the discussion through sensual detail and point-of-view;
• using recovered memorabilia to jog the memory into recall of specifics;
• handling the emotions of grief, anger and shame that might arise during true confessional moments;
• using an overall message—the theme—to select elements from your draft to construct a finished product that is a unified whole.

Writing a letter can often put into perspective material that is usually kept secret. Whether the letter is ever sent, the opportunity to not only tell your side of the story (and how your addressee might have another side of that story) can unlock forgiveness, delight, and rebirth.