Winter Retreat and Workshops plus Good Things
My Interview with the great Ellen Meeropol!!!
Dear friends, writers, readers,
I don’t know about you, but what with the election and the subsequent parade of incompetents and misfits our 47th president-elect seems to be taunting us with (is this actually a practical joke?) I am in dire need of a robust and muscular gratitude practice. Here are some of my current sources of joy, photos below.
A community cat named Derek who wears a collar that reads “I’m an outdoor cat because I like it.” Since Tom moved offices last month, Derek has decided he and Tom are colleagues. Derek greets Tom in the new parking lot and shadows him into work. So far, Derek has not asked for a cut of Tom’s paycheck (Tom is a psychotherapist).
Poetry. I’ve completed the 30 Poems in November, more or less, having written a song and several short pieces that may or may not see the light of day. But the real gift to me has been in reading the poems of others, the wonderment of poetry, the way a piece can begin and end in so few lines. If you want, you’re welcome to attend the reading on Dec. 12 at Weinstein Auditorium at 7pm. For details please email: Laurie@cnam.org.
The Diplomat! Shrinking! The Great British Bake-Off! If you can’t handle reality, watch TV!
The Borowitz Report: for a short amusing way to stay vaguely current, check out New Yorker humor writer Andy Borowitz’s Substack.
Bluesky, a new social media network. Maybe because it’s still small; maybe because it hasn’t yet been taken over by some nefarious algorithm determined to steal every last bit of our happiness by showing us hideously accurate advertisements which are a kind of evil mirror held up to me to show me what I really fear (saggy skin at my neck? Disgusting mouth guards?) I am @nerissafranklin.bsky.social.
My new Community Write and Open Mic on Tuesday evenings. This experimental program, launched three weeks ago, is a hit! We will continue through Dec 12 and then pick up after the winter holiday. Every Tuesday evening, any member of my writing groups/Morning Seeding & Tending plus paid subscribers to this newsletter are welcome to join our Zoom (or come in person to Little Blue) for an hour-long writing session. At the end of the session, we have a half-hour Open Mic/Slam. It’s been awesome to hear all the different talent in the “room.”
Ellen Meeropol and the Democracy of Multiple Points Of View
I had the wonderful opportunity to interview novelist Ellen Meeropol the day after the election. Ellen is married to Robert Meeropol, the son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were executed by the government in the 1950s at the height of McCarthyism for being Russian spies. Even though there was plenty of evidence that proved Ethel was not, in fact, a spy, they tried, convicted and killed her anyway, leaving her two young sons orphaned. Below is an excerpt of the interview. For the full piece, go here.
Nerissa: When Alexander Solzhenitsyn won the Nobel Prize, he gave an acceptance speech in which he offered advice to young writers. He said, "Don't trust your brother; trust your own blind eye."
Every artist is growing and developing, trying things out when they are young and new at their craft. We're listening intently to feedback from others, especially in an MFA program. We listen to our teachers and take their critiques seriously, and we pay attention to the people in workshop.
For me, I was listening to club owners, managers, and booking agents who would say, “Here’s the problem with your band. If you did this, you’d go a lot farther.” At some point, though, we have to put all that aside and trust the blind eye inside us that actually sees better than anything else, even if it may lead to terrible mistakes in the eyes of what came before.
But if we're truly innovative, then those “mistakes” are actually genius, and they set us apart. We declare who we are.
Another way to put it is that we become ourselves. We stop caring what other people think.
So I’m wondering if you could talk about your own journey in that direction, because you strike me as someone highly confident in her gifts and voice.
Ellen: Oh, I think I have as much imposter syndrome as anyone else! I believe all writers—and perhaps all artists—experience this. I would agree with that comment, especially as we develop as artists, but we can become blind to our own work. It then becomes a matter of figuring out who you want to listen to. Who are the readers who truly understand you and your work enough to help you identify where you haven't effectively actualized what you envision in your mind and heart?
I recently went through this process with a new manuscript and some trusted writer friends. I think it's important to listen beyond your blind spots. They pointed out things that, the moment I heard them, made me realize, "Oh, of course! I didn't see that." It prompted me to think about how to rework this particular part of the manuscript. Ultimately, it comes down to trusting our own work, our vision, and what drives us to write in the first place.
Nerissa: In my workshops, we talk about the "wallpaper" we take for granted, and we need each other to read our work to help. “Hey, I don't see the wallpaper here. Whatever you have in your head isn't coming through.” I completely agree. I think I’m referring more to when the work is done—or at least ready to go to an agent, editor, or publisher.
In The Lost Women of Azalea Court, we see the story from everyone's perspective, including a wonderful Greek chorus aspect at the beginning of each section. In your work, you are always exploring the differing perspectives of your characters. Not every novelist does that.
Ellen: I love multiple points of view. That clash of perspectives is something I care about. I think it opens up dialogue and invites the reader in, especially if there's a real conflict in viewpoints. So, where do you fit in this chorus of voices, each with a different perspective? It feels like a democratic way of writing a novel, right?
Nerissa: I get it. All my novels are multi-voiced, and I love it when different readers say, "Oh, my favorite character is Zhsanna." "No, my favorite character is Liv." And to see some readers absolutely hate my male character Peter while others say, "Oh, I get him." That, to me, makes it fun and exciting.
Ellen: It does make it fun, absolutely.
Nerissa: You had so many interesting and juicy characters in this book. I remember you saying that before I had read the book, I heard you read from it and talk about the character of Gloria. I would love to hear a bit about how this book came to be. [For the rest of the interview, visit my blog.]
Need Gifts for the writer in your life? Consider a 10-Week Workshop or Daily Morning Writing or a Gift Certificate!
I’m pleased to announce open enrollment in my Winter Season of weekly workshops. We will begin our 10-week trimester the week of January 7th and run groups until the end of March.
Generative groups begin with a prompt, and then we write for an hour. The second hour, we take turns sharing what we’ve just written. Responses are focused on the merits of the new work we’ve just heard. No negative or prescriptive critique will be given. All generative workshops are either on Zoom or in Little Blue with a hybrid option.
Weeding & Pruning is manuscript based, and we meet on Zoom. These groups require a commitment to submit a set number of pages, as well as critiquing your classmates’ pieces in writing. For more information, email me: nerissand@gmail.com.
All times below are Eastern Time.
FULL Tuesday Prepare to Publish: 12:30-2:30pm starting Jan 7, 2025 (led by Nerissa Nields, by application only.)
Wednesday afternoons: 12:30-2:30pm starting Jan 8, 2025 (all genres)
FULL Wednesday evenings: 7-9pm starting Jan 8, 2025 (all genres)
Thursday Fiction: 12:30-2:30pm starting Jan 9, 2025 (Fiction or memoir)
Friday Weeding & Pruning: 12:30-2:30pm starting Jan 10, 2025 (all genres, led by Elaine Apthorp, by application only. To apply, go here.)
New Year’s Retreat!
January 10-12, 2025
Daily schedule:
We start at 9am. Nerissa will gather everyone in her front room and on screens for a short discussion and 5-minute lightning prompt. A second prompt will be given at 10am. We’ll break for lunch at noon.
At 1pm, Nerissa will give a third prompt, and we write until 3pm when we break for an hour of sharing.
Meals:
There will be coffee, tea, light snacks and seltzer all day long. Nerissa will also provide a hearty one-dish grain and vegetable salad for lunch. You may bring your own bagged lunch to keep in the studio refrigerator. There is also a microwave available. The lunch break will be long enough for a drive into Northampton, 1.3 miles away.
Winter retreat is a great opportunity to assess the old year and plan for the new. Take a week to exercise your muse, deepen your writing practice, and make some new friends. If you can’t come for the full five days, you can choose the pro-rated option here. Zoom option available as well.
Morning Seeding & Tending
Morning Seeding & Tending is a low-stress, no-share writing and accountability group. We meet Monday-Friday, 10-11am Eastern Time. We begin each morning with a quick greeting, teeny prompt (quotation/poem fragment which I then email to all members), then set our intentions in the chat. We write with sound muted, and usually people turn their cameras off. If you arrive late, no problem. At 11, we’ll say a quick goodbye. You can choose to leave early. Or you can keep writing long after the group officially ends. Some people come daily, some weekly, some whenever they can.
On Tuesday evenings, we gather again for an hour of writing and a half hour open mic/reading, 6-7:30pm.
After signing up, you’ll get a welcome email and thereafter a Zoom link which changes every month. You’ll also receive the daily prompt whether you attend or not. Pay by the month, via subscription, or try it first via my website. The month begins whenever you start payments.
By website, it's $25 per month. This is a great way to try it out.
By Ko-Fi subscription, it's $20 per month, with automatic payment (like Patreon).
Gift Certificates! They come with one of these pretty cards!!! Made by Katryna
Reading & Celebration Featuring 30 Poems in November! writers
Thursday, December 12th 7:00 P.M. in person and online
WEINSTEIN AUDITORIUM WRIGHT HALL SMITH COLLEGE
ELM STREET, NORTHAMPTON, MA 01060
A GENEROUS FRIEND WILL DONATE $25
FOR EVERY IN-PERSON GUEST.
YOUR ATTENDANCE CAN SUPPORT OUR WORK!
WITH SUPPORT FROM NORTHAMPTON OPEN MEDIA For details please email: Laurie@cnam.org
For details please email: Laurie@cnam.org