Raw Writing – A class for generating new material

5 Weeks, 7-9:30 p.m.
$185 members/$215 non-members     Berkeley

Special Package Deal: Take this class together with the “Intro to Creative Writing” class, and receive both classes (5 weeks plus 5 weeks, back to back) for the price of one 9-week class. This discount applies only if you choose the “Intro to Creative Writing/Raw Writing ‘Combo’ option” when you register. If you register for Intro to Creative Writing separately and then decide to take Raw Writing, the discount doesn’t apply.

“Not long ago I was feeling distant and unconnected from my writing,” says instructor Jamey Genna, “trying too hard to create a finished product even before I had more than a rough beginning.  I was also encountering a lot of writing friends who were stalled in their work: novelists who had written the first 50 pages and then stopped themselves by doing constant revision; short story writers who had ideas for stories but no inspiring atmosphere or time to sit down and put pen to paper.  I decided it might be time for me to: 1) put a hold on studying craft, 2) stop revising so much, and 3) get back to generating more new material.

Raw Writing is a class that won’t leave you feeling raw. In this workshop you’ll use visualization and relaxation techniques, along with both short and longer timed writing exercises, to put the joy of discovering fresh new material back into the writing process.  You’ll also read excerpts of short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry for inspiration. “This class will be about generating the rough, unrefined stuff, without judgment or criticism,” says Jamey. “Don’t get me wrong, the act of revision has its place, but this class is about energizing your writing with exercises that will give you new, raw material.  You’ll be able to share what you feel like sharing, look for that sentence or paragraph that calls out to you, and reconnect with the initial act of creation.”

Whether you are a new or experienced writer, you can come to this class to gather more raw, uncooked “ingredients,” and worry about cooking them later!

Jamey Genna received her masters in writing from the USF, where she is also a major projects advisor.  Her short fiction has been in many literary magazines including Storyglossia, Cutthroat, Dislocate, Shade, Pinyon, and Georgetown Review. Her short story “Stories I heard when I went home for my grandmother’s funeral” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her collection of fiction Nobody Has to Die for It to Tell You Something was both a finalist for the Ontario Prize and a semifinalist for the Iowa Prize.  Her collection of short-short fiction I’ll Tell You That Story in a Minute was a finalist for the 2007 Elixir Press Chapbook Awards.

Read testimonials for Jamey’s classes HERE