I hope you are well. I am planning to start a weekly newsletter with creative writing prompts for adults and children for the next couple of months, with the goal of inspiring creative writing, reducing anxiety, and providing a little joy! It will also help me to alleviate some of my own anxiousness.
If you want in, please send me your email address at creativegeniusdc@gmail.com or you can send me a DM. If you are already on my mailing list, please email me to let me know that you would like to receive this newsletter.
Who Am I and Who Are We? (creative nonfiction) This is workshop has been postponed. New date TBD.
What does it mean to be “American” in 2020? In this creative nonfiction workshop, you will draw inspiration from Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today, which features 50 artists responding to the current political and social context in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. We will employ techniques from fiction and nonfiction writing to explore issues of identity, self-representation, and connectedness, as we tackle exhibition themes such as immigration, race, sexuality, violence, community, and family.
Strike A Prose: Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery This is workshop has been postponed. New date TBD.
In this creative writing workshop, you will develop flash fiction inspired by the short videos in Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today, which features 50 artists responding to the current political and social context in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. We will watch and discuss videos featured in the exhibition, and practice writing characters, setting, conflict, and action for flash fiction stories that grab readers’ attention.
Strike A Prose: Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery This is workshop has been postponed. New date TBD.
In this poetry writing workshop, you will draw inspiration from Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today, which features 50 artists responding to the current political and social context in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. We will discuss how to use works of art to inspire your writing; how to experiment with voice, rhythm, and form; and how to develop poems that communicate a social message, connect with readers, and tell a compelling story.
video: Hugo Crosthwaite, A Portrait of Berenice Sarmiento Chávez
Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2020 Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Location: Capitol Cider House, 3930 Georgia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011
Cost: $25 Register here
Sip on cider and write!
Ernest Hemingway’s daily writing goal was to start by writing “one true sentence.” In this writing workshop, you will practice writing fearlessly, taking risks, and digging for your own version of truth. Open to writers of all levels. Writing prompts will be provided. You will walk away with three new pieces of writing and some new writing buddies.
I am really excited to host this fun workshop that will make even people who hate winter (like me!) enjoy the season.
Wednesday, Feb. 19, 7:00 – 9:30 PM
Cookology Culinary School
Ballston Quarter 4238 Wilson Blvd, Ste 3110,
Arlington, VA, 22203 Cost: $45 Register here
In this wintry-themed writing workshop, which combines comforting cuisine and creative writing, we will gain inspiration from the beauty, wonder, and mystery of winter. We will write short stories with memorable characters, setting, conflict, and action, as we enjoy winter-inspired Nordic comfort foods. You will also learn Nordic recipes through a cooking demo by Ed Hardy, who studied with Sweden-raised celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.
Menu: Glass of Glögg, dill butter and vasterbotten cheese popcorn, Swedish meatball “slider” with lingonberry and cucumber, gravlax and sour cream on potato gaufrette, and mini pancakes with lingonberry jam and ginger cream.
I had the distinct honor to host a vision board workshop at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. It was a really beautiful and positive experience for me. Such great creative energy in the room!
Esperanza Spalding by Sandrine Lee, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Check out these upcoming youth writing workshops that I will be hosting at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Feb! There are workshops for elementary, middle, and high school students.
Come create your vision for 2020! View and discuss works of art, creative writing, and art making as writer and literary host Willona Sloan leads participants in the creation of vision boards that reflect their personal visions for the future and their visions for the future of Africa.
Date: Saturday, January 18, 2020 Time: 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM Location:Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20560 Cost: FREE Register here.
Sip and write! As we wind down 2019, we will use the crazy highs and lows of the past year as inspiration for short stories in this fiction-focused writing workshop. We will discuss techniques for creating characters, snappy dialogue and vivid scenes. You will walk away with three new pieces of writing and some new writing buddies. Open to writers of all levels.
At The Hirshhorn’s Marcel Duchamp Exhibit, Viewing The Pieces Makes You Part Of The Art
From or by Marcel Duchamp or Rrose Sélavy (The Box in a Valise) (De ou par Marcel Duchamp ou Rrose Sélavy [Boîte-en-valise]), 1935–1941/1963. Photo courtesy Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenIn a comprehensive new exhibition, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden traces the career of 20th century artist and provocateur Marcel Duchamp. Marcel Duchamp: The Barbara and Aaron Levine Collection features the recent gift of more than 50 works of art that have been promised to the museum by Washingtonians Barbara and Aaron Levine.
Outside Lands in San Francisco. Photo courtesy Outside Lands
Summer music festivals bring out huge crowds of people who celebrate, revel and generate tons of waste. To make these multi-day events more sustainable, across the country, several festivals have committed to making waste diversion part of the package.
Several festivals across the country have committed to making waste diversion part of their events. Read the full article at Waste360.
Willona M. Sloan 