Writing from the Heart (in the heart of Champagne)
April 10-16, 2012 JANET HULSTRAND, WORKSHOP LEADER
“Everybody is talented, original, and has something important to
say.” Brenda Ueland
WHAT
IS WRITING FROM THE HEART?
Writing from the heart is a bold act. It is not for the faint
of heart.
In writing truthfully we both confront and expose the most vulnerable part of ourselves,
by discovering who we really are and sharing with others what we really believe.
This can be both
liberating and terrifying.
What if what I believe is mistaken, or stupid?
What
if I offend someone?
What if people won’t like who I really am, or what I have to say?
These kinds of doubts can make it hard to find the courage to write with honesty and depth.
And
yet when we do, the almost inevitable result is that others respond with understanding, acceptance, and interest.
Do
you know what you believe? (If not, writing can help you discover it…)
Do you know
what you want to share with others?
Do you have the courage to express your beliefs and
the wisdom you have gained through living?
Welcome to Writing from the Heart…a
journey into the heart of France and into your own heart…
WHERE IS ESSOYES?
“Essoyes, where
my mother was born, has remained more or less unspoiled. There is no other place like it in the whole wide world. There I
spent the best years of my childhood.”
Jean Renoir, filmmaker
The workshop will be held in the inspiring village of Essoyes, in the heart of Champagne
country, two and a half hours southeast of Paris.
A small village very conducive to
peaceful contemplation, Essoyes offers quiet streets pleasant for walking in; there are also trails that lead visitors past
rural landscapes that Renoir painted, to other nearby, picturesque villages. Many local caves offer visitors the
opportunity to learn about the process of making champagne and participate in degustations ; and nearby Bar-sur-Seine
and Troyes are rich in history, art, and architectural beauty.
Participants
will stay in the Hotel des Canotiers, a clean, modern hotel that offers beautiful views of Essoyes and the surrounding hills,
fine French cuisine, traditional hospitality, and warm accueil. Breakfast and dinner in the hotel restaurant
are included.
Participants can either arrange their own transportation to Essoyes (where
the hotel offers free parking), or they can make arrangements with the instructor for transfer to the hotel by van from Charles
de Gaulle airport in Paris or from nearby Troyes or Vendeuvre.
WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR?
This one-week writing workshop is for anyone—from novice to professional writer—who
would like to write, or write more, about what matters to you, whether it be personal, political, fiction, nonfiction,
poetry, or prose.
We will address many of the obstacles that can prevent people—whether they
think of themselves as writers or not—from expressing themselves with clarity, fullness, dignity, and passion, and from
enjoying the process of writing.
While the main emphasis will be on writing for the joy of self-discovery
and self-expression, practical advice and information that will help guide those who wish to pursue publication will also
be included.
Participants will have the opportunity to work with others as well as independently
and one-on-one with the instructor to identify their own personal obstacles, dismantle them, and unleash their creative energies,
allowing their writing to flourish. (Note: Those who wish to share their work with others will have the opportunity.
But no one will be required, or even subtly pressured, to share their work.)
Classes will be held
in the mornings, leaving afternoons and evenings free to read, write, or discover Essoyes and the surrounding area. (Private
tutoring by the instructor is also available in the afternoons by special arrangement.)
Janet Hulstrand is a freelance writer, editor, and teacher whose essays
and articles have been published in the Christian Science Monitor, International Educator, Guide to Retirement Living,
Smithsonian.com, and many other publications. She has studied essay writing with Anatole Broyard and literature
with Philip Roth, and has taught writing and literature at Hunter and Queens Colleges of the City University of New York.
Her first book, Moving On: A Practical Guide to Downsizing the Family Home, was reviewed in the national press and
widely praised. She is currently working on her next book, A Long Way from Iowa, a literary memoir. Her
relationship with the village of Essoyes goes back to 1978, when she and her future husband met and fell in love while picking
grapes in the vineyards surrounding the town.
"The setting, style, and sequencing of
Janet Hulstrand's Writing from the Heart...far exceeds any stateside offering I've ever encountered. Go to Essoyes to
become, at once, quieted and refreshed, inspired by your own thoughts, and those of others. Words spill forth like champagne--go,
just go--even if you've never written. You will!"
Jessica Townsend Teague,
workshop participant
Want
more information or an application?
Visit our website: www.essoyesschool.com
Or write to: janet.hulstrand@gmail.com
