Contact me at susan @ susanbarrtoman.com to bring a Mindful Writing workshop to your group or organization.

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Harnessing the Energy of the Summer Solstice

We can get settled into our habits. Stuck in our ways of thinking. And what’s so wrong with that? We’re comfortable with our routines! We like being right about things!

The Summer Solstice offers us an opportunity to pause and ask: Do we still have room to grow? What can we do intentionally to challenge ourselves? Can we connect with other people?

This summer let’s harness the energy of the sun and open our minds and hearts to the creative possibilities. 

Join me on Saturday, June 20 from 10:00am to 12 noon for a couple hours of Mindful Writing. We will meditate, write and share in a safe and fun community. 

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Beginner’s Mind: A Mindful Approach to Personal Essays

Beginner’s Mind: A Mindful Approach to Personal Essays

Take a deep breath and write your true stories with this mindful approach to writing.

In Buddhism, we are instructed to be present to our experiences with an open mind. Beginner’s mind. In this class, whether you are a seasoned writer or new to writing, we will approach our experiences, feelings, memories, and beliefs with a beginner’s mind. We will face the blank page with beginner’s mind.

This 8-week course is a journey of self-discovery. In these generative workshops, we will explore different aspects of our lives and mine them for material. In doing so, we will gain new perspectives about ourselves, our obsessions, and our process. 

In each workshop, we will meditate and then freewrite. Throughout the course, we will use the tools of mindfulness to build a mindful writing practice, confront our inner critic, work with difficult memories, and discover new ways into our stories.

Activities, meditations, and writing prompts will be offered each week to help you maintain a mindful writing practice (spending time each day meditating, then writing) throughout the week.

You are encouraged to share writings created during the 8-week course during class and on Wet Ink.

Learning and Writing Goals

Learning Goals:

By the end of this course, students will learn:

• a foundation for maintaining a Mindful Writing Practice.
• an understanding of the personal essay.
• the benefits of building community with fellow writers created through mindful workshopping.
• insight into the personal essay publishing market.

Writing Goals:

By the end of this course, students will have:

• generated draft essays on a variety of topics.
• outline what stories they have to/want to tell.

Zoom Schedule

Live Zooms: Wednesdays, June 17 and 24, July 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, and August 5

Time: 12:00pm -2:00pm ET

All Zoom sessions will be recorded. Further class instruction and discussions will take place on Wet Ink.

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Testimonials

I love Susan’s classes! I have gained a sound foundation in the combination of meditation and writing. Workshops afford a unique broadening of perspective as I glimpse bits of life through the stories my classmates choose to write and to share.

Susan effortlessly creates an inclusive and inspiring online classroom that feels like a weekly bit of normalcy and connection in this disaggregated time.

Amy L., Cherry Hill, NJ

Susan’s writing classes (I’ve enrolled in several) have been transformational. I hadn’t been able to write regularly or successfully for years, and Susan’s deep knowledge of literature–and her experience with both the craft of writing and the practical details of the publishing world–have been incredibly helpful and inspiring.  Thanks to her course, and the supportive community it has created, I now have a regular writing practice, and have even submitted some pieces for publication, with more planned for the future. This course is the highlight of my week despite a busy work schedule.

Catherine W., Haddon Township, NJ

I participated in my first 6-week personal essay workshop with Susan over a year ago, and haven’t stopped since! Susan creates a vibe in the group that fosters positive and constructive feedback, and I’ve come away from each session with improvements in my own writing and inspiration from my fellow writers, now friends. I highly recommend for anyone with a story to tell — which is everyone!

Jeanne M., Wayne, PA