The Workshops

Writing as Spiritual Discipline (Cindy)
The Judeo-Christian tradition has always distinguished sacred writing from more utilitarian writing and has, through the centuries, developed practices that transform writing into articulate and visionary prayer. In this course, we will study the history of writing as a spiritual discipline, examining such practices as Lectio Divina, Ignatian meditation, psalm-writing and midrash, as a means of allowing scripture, icons and the sacred art of Assisi to enter our hearts and imaginations and bring light and fire to our creative process.

Creative Imagination and the Power of the Land (Wendy)
Her studies of Saint Francis have rendered Wendy a keen awareness of the power of place in allowing entrance for the creative imagination. Francis understood this and it bore fruit in his well-known Canticle of the Creatures. Using Francis’ spiritual sensitivities as a model, this workshop will emphasize the consciousness of nature, beauty and location as an exercise for tapping and harnessing the creative impulse, translating into assignments that highlight specific gifts of individual writers.