Current WordPlay Offerings
are listed alphabetically here.
To view upcoming opportunities
by start date, click here.

COASTAL WRITING RETREAT: Connect with Your Creativity at the Sunset Inn (Writing—and more—as Renewal and Inspiration) / 1 weekend session

Back by popular request: a weekend writing retreat full of activities to reconnect you to your creativity. Renew yourself, whether you are a practicing writer, closet writer, or as-yet-to-pick-up-the-pen writer! The techniques and prompts we’ll use will spur your imagination, and can be used to create nonfiction, fiction, and/or poetry—the choice is yours. There’ll be ample free time to savor your beautifully appointed private room with king-sized bed, private bath and balcony, the large porches with rocking chairs and swings, and the coastal setting. For more information on the Sunset Inn, which is a five-minute walk from Sunset Beach and is next to a peaceful marsh where herons and cranes live, see www.thesunsetinn.net. You’ll return home refreshed, with new ideas and energy for your writing. $392 includes retreat sessions, two nights’ lodging, two breakfasts and Saturday lunch (hotel tax and Saturday dinner at a local restaurant not included). You’ll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.76 at retreat. Or order a copy now:

WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468
WHEN: Friday, November 12 - Sunday, November 14, 2010
and / or Friday, February 25 - Sunday, February 27, 2011
TO REGISTER: Contact the Sunset Inn at 888.575.1001 or 910.575.1000. Register early — this is a popular event! The Inn will hold your reservation with a credit card.

THE HEALING POWER OF WORDS (Writing As a Healing Process) / 5 sessions
What benefits can writing provide – physically, mentally, spiritually? Are some ways of writing more healing than others? And can we create quality literary work as we heal? In this workshop that incorporates Dr. James Pennebaker’s ground-breaking ideas, we’ll discuss and implement ways to use writing as a transformational tool. And, if you’re looking, you’ll find the genesis of new poetry, creative non-fiction, and/or fiction. Warning: Laughter likely. Inspiration guaranteed. $120/5 sessions.
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Wednesdays, September 15 - October 13, 2 - 4 pm
TO REGISTER: Click here to download a printable registration form to mail in. Or register online:

MOTHERWORDS (Preserving Family History / Writing for and about
Your Family / The Art of Memoir) / single or multiple sessions
Check out a blog about this workshop here! Learn how to write to, for, and about your family quickly, easily, and from your heart, whether you’d like to write about your children’s childhoods in the making, your own childhood, and/or your family’s history. Practice techniques that will enhance your appreciation of the special gifts of motherhood, nurture your own creativity, and capture your family’s priceless moments on paper to treasure always. $25/1 session. OR save 20% on all 4 sessions for $80.00.
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Thursdays, September 2, October 7, November 4 and/or December 2,
10 am - noon
TO REGISTER: Click here to download a printable registration form to mail in.
Or register online:

MOTHERWORDS SINGLE SESSION:

MOTHERWORDS SERIES OF 4

ROBERT BURNS "AN' A' THAT": WRITING FROM YOUR HEART / (Creating New Writing; Expanding Your Relationship to Self, Others, and the World) / weeklong session
Maureen Ryan Griffin traveled all the way to Alloway, Scotland, birthplace of Robert Burns, so she could share his passion for words with you. Come discover (or renew) your love of language through easy, effective techniques that jumpstart writing projects and elevate the quality of nonfiction, fiction and poetry alike. Whether you want to journal for your own growth, spin stories for your loved ones, or further a career as a professional writer, expect fun, inspiration and writing galore in your preferred genre, with opportunities to share your work. $527 plus room and board.
WHERE: John C. Campbell Folk School in the North Carolina Mountains (Brasstown, NC).
WHEN: September 5 - 8, 2010, all week long!
TO REGISTER: Call 1-800-FOLK-SCH or register online at www.folkschool.org.

SEASONAL WRITING RETREATS (Writing — and More — as Renewal / Creating New Writing) / 1 session each
Renew and delight yourself. Seasonal retreats are opportunities to create new pieces of writing and/or new possibilities for our lives. Enjoy various seasonal prompts; they have not failed to elicit beautiful material that can be shaped into essays, poems, stories, or articles. After a communal lunch, you’ll have private time which can be used to walk a wooded trail, collage, work with a piece of writing from the morning, etc. You’ll take home new ideas, new drafts, and new possibilities. $75 includes box lunch and supplies.
WHERE: Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Rd., Charlotte, NC 28262. Click here for map.
WHEN:
Fall Equinox Retreat: Saturday, September 25, 2010, 10 am - 4 pm
Winter Solstice Retreat: Saturday, December 18, 2010, 10 am - 4 pm

TO REGISTER: Click here to download a printable registration form to mail in.
Or register online. Just click on the "add to cart" button under the retreat you'd like to attend:

FALL EQUINOX RETREAT:

WINTER SOLSTICE RETREAT

SPINNING WORDS INTO GOLD (Fulfilling Writing Dreams and Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising and Polishing Your Writing) / 6 sessions Does writing fulfill you? Do you wish you were writing more? Jumpstart your writing life and learn to keep your words flowing. Learn specific techniques and exercises to create nonfiction, poetry and/or fiction. Whether you would like to keep a journal for your own personal growth, spin stories for your loved ones, or further a career as a professional writer, experience the satisfaction of developing a writing practice that works for you—come spin words into gold. $159/6 sessions. You’ll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.76 at first class. Or order a copy now:

WHERE: Queens University
WHEN: Thursdays, September 16 - October 21, 1 – 3 pm
TO REGISTER: Call Queens at 704-337-2539 or register online at http://lifelong.queens.edu/CourseStatus.awp?~~10FPESWG.

THE ARTIST’S WAY: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity* (Expanding Our Creativity; Creating Joy and Fulfillment in Our Lives) / 13 sessions
Are you ready to set your creative dreams and goals in motion? This empowering, nurturing course will spur your imagination, deepen your faith, and inspire the best in you. $299/13 sessions.
*using Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Wednesdays, September 15 - December 22 (We will be meeting 13 of these 15 dates; exact dates to be determined at first class), 10 am - noon

TO REGISTER: Click here to download a printable registration form to mail in.
Or register online:

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: YOUR WRITING (Fulfilling Writing Dreams & Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising & Polishing Your Writing) /
11 - 13 sessions
This class is designed to fulfill your writing dreams and projects. You'll set goals and support structures and watch your writing flow! You'll also get feedback on your work (any genre) and learn revision tools. Jumpstart your pen and receive the knowledge and inspiration you need to write, whatever your preferred genre. Each week, writing prompts will generate material for new writing or further a piece in process. Through examples of accomplished writers, you’ll learn techniques to aid you right where you are in the process. $299/12 sessions.You’ll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.76 in class. Or order a copy now:

WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Class dates and registration information to be announced.

WRITE YOURSELF: A JOURNEY OF SELF- DISCOVERY AND SELF-EXPRESSION (Creating New Writing/Expanding Your Relationship to Self, Others, and the World) / 5 sessions
Take a trip through the writing process. Capture truth, imagination and passion as you learn to “Write From The Heart,” by using your writing as an on-going means of self-discovery and self-expression. Ideal for beginners and those interested in renewing and expanding their writing and their relationship to self, others and the world—for personal growth or publication. Come explore the techniques and processes that will enhance your journey. $120/5 sessions.
WHERE: CPCC Levine Campus-Matthews, NC. For a map, click here.
WHEN: Tuesdays, September 21 - October 19, 2010, 7-9 pm
TO REGISTER: Call CPCC'S Corporate and Continuing Education Department at (704) 330-4223. Or register online at www.cpcc.edu/pi.

WRITING FROM YOUR HEART (Creating New Writing; Expanding Your Relationship to God, Self, Others, and the World) / single or multiple sessions
Reap writing's benefits - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual through exploring and expressing what matters most to you. Ideal for beginners and those interested in renewing and expanding their writing and their relationship to God, self, others and the world -- for personal growth or publication. $15/session individually, $12.50/session when registering for 6 or more sessions, or $149 for all 13 sessions. You’ll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.76 in class. Or order a copy now:

WHERE: St. John’s Baptist Church, 300 Hawthorne Lane, Charlotte, NC 28204
WHEN: Wednesdays, May 19 - September 2, 6:45 - 8:00 pm.
TO REGISTER: SORRY, THIS CLASS IS FULL. IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE PUT ON A LIST FOR THE NEXT SESSION, EMAIL maureen@maureenryangriffin.com.

 

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