Creative writing classes in English in Israel
Israel Writers Studio: a home for English-language creative writers and a hot cup of tea in my grandma’s floral teapot. A safe, supportive place to learn the craft, play with words, and be part of a writing community. A space that offers ongoing classes, half-day workshops, and one-on-one mentoring with Jennifer Lang, writer, instructor/coach, editor.
Writing with Your Senses Workshop
As Neil Gaiman writes, “All we have to believe with is our senses, the tools we use to perceive the world: our sight, our touch, our memory. If they lie to us, then nothing can be trusted. And even if we do not believe, then still we cannot travel in any other way than the road our senses show us; and we must walk that road to the end.” For writing to sizzle, we need to bring our reader into the world we’re creating. Sensory details—the smell of your mother’s favorite perfume forty years ago, the sight of your grandfather’s dentures on the bathroom sink, the feel of your first boyfriend’s black leather jacket—invoke the five senses to help the reader picture the setting and feel engaged in the story. In this workshop, we’ll awaken and enlist each of our senses through readings and prompts to infuse our prose with energy. Open to all genres, all levels.
Date: Sunday, June 6 from 18:30-20:30 Israel/11:30 AM-1:30PM EST/ 8:30-10:30AM PST
Cost: 220nis or $75 before May 22 or 250nis/$85 subsequently by bit, direct deposit, or PayPal (US$)
Location: zoom
Virtual Workshopping Camp Summer 2021
We’ll read each other’s stories ahead of time and learn how to respond to each other’s stories to help improve the writing in a safe, supportive environment. Open to prose writers of all levels. This is not a generative class.
Dates: 5 Sundays, June 27, July 11 + 25, August 8 + 22 from 18:00-20:00 Israel/11:00-1:00 PM EDT/8-10:00AM PDT
Cost: 1100nis or $350 for by bit, direct deposit, or PayPal (US$)
Location: zoom
Writing Our Roots
In this class, we will write about roots and religion, family trees and traditions, immigration/migration and home. We will write to be able to answer the question: what’s your story? Open to all levels, all genres, everyone, everywhere.
Dates: fall 2021
JUST WRITE!
This course is for anyone and everyone who wants to write but doesn’t know where to begin, how to carve out the time, or what to put on the page. It will provide you with in-class exercises, guidance, and a safe environment to explore various narrative elements, play with your voice, and share your words. Each week you will have the start of one or two new stories. Open to all levels, all genres.
Dates: fall 2021
On Color: A Writing and Styling Workshop led by Wendy Lehmann and Jennifer Lang
Part lecture, part writing and all about color: palette, tone, undertone, seasons, style, and color as subject in story. This is a unique workshop that will make you think about the clothes you wear and the way you approach color on the page.
Date: spring 2021
Location: Central Tel Aviv
Yoga-Meditation Retreat for English-Speaking Yogis and Writers
Join Naftali Tours for two nights, three days in a magical, other-worldly experience filled with yoga, writing, jeep tours and more in a breathtaking space. Jennifer Lang will lead the yoga and the writing.
Date: let me know if you’re interested
Location: Nof Tsukim in the heart of the Arava Desert
Small group. Limited numbers. Registration with Naftali Tours.
What’s Your Story? Creative Writing at The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot, 2018-2020
A unique entrée into story using the museum’s permanent and temporary collections. Check out photos from last year’s class here.
Important to note:
- Israel Writers Studio meets in central Tel Aviv. Follow us on Facebook.
- Pre-registration required for all workshops. Call 054 256 7157 or email to sign up.
- Group classes/camps/one-day workshops are non-refundable if you cancel within one week of the start date and your place cannot be filled.
- If you are interested in a class that has already started or is full, please contact me.
Words of praise
Anyone who has read Jennifer’s work can tell she’s a gifted writer – refreshing, perceptive, precise. She brings the same qualities to her teaching with rich, insightful lessons that encourage students to explore different ways of writing, all in an informal setting that allows them to open up and have fun. As a result, each writing session effectively stretches into the space between the lessons – impacting the writing life, and beyond.
Taking a course in a museum is so unique! I really, really enjoyed going into the exhibits and using them as bounce-off points for inspiration and ideas. The class where Jennifer introduced Yoga while we were in an exhibit was wonderful.
Since working with Jennifer, in her classes and as a private writing coach, I have been more creative and more productive than ever before. She pushes and challenges me in a loving and respectful way to do the best.
