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.
JUST WRITE! See new winter/spring 2022 dates below
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: 10 Tuesdays from 18:30-20:00 on Nov. 2 & 16; Dec 7 & 21; Jan 4 & 18; Feb 1 & 15; March 8 & 22, 2021
Cost: 1500nis
Location: Central Tel Aviv
Status: Full, but feel free to contact me if you are interested for a future session
NEW DATES 2022: 8 Tuesdays from 18:15-19:45 on Feb. 22; March 1 & 15 & 29; April 5 & 12 & 26; May 3
Cost: 1200nis if you register by Jan. 30 and 1350nis subsequently
Location: Central Tel Aviv, hybrid for those who prefer to zoom/zoom if it isn’t safe to meet in person
Writing the Body: How to mine your treasure chest for memories with Nina Boug Lichtenstein
Did you know that our body is the most reliable record-keeper of life experiences; much more so than our brain and what we like to call “memory”? In this workshop we will (re-)discover the treasure chest that is our bodies and how useful it can be to mine our body parts in order to re-member, or make whole, past experiences that have brought us to this point in our lives. We will read excerpts from authors whose bodies feed remembering (Lidia Yuknavitch, Paul Aster, Roxane Gay) and whose beautiful, memorable writing, inspires us by its sheer physicality.
With body-focused writing prompts, your eyes, hips, or feet will begin to collaborate with you as you discover the wonder of your body parts’ evocative abilities in turning forgotten incidents into vividly remembered scenes for richer and more viscerally crafted personal essays and memoir writing. Open to all levels, all genres.
Date: February 17, 2022 from 10:00 – 13:00
Location: Central Tel Aviv
More details here
Mindful Writing: Connecting to Your Inner Narrative with Caren Osten Gerszberg
Take a break from the noise of the world and explore how to create a mindful writing practice, silence your inner-critic and discover the stories that nurture your wellbeing. In this workshop, mindfulness and positive psychology—the scientific study of human flourishing—will fuel the expression of our inner narrative. We will write from a series of prompts as an entry point to explore and cultivate emotions, personal stories, shared realities and those things that matter most to us. This type of no-pressure, expressive writing process holds many benefits for the individual and the group. No prior mindfulness or writing experience necessary. All you need is paper and pen or a computer.
Date: Sunday, March 20, 2022 from 19:00-21:00 Israel/12-2:00 pm EST/9-11am PST
Location: zoom
More details here
On Beginnings and Endings Workshop
What’s more difficult: starting a new story or ending it? In this one-time workshop, we’ll explore different strategies for both to see where they lead us. We’ll be serious. We’ll be playful. We’ll dare. We’ll be conservative. We’ll practice over and over until we find what works. Open to all levels, all genres.
Date: Sunday, May 1 from 10:00 – 13:00
Cost: 400nis before April 14; 450nis subsequently
Location: Central Tel Aviv
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: spring 2022
- Israel Writers Studio meets in central Tel Aviv or on zoom. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/israelwriterstudio.
- 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
Jennifer sees writing as a muscle that must be exercised often to build skills, add depth, identify and target issues, and, critically, find one’s voice. I thoroughly enjoy inhabiting her workshops, which at once challenge me to flex my creativity and tighten my grip on the craft. The longer I spend in Jennifer’s world, the better and stronger a writer I feel.
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.
