Creative writing classes in English in Israel
Israel Writers Studio: a home for creative writers in English and a hot cup of tea in my grandma’s floral teapot. A safe, supportive place to learn the craft, experiment with voice, play with words, meet other like-minded literary citizens, and be part of a writing community. Ongoing classes, one-day workshops and one-on-one mentoring in Tel Aviv and online.
Classes and Workshops
Memoir Writing with Jennifer Lang
“Memoir done right is an art, a made thing. It’s not just raw reportage flung splat on the page…the second you choose one event over another, you’re shaping the past’s meaning.” –Mary Karr
In this workshop, we’ll determine the events that are worth writing about and how to give them meaning. We’ll discuss what to put in and what to leave out. And we’ll read excerpts by memoirists Kelly Corrigan (The Middle Place), Cheryl Strayed (Wild), and Lucy Grealy (Autobiography of a Face). It’s geared toward memoir writers, but open to all genres and levels.
Date: Thursday, March 26 from 10:00-13:00
Cost: 360nis if you register by March 17 and 400nis after
Location: Central Tel Aviv
Writing Auto-Fiction, or How to Write about Yourself without Writing about Yourself with Janice Weizman
You want to write about the life you’ve lived, the experiences that shaped you, the hard-won insights you’ve gained along the way. But what if rather than just telling your story, you want the freedom to explore it without the constraint of “the facts”? How can you write truthfully about your life while rejecting memoir’s insistence of remaining faithful to “the truth”? The genre of Autofiction offers a way of writing a protagonist that shares key traits with the author but ultimately, and importantly, is not the author.
In this workshop, we’ll look at works of autofiction by Rachel Cusk, Chris Kraus, Ben Lerner, and Teju Cole, examining how these writers fictionalize themselves and their experiences. The writing exercises in this workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to experiment with material drawn directly from their own lives, while making use of the creative flexibility which the genre unlocks. and facilitating the first steps toward writing a work of autofiction.
Date: Thursday, April 23, 2020 from 10:00 – 13:30
Cost: 390nis if you register by April 13 and 420nis after
Location: Central Tel Aviv
Click here to register
Roots in Our Throats: Using Etymology to Deepen Writing with Natasha Sajé
English has more words than any other language, so researching word origins enables us to choose wisely. “Language is fossil poetry,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson, referring to images revealed by the history of words. Paul West, for example, began a novel about astronomy with the word “consider,” which comes from “cum” (with) and “sidus” (star). Using etymology to access history—and the process of change—makes writing more dynamic.
In this workshop, we’ll read examples where etymology allows the writer to riff on or deepen her thinking. And we’ll practice using etymology to unblock us, move us from one idea to the next, and offer surprising turns to a piece of writing. Bring a piece (any genre) you want to strengthen, and bring a device through which you can access online etymological dictionaries. We’ll do exercises to hear the differences in tone between synonyms from Latinate-Greek and Anglo-Saxon-Germanic. We’ll consider the value of words from foreign languages. And we’ll access historical change that might give you a way into your ideas.
Date: Friday, May 15, 2020 from 9:00 – 12:30
Cost: 390nis if you register by May 5 and 420nis after
Location: Central Tel Aviv
Click here to register
Write Now, Write Together with Jennifer Lang
“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” –Anaïs Nin
Bring what you’re working on. Bring what you want to write. Bring what’s on your mind. Bring what you think about at 3 a.m. Bring an empty notebook or your worn journal. Come, sit, write. We’ll begin with a prompt and go from there. Open to all levels and genres. Light refreshments will be served. Limited to 6 people.
Wednesdays, May 6, 13, 20, 27 and June 3, 10 from 17:30-19:30
Cost: 750nis if you register by April 23 and 800nis after
Location: Central Tel Aviv
What’s Your Story? Creative Writing at The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot with Jennifer Lang
Using the museum’s permanent and temporary collections, we will write about roots and religion, family trees and traditions, language and lost communities. Open to all levels and genres.
8 Thursdays from 17:00-19:00: November 21; December 5 and 19; January 23 and 30; February 6 and 20; March 26
Cost: 990nis
Check out photos from last year’s class here
ISRAEL WRITERS STUDIO HAS RELOCATED TO CENTRAL TEL AVIV. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S NEXT AND READ GOOD WRITING, FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK HERE.
Call 054 256 7157 or email to sign up. Pre-registration required for all workshops.
Note: group classes are non-refundable after the first meeting and one-day workshops are non-refundable if you cancel within one week of the workshop 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.
