Read to Me Writing Salons
Spring 2022
Dates & Room Link / First 1:1 Session Sign-Ups / Biweekly Editing Sessions / Bonus Seminars Info / Mighty Networks Info
What Happens in Salons / What Is Gateless Writing / What Will These Eight Weeks Be Like
Dates and Room Link
Where we meet:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2029598632
If you have trouble logging on, text Becky at 413-923-8011.
When we meet:
Tuesdays, 9-10:30 am EST OR Wednesdays, 7-8:30 pm EST
OR Fridays, 12-1:30 pm EST
(Email Becky if you aren’t sure which you signed up for.)
Tuesday Salon Dates
April 12
April 19
April 26
May 3
May 10
May 17
May 24
May 31
Wednesday Salon Dates
April 13
April 20
April 27
May 4
May 11
May 18
May 25
June 1
Friday Salon Dates
April 15
April 22
April 29
May 6
May 13
May 20
May 27
June 3
One-to-One Sessions
Biweekly Editing Sessions
We have 1:1 Coaching Sessions this spring series. The first one is a chance for us to get to know each other as the series begins.
You don’t need to prepare any writing. Simply bring your questions about and hopes for salon, your dreams for your work, and any writing questions that are hanging out with you.
Schedule your session at the link below. Spots are available between April 13 and April 29.
https://gatelesssession.as.me/spring1to1
Email me if the calendar app is a pain in the a$$ or you're unable to find a time on the calendar.
Note: Typically, it takes me up to 36 hours to respond to email messages.
Every other Monday, starting the week of April 18, from 12-1:30 pm ET, we will hold 90-minute Editing Sessions on Zoom.
The dates are April 18, May 2, May 16, and May 30. Add to your Google calendar.
This is how Editing Sessions run:
Room opens. Becky welcomes everyone.
Becky shares one editing idea or tip or inspiration.
Each person briefly shares what they’ll be working on during the session (optional).
We work on our work. Becky is not available for 1:1 consults during this time.
Becky calls everyone in. Each person shares how it went (optional).
We say thanks and adieu!
These are open, drop-in sessions that are great for dedicating time to the page in supportive company. Come when you wish. You may stay the whole time or leave as needed.
Bonus Seminars
Seminars meet at our usual Zoom room: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2029598632.
Your Writer’s Bio / Artist Statement AKA the “About Page”
with Melisine Alegre
Date TBD
Tell the story of your work with words and images
A great writer’s bio can transform how the world sees you and your writing. In this workshop, you will capture the story, spirit, and energy of your current project or body of work.
We will move together through creative exercises designed to help you identify and articulate concepts in your work. You’ll see a variety of examples as inspiration, then we’ll write and create our own complimentary image ideas. As always, you will have the opportunity to share and receive nurturing encouragement!
Your writing and image ideas from this workshop can be used for personal or public purposes. Past attendees used their bio and images in many different contexts including publishing, speaking, websites, social media, pitch decks, press releases, marketing materials, as well as applications for grants, fellowships, and residencies.
Storytelling with Visual Art
with Melisine Alegre
Date TBD
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." — Dorothea Lange
"My interest in photography is not to capture an image I see or even have in my mind,
but to explore the potential of moments I can only begin to imagine." — Lois Greenfield
Typically we think a photograph captures what is in front of us. However, photographers can take a photo of the exact same scene and create different images, with their choice of technique, craft, and equipment.
In this workshop, you will learn artistic photography techniques and how they can inspire your writing, providing new lenses and perspectives. These approaches enable us to see beyond the surface, beyond our usual stories, beyond what we expect to see and discover.
We will write together in our usual salon format, but this time, using creative images as our writing prompts.
Mighty Networks
The Spring Salons Online Home
This is our Facebook group without the Facebook.
It operates in the exact same way as an FB group, except it’s just for our group. You don’t have to sign on to a larger social media empire. There are no ads, and there’s no personal data mining.
My admin assistant, Andrea, will be our Mighty Networks support expert. I’ll introduce her to you in the next few days. We’ll provide instructions for getting on the platform then.
This online group is a totally optional thing! So why join?
Because this is where you get support for your writing life outside of salons.
I will post once each week. These posts will include:
Wednesday is writing prompts.
Friday is writing craft exercises.
Sunday is home writing practices.
You can also post outside-of-salon writing and receive “mirror feedback” from me. This means I note the lines I love in the work.
What Happens in Salons
What is Gateless Writing?
FIRST WE WRITE
1. We start with a light meditation and a prompt. The prompts are designed to drop you into a more meditative space. They can inspire you, or you can write about something else entirely
2. We write for 25 minutes (or less). Focused attention without fatigue is the goal.
3. We don’t edit. Write everything that comes.
THEN, WE READ ALOUD! After you read, you’ll receive specific, guided feedback from the group.
We use the Gateless Writing method for feedback. We adhere to these rules fimly. Even joyously. They are what create the container so that we can write fearlessly. I will teach and review them for the first few salons, and then reference them every single salon.
Gateless Writing is a neuroscience-based method that helps quiet the inner critic so you can tap into your innate genius with ease, whether you’re writing a novel, a proposal, a social media post, or tonight’s journal entry.
Gateless helps writers of all backgrounds who write for all sorts of reasons—for work, for fun, for creative pursuits, for emotional release.
It helps you break through creative blocks and expand in creative brilliance—without criticism or judgment.
What will the next 8 weeks be like?
In salons, we’ll practice three things.
Writing with a light touch — relaxing, opening up, and seeing what comes to the page when we’re in the Gateless hive.
Listening for the power and beauty in each other’s work.
Putting words to why the work is powerful and beautiful in the ways we hear, and sharing that feedback with each other.
You might also have a goal (working on a book, creating raw material for web copy), which is great, and we can talk about that in your first 1:1.
But the practice is the magic.
It's not a linear journey. It's intuitive, circular, and expansive. We don't have to work very hard at it. The page actually loves to be with us.
Showing up for salons, writing, listening, and sharing feedback. That’s what fuels the growth in your skill, confidence, and projects.
In other words, these eight weeks aren’t about working especially hard!
Show up for salons wholeheartedly. All the rest will unfold.
