Mandy Lynn Lara

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mllara@geminiink.org
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Literary Movements with Rod Carlos Rodriguez

Government Canyon 12861 Galm Road, San Antonio, United States

We'll examine literary movements and their nature-based connections so that we may draw upon them for our own creativity. We'll be in nature’s classroom, the great outdoors! And we'll share and write from the comfort of the Government Canyon Gallery, which provides an enclosed classroom wrapped in windows and a gorgeous 360° view of the surrounding woods. Class participants will use body movement as a source of creativity, find their own corners of nature to sit in and write from, and participate in small group work. Bring a bottle of water and a folding chair!

$90

(Poetry) Slam 201 with C.L. “Rooster” Martinez

Gemini Ink 1111 Navarro St, San Antonio, TX, United States

Imagine stepping up to the mic at a poetry slam with less than 3 minutes to captivate the audience.
What will you say? How will you use your voice, face, and body language to take the audience on an emotional rollercoaster? 

(Poetry) Slam 201 is a generative and performance workshop focused on individual and collaborative writing for live competition. We will briefly examine the history and rules of the Slam Poetry genre, write new and exciting work as individuals and teams, use a critique session to delve deep into the poem’s intended message, and focus on moving the written word from the page to the microphone. Participants will receive performance tips and feedback that will add emotional depth and impact to their spoken word delivery.

$125

Spot Revision with Mary Helen Stefaniak

Online via Zoom

How often could someone look up from reading your manuscript and say to the person across the table, “Listen to this!”?

Do you reward the reader with juicy details and interesting word choices to sink their mind into on every single page? In this spot revision class, we will examine our written work and find opportunities to expand, rephrase, and substitute words for attention-grabbing language. We will also discuss ways to make our work fresh and unpredictable and add texture. We are not focusing on small mistakes but on small ways to take our prose to the next level.

$100

‘Tell All the Truth, but Tell It Slant:’ Writing About Trauma with Thomas McNeely

Online via Zoom

How do we tell the story of a traumatic event or its aftermath?  What if, after the event, we were silenced by others or just by our own inability to put the experience into words? In this generative course, we will experiment with different approaches to narrating real or fictional trauma while keeping in mind that each traumatic experience suggests a variety of different stories and may be narrated in a variety of different ways.

$150

The Creative Writer’s Professional Toolkit with Lyzette Wanzer

Online via Zoom

Are you ready to take the leap from writing hobbyist to professional writer? If so, gain the tools every professional writer needs to make it in a competitive field. This intensive hands-on workshop will provide you with the career savvy you need to stand out from the crowd of writers who, though they may be talented, lack the marketplace acumen they need to boost their opportunities from good to great.

$150

How Writers Read with Bestselling Author Laura Castoro

Reading can be a writer's greatest teacher when it comes to learning what works and doesn’t work on the page. In this 6-week workshop, with bestselling author Laura Castoro as our guide, we will use close reading to examine how the writing pros achieve enviable work.

$155

How to Use Lists to Generate Endless Writing Ideas with Nathan Brown

Gemini Ink 1111 Navarro St, San Antonio, TX, United States

Master the art of the list and never get caught without something to write about! Many writers, from Dickens to Twain, and Hemingway on up to Stephen King, had (or have) a daily writing practice, and many say this discipline was their ‘great teacher’ when it comes to the craft of writing. 

$140

TELLING A STORY OF YOUR LIFE: A Personal Essay Workshop with Kendra Allen

Gemini Ink 1111 Navarro St, San Antonio, TX, United States

When writing a personal narrative, how do writers select what will most speak their truth and resonate with readers? In this 4-week course, we’ll focus on demystifying the personal narrative process by figuring out what’s a snapshot and what’s a story.

$150

The Poetry of Food with Eddie Vega 

In this 4-session workshop, we will dig up memories we associate with food, and use these recollections to explore writing about the delectable in different poetic forms, including haiku, odes, sonnets, lists, etc. Each session will include mentor texts and generative work. This course is open to adult writers of all skill levels. 

$125

Start and Run Your Own Publishing Business with Maria Maloney

Do you want to run your own press or independent publishing house, but don’t know where to begin or take your current press to the next level? In this course, we will walk through the steps of starting or growing a small press, and discuss mission statements, resources, operating budgets, customer profiles, and distribution options. We will use these elements to build a business plan that will help you execute your vision. This course is for anyone who has dreamed of starting their own publishing endeavor or any established publishers looking for new business ideas.

$125

Luminescence and Grit: An Evening with Gemini Ink Teaching Artists, followed by a Community Open Mic

Poetic Republic Coffee Co. 2330 S. Presa St, San Antonio, Texas, United States

Join Gemini Ink on Thursday, September 21st, for a night of poetry, prose, and performance as we celebrate the personal artistry of our Gemini Ink Partner Class teaching artists. Every day these instructors bring their passion for the writing arts to community spaces and inspire students of all ages. Tonight we hear their stories!

Our featured writers will include theater artist and playwright Marisela Barrera, lyricist and San Antonio Poet Laureate emeritus Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, accomplished poet and educator Jim LaVilla-Havelin, award-winning fiction writer Desiree Kannel, and local poet and member of the Wyrdd Writers collective Annie Snider.

Free