Strike Sparks: A Winter Creative Writing Workshop

Length: 6 weeks, January 4 - February 8

When: Saturdays, 9:30-11:00 AM EST

Where: Online on Google Hangouts

Price: Sliding scale USD 180 to 320

Ages: 17 to 80 years

Deadline to sign-up: December 30th. Capped at 12 participants. All experience levels encouraged.

strikesparksworkshop at gmail.com for sign up/details or write to me here.

'Srike sparks': To prompt or inspire intense, exciting, or creative energy and ideas while working on something together.

(The phrase is inspired by Sharon Old's book of selected poems of the same name.)

This creative writing workshop is for you and your writing goals. Each week, we will write, read, talk, and share on a live video call. We will write in response to potent prompts that will get us into generative flow. You will be free to write in any genre you want (poetry or prose or both). You will also be invited to share your work with the group for feedback towards revision. My goal is to provide a safe, supportive, and stimulating community in which you can access the power of your voice and write the stories (poems or essays) you most need to write. Whether you are working on an ongoing project, looking for inspiration to start a new one, want to deepen your access and alertness to the craft, or simply connect with a hobby, this workshop is for you.

About your instructor:

Originally from New Delhi, India, Kuhu Joshi lives in Queens, New York, and teaches creative writing at Pace University. She is the author of My Body Didn't Come Before Me (Speaking Tiger, 2023), a collection of poems exploring disability and girlhood, selected by renowned Indian poet Arundhathi Subramaniam for a first-book award. Her poems have been published in POETRY, Best New Poets, Four Way Review, Rattle, Memorious, Sho Poetry Journal, and The Yearbook of Indian Poetry, among others. She received her MFA in writing from Sarah Lawrence College where she was a Jane Cooper Poetry Fellow and studied under the mentorship of the poet Marie Howe. Her work has received support from the Academy of American Poets, Napa Valley Writers' Conference, Tin House, Teaching Artist Project, and Vermont Studio Center. Her second manuscript was a finalist for the Black Lawrence Press Immigrant Writing Series. She is also an abstract artist, plant mom, and yogi.

Testimonials from Kuhu's online creative writing (and poetry) students:

"Kuhu’s class was wonderful! She created an environment where participants shared easily and supportively. Her prompts were well thought out and enjoyable. She is a gifted teacher and a lovely person. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday."

"Whether you want to write (more) or want to read more, discover different kinds of writing styles, or just the beauty of participating with your own daily life in a more active way (by writing about it) – sometimes sombre, sometimes funny, whacky abstract whichever mood you wake up with – Kuhu’s workshop has done all this for me. It’s enriched my life (though that sounds corny, but is true!) She has taken the pressure off of poetry in a completely fun, non-preachy way, made it accessible, made it joyful, less scary, less serious and so much more approachable as an art form. If you do one thing for your heart, your happiness, even for a sense of adventure, let her workshop be that."

"I attended several of Kuhu’s generative writing workshops. The prompts were so approachable that I did not want to stop writing, and I still carry all the beautiful writing we read during the sessions with me. Strongly recommend her workshops!"

"The workshop for me was the perfect way to re-enter the realm of writing and poetry. It was easygoing, engaging and made want to explore my surroundings and thoughts and pen them down. I never knew I can play, dance and arrange my words in such interesting ways- both in my head and on paper. The differences in all our age groups was a bonus as it provided a refreshing variation in the way we expressed ourselves. It was amazing how quickly the workshop became a part of my routine. It is truly a unique concept which is beautifully executed and I would love to experience it again."

Email strikesparksworkshop at gmail.com to sign-up or write to Kuhu here.

Deadline to sign-up: December 30th