Cindy La Ferle's Home Officea window on the creative life

Workshops

Cindy La Ferle on February 27th, 2007

I believe that sharing our stories can be a tool for healing and self-discovery. My workshops provide a safe space in which students can rediscover their creative passions, record their own life stories, and learn how to get published. My mission is to celebrate the writer in everyone.”-- Cindy La Ferle

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Summer Series 2013

at the Royal Oak Public Library

GETTING PERSONAL: The secrets of writing memoirs, blogs, and essays that editors want to publish and readers want to read

Monday, June 10 and Monday June 24: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. 

These days, everyone from your boss to your next-door neighbor is blogging or working on a memoir. Whether you want to record your own family stories, post a blog, or craft a personal essay for publication, you’ll need to master the basic rules of good writing. This two-night workshop will help you discover the following:

1. The difference between “confessional” rambling and elegant personal prose.
2. What makes your story different or original — and what to do if it’s not.
3. How the practice of writing can change your life.

I’ll also share a few of my own secrets to success, including how the “evergreen” essays in my book, Writing Home, were published several times in national magazines.

Please bring a notebook and your favorite pen (or a laptop) to class. This workshop is offered free, but registration is required. Attendance on the first night of this series is essential; the material will not be repeated the second night.  To register: Please visit the Royal Oak Public Library Web site  or phone: 248-246-3727.

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 A brief bio on my writing and teaching experience ….

After earning my degree in English from Michigan State University in 1977, I tried on several editorial and literary hats. I worked as a research assistant for a reference book publisher, traveled miles of back roads as editor of a country inn magazine, reviewed books and plays, reported on everything from hamburger joints to circus performers for my local newspaper, and even published haiku in The Christian Science Monitor.

A freelance journalist since 1984, I’ve published award-winning essays and columns in more than 60 national magazines, newspapers, and anthologies, from The Detroit Free Press to Reader’s Digest. My essay collection, Writing Home, won several awards for creative nonfiction and is distributed to bookstores by Wayne State University Press. Writing Home includes 93 personal essays, many of which were previously published in national magazines, newspapers, and popular anthologies.

I’ve been a writing teacher nearly as long as I’ve been a writer. And I’m often invited to speak about the importance of writing our life experiences and sharing family stories. These talks can be tailored to a group of any size, and typically include readings from my book as well as “mini workshops” on writing memoirs and personal essays.

I’m also available to coach private writing workshops for small groups. (I do not list private events or appearances on this site.)

My teaching and speaking experience includes a variety of programs and lectures for William Beaumont Hospital, Meininger Senior Community Center (Royal Oak), the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, Wayne State University, Detroit Working Writers, Royal Oak Continuing Education, the Oakland University and Rochester Writers’ Conferences, and numerous churches throughout Oakland County. As the first Writer-in-Residence for the Royal Oak Public Library, I’ve developed many creative writing programs and events for Oakland County writers and journalists.

I am a member of the Society of Professional Journalists,  Detroit Working Writers, and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

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For more articles and blogs on writing-related topics, please visit the Just for Writers section of this Website. (Look under “Categories” on the main page.)

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