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

RESCHEDULED DATES:

Monday, June 24 and Monday July 15: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. 

It’s all about memoir on Mondays at the Royal Oak Public Library. Whether you want to record your own family stories, post a thought-provoking blog, or craft a personal essay for publication, you’ll need to master the basic rules of good writing. This two-part 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.

Advance registration is required to ensure a seat for everyone. Attendance on the first night is essential; the material will not be repeated the second night. This class is offered for free on the dates scheduled.  I will not be available to provide additional make-up sessions if you miss a class.  To register: Please visit the Royal Oak Public Library Web site  or phone: 248-246-3727.

Signed copies of Writing Home will be available at a special discount ($10 cash) to workshop students.

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Detroit Working Writers Workshop Series

at The Troy Community Center

WRITING THE STORIES OF YOUR LIFE: Saturday, November 9, 2013

I’ll be teaching the basics of memoir writing in this fall workshop, sponsored by Detroit Working Writers. For complete details and registration instruction, visit DWW’s workshop listing. While you’re there, check out the other workshops offered by professional Detroit-area writers and editors.

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 A brief bio on my writing and teaching experience ….

I earned my degree in English (with a minor in Journalism) from Michigan State University in 1977.  In the years following graduation, I worked as a research assistant for a reference book publisher, edited a country inn/travel magazine, reviewed books and plays, and reported on everything from hamburger joints to circus performers for my local newspaper. And did I mention publishing haiku in The Christian Science Monitor?

A freelance journalist since 1984, I’ve published features and columns in more than 70 national and regional publications, from The Detroit Free Press to Reader’s Digest. My long-running Sunday “Life Lines” column in The Daily Tribune won a Best Column award from the Michigan Press Association in 1998.

My essay collection, Writing Home, also won several awards for creative nonfiction. It includes 93 personal essays, many of which were previously published in national magazines, newspapers, and popular anthologies.

I’ve coached writing workshops nearly as long as I’ve been a working writer. 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, and the Oakland University and Rochester Writers’ Conferences. 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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