Summer Literary Arts at MAC

Summer 2013 Focus Your Writing Series at MAC 
To register for classes, call the Arts Center at (503) 823-3187 or visit www.multnomahartscenter.org.
Classes start soon; don’t miss out!
WRITING THE TEN-MINUTE PLAY with M. Thomas Cooper
Discover the art of playwriting and create a ten-minute play from scratch. Experiment with various forms of theater—if you can imagine it, you can put it on the stage! See how your words look dramatized. Explore topics such as characterization, plot, dialogue, and more, through in-class exercises. Come out of the course with confidence and a finished script.
401619 Sat. 1:00 - 3:00 pm Jun. 22 - Jul. 20 $80 [5 classes]
WRITE FOR A CHANGE—IN YOURSELF with Amy Minato
By digging deep, seasoned writers transform themselves through the writing process. Reconcile your inner values and external realities through directed writings that address what makes you thrive and what makes you wither. Then use writing as a tool for personal growth while learning techniques to enhance your writing style.
401674 Sat. 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Jun. 29 $16 [1 class]
WRITE FOR A CHANGE—IN SOCIETY 
with Amy Minato
Society influences our lives, yet personal testimonies inspire social movements. Use a story familiar to you as an example to alert or inspire. Together, tease apart the personal and political in order to explore ways to effectively reweave them. Practice combining research with story to build a case for a cause.
403046 Sat. 1:00 - 3:00 pm Jun. 29 $16 [1 class]
WRITING FOR WELLNESS with Nancy Linnon
Reduce stress. Sleep better. Feel more relaxed. The practice of writing can help you achieve all of this and more. Research shows that writing improves immune function and overall well-being. Learn how to integrate the practice of writing into your days so that life feels richer and less fragmented. No positive feelings about writing required!
401618 Sat. 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Jul. 13 $48 [1 classes]
MY DAY AT THE LIBRARY with Nate Orton & James Yeary
See the library as a book of its own: read from its resources of fiction, fact, art, and music; take the people and pages that surround you as sources; and respond through writing and artwork. Spend a day in the main branch of the Multnomah County Library downtown and be guided through models, examples, and exercises. The second week, make a Xeroxed zine comprising writings, drawings, and photographs from the excursion. Honor the computer-less tradition of zines by making this limited edition book with scissors, glue, and a photocopier.
403007 Sun. Jun. 23 12:00 - 4:00 pm & Jun. 30 12:00 - 3:00 pm $63 [2 classes]
WRITING EXPERIMENTS with James Yeary
Use this workshop as a playground to turn your work on its head, inside out, and into something entirely different. Engage in games, conduct experiments, and impose rules to create works you never expected. The results will be fun, silly, absurd, and exceptional. One hundred years of experimental writing techniques will be discussed and/or implemented, and maybe we’ll come up with some 
of our own.
401616 Tu. 7:00 - 9:00 pm Jul. 9 - 23 $48 [3 classes]
WRITING THROUGH LOSS with Judith Pulman
By exploring the tradition of expressing grief through ordered language, anyone can utilize rituals that promote understanding, acceptance, and eventual healing in the face of great difficulties. Survey stories and poems that take loss as their subject and sketch out pieces of your own. In the classroom’s safe space, give voice to the complexities of grief and in so doing, you might uncover what gives you life.
401673 Th. 7:00 - 9:00 pm Jul. 18 - Aug. 8 $64 [4 classes]


BEGINNING SCREENWRITING: MASTER THE BASICS IN THE SHORT FILM FORMAT

MONDAYS, JAN 23-FEB 27, 7-10 PM + ONE SATURDAY TBA

Instructor: Kelley Baker

http://www.nwfilm.org/school/faculty/instructorsAL/kelleybaker/

All of the great filmmakers started off writing and directing short films, from George Lucas to Gus Van Sant. They had a good reason: why try to hone your abilities as a screenwriter (and/or director) on a mammoth 120-page script when you can learn the principles and techniques—and demonstrate your talent—by writing something 15 pages or less? Bring your story ideas to this class and learn how to concept them and write them into something compelling and produceable. Even if you have a larger project in mind, this is an excellent place to start. Covering premise, character, story structure, dialogue, conflict and resolution, and proper screenplay formatting, the class seeks to inspire creative approaches while honoring classic storytelling structure. Students will write and turn in up to 10 pages every other week for extensive instructor critique and class discussion. The goal is for students to have a finished script in hand by the last class. Appropriate for both filmmakers who want to learn to write and writers who want to write for film.

Tuition: $525.00

PSU Credit (optional): $130.00 (if taken for 2 PSU credits)

More info and registration at: http://www.nwfilm.org/school/classes/term/190/

BLUEPRINTING YOUR SCREENPLAY

SATURDAYS, JAN 7 & 14, 10 AM-5 PM

Instructor: Holly Brix

http://www.nwfilm.org/school/faculty/instructorsAL/hollybrix/

Would you build a house without a blueprint or buy one that was constructed without a master plan? Okay, so don’t try to write your screenplay without one. Every genre—comedy, action, thriller, drama, even the indie short film—draws on the same general structural elements and key moments to propel the story forward. Discover what they are, find out how they provide a blueprint for all stages of the screenwriting process, and learn to use them to help your script take shape and elevate the quality of your work. Whether you’ve got a great idea that needs to be fleshed out or a script that’s sagging with second act woes, understanding and implementing structure is the key to taking your story idea to the next level. Quit worrying about dialogue and stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Come prepared to give your unruly ideas and creative impulses the blueprint they need to come to life. All levels of experience are welcome.

Tuition: $135.00

PSU Credit (optional): $65.00 (if taken for 1 PSU credits)

More info and registration at: http://www.nwfilm.org/school/classes/term/122/

Screenwriting Workshop: Starting with an Idea

itch an idea or bring something in the words.  We all have ideas that we think “would make a great movie." We tell our friends and family about it, but we never get around to writing it down. This class will help you put your ideas on paper. Writing a good screenplay can be intimidating. What are the rules? How do you the format a script?"

Teacher: Kelley Baker

Time: Tuesdays, 7:30-9:30pm, August 2 - August 30

Location: Attic Institute, 4232 SE Hawthorne Boulevard

Total Fee: $185
Register at: http://atticinstitute.com/workshop/august-screenwriting-workshop-tuesdays-kelley-baker

Screen Writing Workshop: Continuing with an Idea

Pitch an idea or bring someting in the works

We all have ideas that we think “would make a great movie." We tell our friends and family about it, but we never get around to writing it down. This class will help you put your ideas on paper. Writing a good screenplay can be intimidating. What are the rules? How do you the format a script? What is the three-act structure that everyone is always talking about? How do you write visually and how come my dialog never sounds like real people talk? Mike Rich did it, why can’t I? Join Kelley Baker, the "Angry Filmmaker," who will  will walk you through the writing process and give you the advice and tips you need to write your story. Through books, classic screenplays, and writing exercises, you’ll learn the craft behind screen writing. We'll emphasize the importance of the idea, character development, dialogue, and conflict and resolution.

Teacher: Kelley Baker

Time: Tuesdays, 7:30-9:30pm, May 17 - June 14

Location: Attic Institute, 4232 SE Hawthorne Boulevard

Total Fee: $185
 Register: The Attic

Sitka Center Writing Classes

Sitka Center for Art and Ecology is located on the central Oregon coast at Cascade Head Ranch.

The 2011 schedule includes a dozen writing classes:

May 28-29:  Kim Stafford: Writing the Understory (waitlist only)
June 5-6: Melissa Hart: Travel Articles and Essays
June 13-15: Anne Beaufort: Creative Nonfiction (waitlist only)
July 7-10: Stephanie Arnold: Writing the Dramatic Monologue
July 15-17: Jennifer Boyden/Heather Swan: Joy Makes Poems
July 26-27: Jennifer Lauck: Nature as Teacher
August 12-14: Sarah Rabin: Writing at the Edge (8/6-7); Joanne Mulcahy: Writing about Art, Creativity & Community
August 22-23: Eleanor Berry: Writing Poems of Plants & Animals
August 27: Clemens Starck: Digging for Poetry
September 14: Brian Doyle: Storycatching
November 16: Kim Stafford: Voice for the Artist’s Vision (in Portland).

Descriptions, cost, logistics, registration and more: sitkacenter.org