Dr. Tawnya Selene Renelle is an experimental writer, educator, and performer whose diverse practices influence and shape one another. She holds a DFA in Creative Writing from The University of Glasgow and, after seven years abroad, has recently returned to her home state of Washington. Currently, she splits her time between Lopez Island, where she enjoys gardening, baking, and homesteading. Dr. Renelle publishes a weekly newsletter titled Pen and Paper Pioneer, exploring the intersection of writing and pioneer life. She is the author of the poetry collections, prompts and this exquisite corpse. Her essays and poems have been published widely.

Join Dr. Renelle for this generative four workshop series inspired by her memoir, I Collect Myself.

I Collect Myself is a call and response, a conversation, an attempt at unpacking memory and memoir writing, discovery and absence, and the choice to unearth memory while allowing some things to remain hidden.

Like the book, this class is a way to process childhood trauma and its impact on life.

Each week of You Collect Yourself, you will be invited to explore your own forms of collecting, fragments, poetry, and more.

This workshop series includes a one-to-one consultation meeting with Dr. Renelle.

COURSE OUTLINE

• Session 1: Collecting. What is it? Why do we do it? How do we do it?

• Session 2: Collecting: Now vs Then. How do we collect the past? Do we have to collect all of it? Is this different than collecting the now?

• Session 3: Collecting: Images, Objects, and Life Ephemera. How do we manage the physical collection?

• Session 4: Collecting: Curating, Guarding, and Conserving. How might you curate your collection? Do you want to guard it?

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• With a unique approach to memoir and creative non-fiction participants will gain a new approach that gives them safety as they deal with tough subject matter.
• Students will write a significant amount of material that they will later be able to use for future projects.
• Students will have 20-30 minutes each workshop to discuss memoir and creative writing with their peers and an accomplished educator.
• Students will have a consultation meeting to discuss their creative project with an experienced writer and editor.

TESTIMONIALS:

Professional Joy. Those two words are encapsulated in Tawnya’s approach and facilitation of the creative writing course I have been fortunate to partake of with Tawnya’s talent and experience at the helm. I can confidently say that I have been engaged with every session. The exercises are meticulously tried and tested to appeal and inspire a wide range of creative writers and disciplines. No stone is left unturned, and no avenue is off limits, everything is geared up to evoke and provoke an artistic response. I challenge any creative to complete a sitting unmoved by the accessible and encouraging style that is evidently part and parcel of Tawnya’s natural aura and personality.  -former student

Having undertaken my share of online and in the room learning tools and packages, I can say with conviction that the weekly meetings and mentor sessions have yielded results that have inspired me and will continue to do so as I look back on my notes for future stimulus. Knowing your craft and imparting it to others in a format that is understandable, universal and enlightening is a skill that requires constant honing but also an emotional maturity, a willingness to develop and grow in your own medium. Tawnya’s kindness and flexibility with informed knowledge and teaching methods are clearly what attracts other creatives to the opportunities on offer. I hope many more future writers of all walks of life are as lucky to have Tawnya as a guide in their creative practice. -former student

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE: