Warrior Writers Workshop
Applications for participation are being accepted now for a date to be determined.
This workshop will provide veterans with the tools and confidence to find and
confront their personal stories through the written word. The workshop will take place at 300 Aaron Court, Kingston, New York, 12401. This workshop will be two hours per week for ten weeks.
- Veterans will meet once or twice a week for ten weeks. Each session will last one hour.
- Every session will be led by a 15-minute mindfulness exercise (sometimes lead by a guest instructor if participants are open to welcoming someone new into the group temporarily) such as Tai chi, meditation, etc. to establish focus amongst the group.
- After the mindfulness exercise, participants will be guided through a new writing exercise. After a few sessions, these exercises will have helped each veteran find something (whether it be an event, moment, conversation, image, feeling in their personal history-active duty or civilian) that they would like to focus on to bring to the group project.
- Skilled writing is not a requirement for this workshop. Instructors will coach participants to find their inner writer and/or provide writing assistance when and where needed.
- This workshop will culminate in the performance of the participants works. (Veterans can either choose to read/perform their own work for have a community member participate in their place.)
- The performance will vary depending on what is produced. It could be a series of unrelated readings of poetry, short stories, and scenes, or it could be a recount of everyone’s stories brought into one fictionalized play based on true events as described by the participants. This is dependent on what the participants want to create.
- With permission from the participants, the materials created could potentially be printed and sold as a fundraiser for the Center.
- A personal laptop is strongly encouraged for participants to bring.
- A version of this workshop will be provided for family members of veterans and have an integrated workshop at a later date.