The Mindful Storyteller in You: Fall 2023 Programming

 

The Mindful Storyteller in You   Presented by Alexandria Peary  What stories connect you to the Granite State? In this workshop led by New Hampshire State Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary, we'll focus on jumpstarting your most important place-based stories. You'll practice mindful writing techniques that offer a fresh way to start a story you may have contemplated telling for a while, and in the process, could discover unexpected stories that have been waiting to be told. Developing an openness to the present moment, you'll free yourself from thinking there are stories you "should" write. Learn how to practice "moment tracking" to develop a path your story may take. The session will close with strategies to continue the creative momentum at home and give you more tools to finish your story. We'll also talk about how to remain receptive to changes in the draft, keeping an open mind about its final form through genres like flash nonfiction, the personal essay, and prose poetry. Choose your date and location: Wednesday, September 20 at 5:00 pm Wayfarer Roasters Downtown Café, 626 Main Street, Laconia RSVP Friday, October 6 at 2:30 pm AVA Gallery, 11 Bank Street, Lebanon RSVP Saturday, October 21 at 10:30 am Historical Society of Cheshire County, 246 Main Street, Keene RSVP

As part of our multi-year initiative, Becoming New Hampshire, these workshops will culminate in a heartfelt and lively on-stage conversation between New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult and New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary in Jodi Picoult and the Writing Life: More Than a Good Story at the New Hampshire Humanities Annual Celebration on Wednesday, November 8 at 5 pm at The Palace Theatre. DETAILS

2023 Annual Celebration of the Humanities with Jodi Picoult

 

Join me for this wonderful event happening on November 8, the 2023 Annual Celebration of the Humanities, when I have the joy of interviewing Jodi Picoult, NH's writer of writers, live on stage!

The program, “Jodi Picoult and The Writing Life: More Than a Good Story,” will feature a heartfelt and lively conversation between author Jodi Picoult and New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary, as they discuss Picoult's lengthy career as a virtuoso of the human story. Exploring gripping contemporary social and ethical issues in her storytelling, Picoult has tackled a wide range of topics including school violence, racism, discrimination, teen suicide, spouse abuse, children’s legal rights, childhood cancer, gay rights, the death penalty, war criminals, faith, and the value of life. Known as a prolific author and passionate researcher, Picoult has often been the subject of controversy, especially recently when a Florida school district banned 20 of her books.

Often set in rural New Hampshire, Jodi Picoult's novels are an expanding archive of the controversies and dreams of 21st-century America. Hear about Picoult's writing and research process, her collaborations with other writers, including her daughter, what brings her joy, and what it is like to see the disparate reactions to her books, which have been both banned and adapted into popular films and an off-Broadway musical. Audience members will glance into the remarkable work habits of a prolific writer of 30 novels, who, when asked what she considered her greatest accomplishment as an author, said she had "literally worn the letters off two consecutive computer keyboards." FOR MORE INFO