Germination begins...

Workshop: 28th August 2007

So begins a new chapter for the thisisnotashop writing workshops - after two sessions of sharing work and responding to this work it is time to begin new work. The ambition of the group is now to develop interdisciplinary projects, combining and overlapping interests: poetry with visual interpretation, short story into monologue, prose into theatre, textual and visual experimentation.

Loose groupings have been formed - Gerry and Lucy, along with Jessamyn will meet, share expertise, and discuss the possibilities of generating new work along the lines of performance, monologue, character development. Anne-Marie and Orla will correspond virtually, exchanging poetry and visuals respectively, reading each others work and allowing for unexpected outcomes to emerge. It is likely that Blaise and Jessamyn will also team up, sharing and switching roles, working on dialogical pieces perhaps. Jessica will most probably slot between several groups and find ways of drawing together several strands with the view to creating some kind of document or publication - in all cases the outcome is left untouched, at this point in time it is more important to leave everything open-ended and full of potential.
It is hoped that by the next session participants will have posted some of their own work on their individual profile pages, and will have had a meeting or correspondence with their groups. It is hoped that through the connections and the interactions, through the rhizome of the everyday influences and interests, conscious or otherwise, that distinctive yet undeniably associated works will be developed.

The next session, which will provisionally take place on the 11th September 2007, will be centered around the ideas generated by the individuals and groups - all participants are asked to come with a 'brainstorm' effort in hand and to be prepared for some serious project development. Hopefully within the next few sessions actors, directors, musicians, and others will come on board to help realise the writings and texts under development.

Next Meeting Tuesday August 28th

Next Workshop Meeting:
Tuesday August 28th
7pm
at thisisnotashop gallery
26 benburb street, dublin 7
please feel free to post your exercises from last week on the blog or email to us at thisisnotashopwriting@gmail.com and we will post them
Annmarie and Tim will read original work
see you there!

2nd Writing Workshop - Special Guest: Clay McLeod Chapman

The second session of the workshops got underway tonight at thisisnotashop, despite the miserable precipitation. Nothing can stop these pen-wielding, keyboard tapping enthusiasts! Following a brief introduction by the rest of the group to the two newest participants, Lucy and Orla, and vice-vearsa, a stimulating session unfolded.
There were readings by Blaise (an excerpt from a work-in-progress of literature) and by Gerry (a selection of poems, some published and some unpublished). Some themes which were struck upon; paranoia, nostalgia, friendship, memory, regret, diaspora, loneliness, isolation, love, death, otherness. (There were lighter moments!) Some forms which were struck upon; inner-monologue, narration, obituary.
Two exercises from the last session were read out by AnneMarie and Felicity - hopefully we will post the lot up here at some stage.

Clay then took the group through a terrific exercise - using the newspaper as the nemesis of any writers block (in the great tradition of Antony Schaffer)! Hopefully we will post these up here too. We would like to thank Clay for his excellent input into the session, his enthusiasm and approach to writing is inspiring.

Clay will be performing Selected Stories at thisisnotashop on Benburb street on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week - check out www.thisisnotashop.com for more details.

For the attention of all the participants so far, the next session will be on Tuedsay the 28th of August, looking forward to it!

PS: AnneMarie and Tim will be contributing to the next session. Also if anyone has any ideas or suggestions for future sessions and exercises please to post them, or send them via email.

Next Meeting Tuesday Aug 14th

Our next meeting is

Tuesday August 14th

at 7pm

we will have a special guest from New York City

theatre performer and author

Clay McLeod Chapman

to join us this evening please email

thisisnotashopwriting@gmail.com

we meet at thisisnotashop gallery/project space

26 benburb street, dublin 7

directly on the red luas line between the museum and smithfield stops