Omega workshop on Memoir October 14–19, 2007

October Wind Sweeps the World
A Memoir Workshop with Natalie Goldberg & Wendy Johnson

Natalie Goldberg and Wendy Johnson
October 14–19, 2007
Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York
Register Online or call 800.944.1001


Writing a memoir is not a chronological pronouncement of the facts of our lives, but the study of memory and the way we think.

In this creative workshop with two writers steeped in Zen practices and open to all levels of writers, we do timed writings about old shoes, your first kiss, your mother’s hands, and how the moon looked 20 years ago when your grandfather died.

We also practice walking and sitting meditation. This helps to bring us into the present moment where, oddly enough, we find the past. We also practice deep listening to others and ourselves, and gather in small, out-of-class writing groups.

Natalie Goldberg is the author of 10 books, including Writing Down the Bones, which has sold more than 1 million copies, and most recently The Great Failure. She has taught retreats in writing as a spiritual practice for the last 30 years. She is also a painter and her work is exhibited at the Ernesto Mayans Gallery in Santa Fe. She lives in northern New Mexico.

Wendy Johnson's book, Gardening at the Dragon's Gate, will be available in 2008. She was the main gardener at Green Gulch Zen Farm in California for 20 years and has been authorized to teach Zen practice. She also has written a regular column in Tricycle magazine for the last eight years. She lives in Northern California.