Classes at the Attic

Intro to Flash Nonfiction Workshop w Brian Benson | Feb 24 - Mar 24 | Zoom

Minimum Words, Maximum Impact

Flash nonfiction, simply put, is true-to-life writing defined by extreme compression. It's saying what you've got to say using as few words, and as much beauty, as possible. An endlessly accessible, playful, potent form, flash nonfiction is evermore popular; from Brevity to Barren, The Forge to The Sun, legions of journals are publishing great flash. This class is open to all writers, whether you're new to flash or finishing your first collection. Over five weeks, students will read stellar flash, begin new pieces, workshop works-in-progress, and move toward submitting work for publication. | Maximum: 16 writers. Open to all writers.

Register for this workshop

Teacher: 
Brian Benson
Workshop Day: 
Tuesday
Time: 
Tuesdays, 6 - 8pm, Feb 24 - Mar 24, Pacific Time
Location: 
Zoom | Online Workshop
Total Fee: 
$275.

Poetry Craft: Tools for Moving Beyond the Self w Craig Brandis | Jan 15 - Feb 19 | Zoom

Looking for new poetic territory to explore? Maybe it's time to move beyond the “I” in your poems. Tools like persona, mask, and re-framing language and worldview can help poets look through and beyond the self. They help create distance and refraction between poet and subject. We will explore how some modern masters use these tools to reveal truths the self resists. We’ll then try them in our own work. Share your work in an atmosphere of acceptance and celebration. Reading list: poems from Ai, Patricia Smith, Louise Glück, and others. Come join us!

Register for this workshop

Teacher: 
Craig Brandis
Time: 
Thursdays, Jan 15 - Feb 19, 6:30 - 8pm Pacific Time
Total Fee: 
$249

Give Form To Your Weekend: Write Sonnets Workshop w Matthew Dickman | Feb 21 - 22

Join me in-person for two days exploring this romantic form in modern ways. We will look at sonnets from poets like Terrance Hayes, Rita Dove, Marilyn Chin, Gerald Stern, and others, while also writing and sharing our own.

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Teacher: 
Matthew Dickman
Time: 
Weekend Workshop | Feb 21 - 22 | 12 - 3pm
Location: 
Attic Institute of Arts and Letters, 1033 SW Yamhill Street, Suite 405
Total Fee: 
$175

Poetry of the Everyday Workshop w Lila Cutter | Feb 25 - Apr 1

Poetry is as much a practice in observation as it is in writing. In this generative workshop we will cull our daily environments for sensory details and inspiration—letting the mundane move us. We will engage in readings, writing prompts, and activities that encourage us to see the humor and beauty of the everyday. No prior experience with poetry is needed, just a curiosity in capturing moments.

Register for this workshop

Teacher: 
Lila Cutter
Time: 
Wednesdays, 6 - 7:30pm, Feb 25 - Apr 1, 6 weeks
Location: 
Attic Institute, 1033 SW Yamhill St., Suite 405
Total Fee: 
$249

The Art of the Letter Workshop w Laura Moulton | Apr 6 - Apr 27

Who says the art of letter-writing is dead? In this workshop, we'll study beautiful letters and attempt to write 30 letters in 30 days for National Letter-Writing Month. We will look at the history of mail art, and take inspiration from powerful examples of the epistolary form, from the incendiary “letters” written by James Baldwin and Ta-Nehisi Coates to missives by Lydia Davis and Emily Dickinson. Through generative writing, reading and discussion, we’ll explore the ways letter-writing can survive the digital age, strengthening our writing practices, sharpening our skills of observation, and enriching our lives.

Register for this workshop.

 

Teacher: 
Laura Moulton
Time: 
Mondays, 10am - 12pm, Apr 6 - Apr 27
Location: 
The Attic Institute of Arts and Letters, 1033 SW Yamhill, Suite 405
Total Fee: 
$225

Online Workshop: Reclaiming Attention: The Power of the Notebook Workshop w Laura Moulton | April 7 - May 12 | Zoom

“To take back your focus, to make art – is a radical act. To take all of that scattered energy and send it in a single direction is no small thing. It is revolutionary to take back your mind..” – Sarah Sentilles

Writing in the age of distraction and dire news often requires a Herculean effort to stay focused. What does it mean to reclaim our attention and what kind of revolutions can we mount with a pen, a notebook and renewed focus?  In this workshop we’ll pay attention to what we pay attention to, retool our writing practices and cultivate the concentration needed to do deep work. All genres welcome.

Register for this workshop.

 

Teacher: 
Laura Moulton
Time: 
Tuesdays, 5:30 - 7pm, Apr 7 - May 12
Total Fee: 
$249.

Reclaiming Attention: The Power of the Notebook Workshop w Laura Moulton | April 8 - May 13

“To take back your focus, to make art – is a radical act. To take all of that scattered energy and send it in a single direction is no small thing. It is revolutionary to take back your mind..” – Sarah Sentilles

Writing in the age of distraction and dire news often requires a Herculean effort to stay focused. What does it mean to reclaim our attention and what kind of revolutions can we mount with a pen, a notebook and renewed focus?  In this workshop we’ll pay attention to what we pay attention to, retool our writing practices and cultivate the concentration needed to do deep work. All genres welcome.

Register for this workshop.

Teacher: 
Laura Moulton
Time: 
Wednesdays, 10am - 11:30pm, Apr 8 - May 13
Location: 
Attic Institute, 1033 SW Yamhill St., Suite #405
Total Fee: 
$249.

The A.M. Memoir Workshop w Laura Moulton | May 4 - Jun 15

Writing the Self

 

Using prompts, short readings, and discussion, this generative nonfiction workshop will focus on mining our personal histories and crafting them into the form they deserve. We’ll also explore the ways we sometimes get in the way of our own stories — and how to use that to break through and write around the blocks. CNF, personal essays, journaling...all are welcome. Open to all writers.

Register for this workshop.

Teacher: 
Laura Moulton
Time: 
Mondays, 10 - 11:30am, May 4 - June 15 (no class on Monday, May 25th)
Location: 
Attic Institute, 1033 SW Yamhill St., Suite #405
Total Fee: 
$249

A Statement of Our Values

The Attic Institute of Arts and Letters opposes the legitimation of bigotry, hate, and misinformation. As a studio for writers, we do not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind. We embrace and celebrate our shared pursuit of literature and languages as essential to crossing the boundaries of difference. To that end, we seek to maintain a creative environment in which every employee, faculty member, and student feels safe, respected, and comfortable — even while acknowledging that poems, stories, and essays delve into uncomfortable subjects. We accept the workshop as a place to question ourselves and to empathize with complex identities. We understand that to know the world is to write the world. Therefore, we reaffirm our commitment to literary pursuits and shared understanding by affirming diversity and open inquiry.