The Body Writes: Poetry from Sensation and Perspective

This virtual poetry workshop invites participants to explore the intersection of sensory awareness and personal identity as creative catalysts. Through guided readings, reflective prompts, and open discussion, writers will deepen their connection to both body and self, discovering new ways to express authentic experiences and perspectives. The session fosters a supportive environment for experimentation, self-discovery, and the development of a unique poetic voice for beginners to advanced poets.

Trish Hopkinson is a poet and advocate for the literary arts. You can find her online at SelfishPoet.com and in western Colorado where she runs the regional poetry group Rock Canyon Poets. Hopkinson happily answers to atheist, feminist, and empty nester; and enjoys traveling, live music, wine-tasting, and craft beer.

Monologue Showcase: Voices for Healing & Transformation

A showcase of recent work created by Kelly DuMar's IWWG Fall Play Lab 

In writing monologues for the stage, a story begins as words on the page. The next stage of development is to have the monologue performed by an actor in front of an audience. In this monologue showcase, class participants who have been developing monologues over four weeks will have the chance to see their writing performed by an actor for an audience––you.

Stella Adler called theater the “seeing place”––the place we come to see the truth about our lives and social situation. Oscar Wilde called theater “the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” And August Wilson was, “fascinated by the idea of an audience as a community of people who gather willingly to bear witness.” We invite you, our audience, to share in making dynamic theater with us, by being present for this showcase of brand new stage monologues. This intimate and powerful experience will present writing by class participants––read by actors––is part of the critical page-to-stage development process that all new plays need. Please join us, and share the vitality of your presence and your witness as our much-appreciated audience.

The show is free and open to the public - although donations are always welcome! - and will take place via the online video conferencing platform Zoom. 

Featuring monologues by members of the Fall 2025 Monologue Play Lab

The Yin and Yang of a Writer's Life

This is an intensive writing workshop that deals with the yin and yang of a writer’s life—the intuitive, interior creative side and the logical, external marketing side. We will cover both the WHY-TO and the HOW-TO of our craft, since it is the fusion
of both that leads to creative combustion and commercial success.

This interactive workshop will teach writers how to:

• Find the inspiration to get those words out of your brain and on to the page.
• Make the proper time and space to support your work
• sharpen your focus, voice, and pitch
• excite others about your creative project
• create a winning book proposal

Jan Phillips made a global peace pilgrimage through 23 countries from 1983-84 which culminated in the book, Making Peace—One Woman’s Journey Around the World. Since then she has written twelve more award-winning books that connect the dots between creativity, social consciousness and spiritual intelligence. She has taught at IWWG since 1990.

Jan is co-founder of Syracuse Cultural Workers which has been publishing and distributing artwork for global justice since 1983. She performed with Pete Seeger to raise $35,000 for Haiti earthquake victims and worked for Mother Teresa in Calcutta and Kathmandu. She leads retreats and workshops throughout the US and Canada.

Mindful Editing for Reluctant Revisers

You will learn how to edit your own writing with greater awareness and focus. You will learn some basic English concepts, guidelines, and skills you can apply for clear, correct, and meaningful writing. By learning to pay attention to the basics, you will be able to get a few more things right before you seek (and pay for!) professional editorial assistance. This class offers an editorial mindset and practical tools to help you see your own writing in a new way.

Andi Penner, an accomplished writer and formerly an English professor and technical editor, is now retired and living the writing life in New Mexico where she is completing a memoir for publication. She has published three books of poetry and writes In Our Own Ink, a Substack newsletter.