I want to take a moment in this newsletter to salute and honor all the wonderful, brave and adventurous writers who have taken my workshops. In my workshops I teach writing as a form of creative expression, self-discovery, healing, and bridge building with the world. Because I start at that place, with the desire for connection with others as my foundation, I attract to my workshops the most amazing people.

People like an 82-year-old physician who just recently retired from practicing medicine, who wanted to begin telling the story of her rich life, which spans the period of racial segregation to the inauguration of Barak Obama. When asked the secret to a long life she told us, “I don’t worry about people or things that have hurt me. I don’t have time for that.” Wise words.

People like a 23 year old who has traveled to India to meditate and study yoga in an ashram and who is way wise beyond her years, take my classes, and I learn from them all. Yes I am a teacher and yes I am a student.

I want to take this moment to thank all the writers who have endorsed me and the work I do in the classes by enrolling to not just take a class, but to be in community with me. In my classes we are exchanging stories, energy, ideas, hopes and dreams, very precious things. Believe me I am blessed each time I convene a new class. Thank you

Marita

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Recommended Books

I Want to Write: Notes From the Heart and Soul of a Writer’s Life by Marita Golden

An inspirational and practical e-book guide to the writer’s life, from how to keep writing to how to make money.

Strength in What Remainsby Tracy Kidder

A powerful biography of a survivor of the genocide in Burundi who works to heal his country.

God on Your Own by Joseph Dispenza

A compassionate yet challenging look at one man’s quest to create a rich spiritual life outside of organized religion.

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Resources

Some of the best stories anywhere can be found on www.narrativemagazine.com, fiction, nonfiction, poetry a great line up of writers who tell stories from all points of view, backgrounds and experiences; writing contests and a good way to stay connected to the best writing the web has to offer.

Check out Felicia Pride a young publishing /writing guru at www.feliciapride.com to keep abreast of  what’s happening in publishing, hip/hop and the world of Young Adult writing.

The Tenth National Black Writer’s Conference convenes in Brooklyn, New York at Medgar Evers College Thursday, March 25 – Sunday, March 28th. Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison is the Honorary Chair this year.

Marita will be speaking at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia Tuesday, March 2 at 4 pm in the auditorium of the L. Douglas Wilder building and at  Hood College in Frederick, Maryland on Thursday, March 4 at 7pm.
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I Want to Write!

If you are having difficulty getting your words from your head and heart onto the page then  this is the workshop for you. This workshop is for writers of any genre: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or journalism. This workshop will:- guide you through writer’s block
- help you complete projects you began

This popular 2-day workshop has helped hundreds of writers get un-blocked and take the leap into their story and start writing. Beginning and veteran writers create a supportive community and learn techniques to write through fear, anxiety and self-censorship.

~ Sat. February 27 & Sun. February 28, 2010

Apply Today!

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Imagi-Nation: A 2-Day Fiction Writing Intensive

If you are writing a novel or short story then this is the workshop for you. This workshop will teach you:

• how to create fascinating characters
• how to build tensions, conflict, and effective pacing
• what the elements of an interesting plot are

This fiction writing “bootcamp” will show you how to plunge your characters into the deep end of the ocean of your imagination, and create a plot that surprises and satisfies the reader.

~ Sat. March 20 & Sun. March 21, 2010

Apply Today!