Hoffman Center Blog

Sage Cohen’s two-part workshop on Saturday, April 17, has been moved to the Center for the Contemplative Arts in Manzanita, which is located at the Underhill Plaza on the corner of Manzanita Avenue and Division.  The workshop will cover the creativity and the business of poetry.
 
Poetry: From Pen to Page to Published, will run from 1pm to 3:30pm.
 
Have you always wanted to write a poem, but don’t know how to begin? Are you already writing poetry and want to connect with your muse more often? Spend the first half of this lively workshop to get your poetic juices flowing with a mix of inspiration, craft tips, and exercises.
 
After a break, get down to the business of poetry. Participants will learn to develop the skills, tools and systems they need to publish their poetry:
How to identify the right publications, contests, prizes and residencies for your poetry.
How to establish a submissions tracking system that keeps you moving forward.
How an online presence can help you get in the public eye, and stay there.
Sage is the author of Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry (Writers Digest Books, 2009), The Productive Writer: Tips & Tools for Writing More, Stressing Less and Creating Success(Writer’s Digest Books, forthcoming in 2010) and the poetry collection Like the Heart, the World.
Sage won first prize in the Ghost Road Press poetry contest, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was awarded a Soapstone residency. She is a columnist for Read Write Poem and publisher of the Writing the Life Poetic Zine.
Sage holds an MFA in creative writing from New York University and a BA in comparative literature from Brown University. She teaches, lectures and reads widely at writing conferences, libraries, universities, bookstores, as well as the popular online class “Poetry for the People”. Learn more about Sage and her books at www.sagesaidso.com <http://www.sagesaidso.com> . 

The workshop is a program of the Hoffman Center.  Admission fee is $25, $25 for students. Download a registration form at http://hoffmanblog.org/manzanita-writers-series/workshops or contact Kathie Hightower, 503-739-1505; kathie@jumpintolife.net.

Please join the Hoffman Center and Hoffman Center volunteers in supporting our Neahkahnie High School Speech Team. This hard-working creative team is a consistent contest winner, despite having to work outside classroom hours, after school and on weekends, with minimal budget. In order to keep performing, the team needs to raise money for materials, scripts, subscriptions, camp fees, and hotel costs when they travel to compete.

They have heart and deserve our support. So, here’s the plan:

The Center will host a fundraising public-awareness event to demonstrate the talents of the “Speechies” at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2010. Donations will be requested, with a suggested minimum of $10 per person. Refreshments will be served.

The format, agreed to by Speech Coach Holly Lorincz and the students, is as follows:

∙ Impromptu speech (audience selects the topic)

∙ Dramatic Interpretation speech

∙ Duo Interpretation speech

To top off the evening, a Public Forum Debate will have two team members square off with Nehalem Mayor Shirley Kalkhoven and Wheeler Mayor Walt Trandum on a current international topic. The audience will judge the “winner” of the debate.

The real “winners” will be public awareness and support for the Speechies as they move into college, regional and, hopefully, state competitions.

Please join us for an intellectually stimulating evening, and support our local youth. The success of this event rests with you. Spread the word. January 22, 6:30 p.m. at the Hoffman Center, 594 Laneda Ave., Manzanita.