Creating a Universe with Words

Two Saturdays: February 19 and 26, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

All are welcome.

Limited to 12 participants

I love what Albert Einstein once said about imagination. He said: “Imagination is intelligence having fun.” And that is what this workshop is indeed intended to be: a fast paced, hands-on workshop based on a series of writing exercises where we will find and surpass the limits that contain our everyday writing universe. We will, of course, develop our imagination outside the box and have creative fun.

Sessions will be tailored to meet the needs and interests of the group. They will be combined with lectures to help you gain new insight to construct and complete your personal writing project. We’ll explore ways to reinforce the structure of your existing work, gain deeper understanding of characters, fix plot holes, and tie up storylines. We’ll also work on developing another skill invaluable to any writer: the ability to pinpoint what might not be working—and cut or rework if need be. This workshop is designed to help you stay motivated and focused through the difficult parts of writing and aims to give you the tools to enjoy your writing process (again, if you fear you are not enjoying it anymore).  The time will be split between discussing technique in published models, and reading and discussing our own creations.

Creating a Universe with Words will be a two-session workshop and is intended for experienced and beginner writers alike. You’ll need paper, pencils and—most importantly—an eraser! We will keep things interactive, giving short presentations to the group.

 

You will receive links to the texts we will be using as models. Reading them before our start date is strongly recommended. 

 

Antolina Ortiz Moore describes herself as a citizen of the world. She was born in Mexico City in 1971. She studied at the French Licée in Mexico City and studied Philosophy at the Universidad Iberoamericana.

She migrated to Canada in 2000, then returned to México in 2009, where she lived in the town of Coatepec. She founded an unschooling project and a non-profit organization that promoted ecological and cultural awareness without barriers. She coordinated the planting of over 11,000 trees in a mist forest area. In 2017, due to mounting violence in the area, she decided to move back to Montreal.

Antolina´s last novel, Seda araña, won the First Mexican Woman´s Short Novel Competition in Mexico (2019), and was shortlisted for the prestigious Romulo Gallegos Literary prize in Venezuela (2020) and the Nadal Literary Competition in Spain (one of the most important in Spanish Literature). Her first and second novels received the José Eufemio Lora y Lora & Juan Carlos Onetti international award (in Peru, 2010). Her first published book was her social work thesis at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico, with a prologue by Elena Poniatowska; it sold over fifty thousand copies.

Web page: https://antolinaortizmoore.com

Instagram: oantolina

Twitter: @antolina_ortiz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antolina.ortiz/