Love Paradox Supreme: Generative Workshop with Karen Finley (via Zoom)

On this day before Valentine’s Day we will consider love as an ingredient in our writing. More than ever, we are living amidst a troubled world in turmoil, despair, hate, and violence. How do we center our practice within the love act of writing? How can our practice contribute to the love of humanity even in small ways?  There are so many ways to love – let us write the many ways! Yet, the word love has very few synonyms. So here, we will consider the environment, the condition, the description, the known and unknown, the intention. Your love intention can be silly, purposeful, sentimental, it can be profound, dizzying, a soul mate desire, it can be the love of a friend, of family, of nature, of spirit –to build bridges and heal souls and bodies. Where does the love go? This workshop will have a series of prompts that will allow you on your own writing journey. You will have time to review and edit your drafts and share what you like in our shared space. More of a space of exploration and creative investigation. Let the imagination begin anew!

NB: This class will be taught on Zoom and will be capped at 20 students. Registrants will receive the Zoom link to the email address they use to register. It will arrive immediately after registration so please check your spam folder if you do not receive it. It will also be sent the day before class as a reminder. Please review the course policies page before registering for any classes. Please email misty@writerscenter.org with any questions.

Karen Finley is an artist, performer, and poet. Born in Chicago, she received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Finley was the named plaintiff for the Supreme Court case Finley v. NEA that challenged the decency provision in government grants to artists through the National Endowment for the Arts. Her work has been presented internationally such as the Barbican in London; Lincoln Center, New York City; Art Basel in Miami; and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, among others. She is the author of nine books, including Grabbing Pussy (OR Books, 2018), the 25th anniversary edition of Shock Treatment (City Lights, 2015), and The Reality Shows (Feminist Press, 2011). A recipient of many awards and grants, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, she is a professor in Art and Public Policy at New York University. She lives in Westchester County, New York. Her new book, COVID Vortex Anxiety Opera Kitty Kaleidoscope Disco will be published by City Lights Publishers in March 2025.