With no props, no special effects, few lighting or acting techniques, This American Life writers, Spalding Grey, David Sedaris, and Sandra Tsing Loh have captivated audiences by telling their true stories. In this small group workshop students will learn to write and perform their personal essays and in the process discover how to create intimacy with an audience. The only "gimmick" is your voice, on the page and on the stage.

Artistic directors across the United States and Europe are hosting popular Spoken Word performances as these shows are often called. Intimate, funny, wise and daring, spoken word evenings are reminiscent of the Paris salon of Gertrude Stein, with all their wit, wisdom and warmth. What better place to experience the resurgence of this marvelous art than in the south of France?

The first three class sessions will be devoted to discovering and developing your personal stories, the next sessions on publishing your work and on translating these into a staged reading to be performed on the last evening in Auvillar. To learn more about transforming your life experience into riveting storytelling, visit From Page to Stage.

Work-study Scholarship
There is one partial work-study scholarship available for this workshop. Click here for more information and application guidelines.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Amy Friedman teaches personal essay and creative nonfiction at UCLA Extension, memoir writing at Case Western Reserve University, and all manner of writing in private workshops in Los Angeles. Author of two memoirs, Kick the Dog and Shoot the Cat and Nothing Sacred (Canada’s Oberon Press), Friedman has also written and published innumerable personal essays in the US and Canada and in several book collections. As a teacher and coach, she has worked with such performers as Hillary Carlip (creator of the personal essay website freshyarn.com), Lauren Tom and Lan Tran. You can read more about her at www.frompagetostage.com where you can also find a review of one of her Spoken Word shows and student testimonials. To read some of Amy's personal essays, go to  the Fresh Yarn webpage.

Above, historic marketplace photo by Karen Bell