Parenting Wordshop (Registration Due by February 15) by Ann Douglas - Author and President of Mom Media - Sign Up Today!

Parenting Wordshop: A Chance To Tell Your Stories Your Way
(and, No, You Don’t Have To Be A Perfect Writer or a Perfect Parent to Sign Up)
by Ann Douglas
President Mom Media and
Author of “Mother of All…” Parenting Book Series

Session 1: Sunday Feb 24 (1-5p)
Session 2: Sunday Apr 27 (1-5p)

Parents have always shared their stories with other parents; and they have always made an effort to record the most significant moments in their parenting lives in diaries, in letter to far-flung friends and relatives, in cover- or margin-entries in treasured books.

They’ve written poems and the lyrics to lullabies; they’ve penned memoirs and short stories; they’ve authored mothering guides and mothering memoirs – and so much more.

They’ve also turned to art in an effort to convey the wide-ranging emotions and experiences of parenting: quilting, cross-stitching, scrap-booking, rock carvings, painting, photography, music, and theatre, and every other form and medium imaginable.

The Parenting Wordshop draws from that tradition by offering parents of all backgrounds, experiences, and literacy levels a chance to translate their experiences into stories.

The Parenting Wordshop consists of:
• two separate four-hour workshops held at three month intervals
• two e-newsletters sent out during the months in between to provide course participants with additional resources and inspiration so that they will stay motivated and on-track with their Parenting Wordshop projects

Cost: $80 + gst – includes 8 hours of instruction time plus two e-newsletters.
To register, email registry@gingerbreadlane.ca or call 905-271-2900 – registration DUE BY February 15
The group will be limited to 20 participants to provide for an optimal group experience.

Session 1
2 Hours: Perfect Writers (and Perfect Parents) Need Not Apply.
You don’t have to be a perfect writer – and you don’t have to be a perfect parent – to tell your story. This session provides some tips on dealing with the pressure to create something perfect when you’re staring at that blank screen. We’ll also address related issues like finding time and space to be creative, deciding what to write about, and dealing with privacy issues when you’re writing about your nearest and dearest. Includes interactive workshop exercises
Break: 15 Minutes
2 Hours: Wired Parents, Arty, Parents, Bookish Parents: There are as many ways to tell your story as there are stories to tell. Experimenting with a variety of different types of media – text, images, videotape, digital recording, audiotape, paper, found objects, etc – can help you tell your story. Sometimes a different type of media will prove to be more effective in portraying a particular scene or chapter in your life as a parent than text alone. In addition to letting your instincts and imagination guide you in deciding what you want to write about and how you want to tell your story, you may find that you learn from and are inspired by other parents’ stories. This will include a list of places to tap into particularly inspiring examples of parents’ writing both online and offline: blogs, online zines, books, etc. Includes interactive workshop exercises.

Session 2
2 Hours: Parentspiration!
A quick recap of what Parenting Wordshop is all about, and a chance to catch up with other participants. Parenting Wordshop project participants share what they’ve been working on – online and offline: Prepare to be inspired. “How to” tips – e.g. great resources and techniques; what helped past and present participants to get started and to motivated; etc. This will serve as the project wrap-up. I like the idea of not having “perfect” finished projects but rather samples from projects that are at various stages of completion. It will be less intimidating for parents who are still mid-stream themselves – or who haven’t even started yet!
Break: 15 minutes
2 Hours: Inspiration and Ideas to Go 15 parent-proven ways to keep moving forward with your Parenting Wordshop project, including some fun new tips – e.g., create a photo blog while you’re on vacation and use that as a launching pad to write about family vacations past, capture a particular “chapter” in your child’s development or your family’s history: e.g., the move to a new house or a community project you’re involved with as a family. Resource exchange: What resources are you finding most helpful?