Workshops
From Page to Stage: A Personal Essay Workshop
Wednesday, May 28th, 2025
6-9 pm
Location: West Arvada; we'll share the address when you register.
Space is limited to 12 participants to foster an intimate, supportive environment.
Price:
Early bird through 5/7: $157
After 5/7: $187
Save 20% when you become paid Word to Your Mother subscriber
Are you struggling to get your story out of your head and onto the page?
You’ve attended Listen To Your Mother for years, and every year you think, “I could be up on that stage.” But every year, the submission deadline comes and goes, and you think, “Next year.”
Maybe you know exactly what you want to say… but it never comes out right when you put pen to paper.
Or every time you open your laptop, your inner critic convinces you you’ve never had an original thought in your life.
The world needs your story.
Your voice is unique. Your words do matter. When you keep your stories to yourself, you’re doing yourself and your community a disservice.
Stories connect us to one another and someone needs to be brave enough to share theirs first.
Why not you?
Join us for an essay writing workshop on May 28th where we’ll give you the tools, the support, and all the chocolate and herbal tea you need to craft your story.
We’ll cover:
The necessary ingredients of a personal essay
Brainstorming topics and distilling ideas
How to connect with your reader
The importance of creating scenes
Discovering what your story is really about
How to effectively revise your piece to make it stand out
The balance of showing and telling, and why it becomes even more important when reading your piece on stage
The difference between a piece of writing that reads better on paper versus one that comes alive when read aloud
This workshop is for women who want to hone their writing skills in a supportive group with guidance from professional writers. While this is a great opportunity to craft a potential Listen to Your Mother story, you’re welcome to work on whatever type of essay you want. You can come with the seed of an idea, a few stories to choose from, or even a first draft.
Instructors Pam Moore and Stephanie Sprenger have published personal essays in outlets including The Washington Post, Kveller, Insider, Scary Mommy, Longreads, O Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Motherwell, Mutha Magazine, and many others.
Come with your unpolished ideas and leave with the scaffolding of a compelling personal essay.
May, 28th 2025
6-9 pm
Location: West Arvada. We will share address when you register.
The Fine Print
Attendance at this workshop does not guarantee you will be cast in this or any future Listen to Your Mother Boulder show.
We will not issue refunds, however we will use your payment as credit toward another service or product with Word to Your Mother. However, if you feel you have extenuating circumstances, email wordtoyourmother.arts@gmail.com and let us know.
The Word to Your Mother Artist’s Way Group
A 13-week virtual group that meets on Tuesdays at 12 pm MT/ 2 pm ET, starting on January 14th 2025
You’re ready to unlock your creativity. You’re tired of letting your ideas simmer and swirl in your head and even more tired of feeling like you lack the time, motivation or (let’s be real!)—the courage—to let your voice be heard. Maybe you’ve even forgotten what your creative voice sounds or looks like.
We get it. We’ve been there. Sometimes we still dip back into that stuckness.
That’s why we created an Artist’s Way Group for the Word to Your Mother Community. We hope you’ll join us there.
What you’ll get:
Access to a community of like-minded midlife women
One weekly virtual meeting where we’ll unpack the The Artist’s Way chapter of the week
Accountability as you go through each of the twelve units of The Artist’s Way
24/7 access to an online community where you can share your questions and insights and learn from each other.
Renewed commitment to your creative pursuits
A new perspective on creativity and your life’s purpose
The chance to unlearn the narratives that have held you back from expressing your creativity (and yourself).
How it works
Check your email for details on joining our online community and our weekly Zoom calls.
Purchase your copy of The Artist’s Way 30th Anniversary Edition and a notebook to use expressly for your Artist’s Way “homework assignments” and any other relevant reflections you want to keep track of.
Join us every Tuesday at noon MT/ 2 pm ET, from January 14th through April 8th.
We will meet for 13 weeks; the first week will be a gentle intro. In each of the subsequent 12 meetings, we’ll discuss a chapter of the book.
Questions? Email us at wordtoyourmother.arts@gmail.com
Still not convinced?
Here’s Pam telling TikTok about her experience going through the Artist’s Way…
FAQ
How big of a time commitment is The Artist’s Way?
It’s different for everyone, but a loose guideline would be to budget about 20-30 minutes each morning (or as many mornings as you can) for morning pages (handwritten journaling), 30-90 minutes per week to read the chapter of the week and to complete a few of the suggested exercises, and two hours per week for your weekly “Artist Date.”
That seems like a lot of time. Is it really worth it?
That’s totally up to you! I (Pam) did what I consider the bare minimum; morning pages two to four mornings per week, all the reading, some of the exercises, and I spread the 12-week process out over about 11 months, and I saw tremendous benefits.
What were those benefits, you ask? After years of sending article pitches that landed in some kind of abyss, I broke into a bunch of my dream outlets, including Runner’s World, Outside, and others. The day after I finished the final chapter I was invited to become a regular contributor to the Washington Post’s Wellness section, despite never having written for that section previously.
A friend of mine started the book at the same time as I did. By the time she finished it, she pursued her long-unrealized dream of applying to MFA school, which she is now pursuing as a full-time working mom in her 40s.
So yeah, definitely worth it. Which is why I want to share it with you!
What’s an Artist Date?
It’s a weekly “date” with your inner artist (you!). You don’t have to spend any money or do anything fancy; all that’s required is that you do something fun by yourself, whether that’s browsing at your favorite used bookstore, walking on a new-to-you trail, or people watching at your favorite coffee shop with a hot mocha.
The subtitle of the book is “a spiritual path to higher creativity.” Do I need to believe in God or religion to benefit from it?
No you don’t. That said, one of the tenets of the book is that there is a higher power, spirit, universe, or whatever you want to call it, that is rooting for our creativity. If that feels way too “woo” for you, this might not be a good fit. If you’re skeptical but open, you might be pleasantly surprised. (That was my—Pam’s—experience.)
If I could go through every chapter of this book on my own, what’s the point of spending money to do it in a group?
If you’re committed to going through the process, it’s super helpful to have a group to hold you accountable for completing at least the reading, some of the homework, and even one or two sessions of morning pages each week. Plus, as you come up with questions and begin to experience shifts, you will appreciate having a community who is going through the process with you to bounce things off of.
Sure, you can do it alone, but it’s more fun and motivating in a group.
Case in point: I (Pam) started this book with a friend and did the first six chapters at the same time as a friend within about six weeks. Then she slowed down with it, our regular calls and texts about the book fell off our radar, and it took me more than six months to complete the second half of the book.