Nothing to Write About: Finding Inspiration in Writer’s Block
June 30, 12:30–2:30 p.m. EDT
Online via Hudson Valley Writers Center
$130, Learn more and register
Every writer, even the most prolific, experiences writer’s block at some point. Regardless of why we have become stuck in our writing, it is possible to return to the simple joy of putting words on the page. We can even invite our demons to the table, by using writer’s block as a source of inspiration. In this workshop, open to writers of all genres, we will examine our writing struggles, looking at ideas from writer/psychotherapist Dennis Palumbo and designer Alex Churnell, to help us reframe and engage with writer’s block in a productive way. We will read poetry and prose selections by Lucia Perillo, Tatyana Tolstaya, Édouard Levé, and Jane Wong that will shake us up to get the creative juices flowing. Then we will engage in writing exercises that churn our resistance into something we can work and play with. We will share our rough drafts, laugh at our fumbles, and find renewed vitality in the act of putting pen to page.
2024 yetzirah Jewish Poetry Conference: Offsite Workshops with Hila Ratzabi
The following workshops are open to the public as part of the Yetzirah Jewish Poetry Conference, taking place in person only, in Asheville, NC, July 1–7, 2024.
Tuesday, July 2: 9:00–11:50 am
Writing the Earth’s Torah
The Jewish literary and liturgical canons are filled with images of nature as a living expression of the Divine. We will read translations of Jewish prayers alongside contemporary Jewish poetry that give voice to the language of nature. We will then engage in writing exercises that invite us to tune into the earth around us and hear its call.
Wednesday, July 3: 9:00–11:50 am
Living Letters: Writing Jewish Mystical Poetry
The Jewish mystical tradition sees the Hebrew alphabet as the building blocks of the universe. Language is a potent, alchemical tool of creation. We will read translations of texts from the Jewish mystical tradition alongside modern and contemporary poetry to inspire our own linguistic experiments.
Friday, July 5: 9:00–11:50 am
Seeking Peace through Poetry: Reading Palestinian and Israeli Poets
During this deeply painful time of war, poetry can help us pick up the broken pieces of our world. We will read Palestinian and Israeli poets who express the human cost of war, the heartbreak of loss, and the longing for home. Among the poets we will read and discuss are Mosab Abu Toha, a Gazan poet who has suffered greatly during this war, and Amiram Cooper (z”l), an Israeli poet who was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz and died in captivity. We will engage in writing exercises that offer space to contemplate our own relationships to this fraught moment.
Spiritual Resilience in a Time of War: Inspired by Etty Hillesum
Wednesdays, July 10, 17, 24, 31 and August 7, 2024, 12:00–1:15 p.m. EDT
Online via Ritualwell
$225, Learn more and register
In a time of conflict and war, we need practices that connect us to our humanity, allowing us to tap into our inner strength and source of hope and peace. The writings of Etty Hillesum are a treasure trove of the human spirit; she wrote her diaries and letters from 1941 to 1943, before her life was tragically cut short in Auschwitz. Her writings reveal an astonishing spiritual resilience and a universal love for humanity and for God, even during the darkest times. While living through the dire historical circumstances encroaching on European Jewry, she developed a deep and unflinching faith in humanity that carried her through the most difficult of times.
In this series of online gatherings, we will read and discuss Hillesum’s writings as a springboard for creating our own spiritual and writing practices. We’ll explore major themes in her work: creativity, prayer, meditation, love, suffering, acceptance, death, and freedom. We’ll engage in journaling, meditation, and prayer practices inspired by her work. With the intention of connecting to our inner voices and crafting our own paths to resilience, we’ll support each other in imagining and creating a better world.
This course is open to people of all backgrounds.
All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.
Speaking for Earth: a poetry walk at morton arboretum
Saturday, July 20th, 10:00–12:00 pm
Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, IL 60532
In person only
$32 member; $39 guest
“Each and every grass has a song” – Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav
We are living on a fragile and sacred planet that needs us to speak on its behalf. What happens when we attune ourselves to the songs of the grass, the trees, and the creatures that share our world? The act of reading and writing poetry can train us to listen deeply to the voices of the earth. We will come together for a nature poetry walk. We will read a selection of environmental poems that will open us up to different ways of speaking for the earth. Then we’ll take a walk and engage in writing exercises inspired by the landscape. Bring a notebook, pen, and an open mind. All are welcome – no writing experience necessary.
exterior & interior landscapes: writing poems from nature & art
Sunday, July 21st, 1:00–3:00 pm
Oak Park Art League, 720 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302
In person only
Registration link coming soon
The world is filled with sources of inspiration if we just slow down and connect with our senses. Deepening our attention to the natural world and to visual art can serve as entry points into writing poetry. In this experiential workshop, we will read poems that draw on nature and art and then try out some poetry writing exercises of our own. We will use the beautiful garden at the Oak Park Art League as well as the exhibit Poetry of Place: Landscape and Sacred Space as our prompts to write and share new poems on nature and art. All are welcome.
Writing Poems for the Earth: An Ecopoetry Workshop
Asynchronous class
Hudson Valley Writers Center, $124
What does it feel like to be a human on earth during the climate crisis? How can we find the words to express our concern, grief, and awe for this fragile planet that we call our home? In this generative, interactive workshop, we will trace the evolution of nature poetry from the Romantic tradition to what we now call “ecopoetry,” a poetry that interrogates the relationship between the human and non-human, shifting the human gaze to make room for other voices and perspectives. We will read poems that respond to the climate crisis and that explore the intersection of race and identity with experiences of nature. We’ll read works by Lucille Clifton, Ed Roberson, Camille Dungy, Juliana Spahr, Forrest Gander, John Clare, John Keats, Denise Levertov, Inger Christensen, and Brenda Hillman. After soaking in these voices, we will then engage in writing exercises based on the works we read. Becoming deeply attentive to our environment, to its creatures and plants, to the places where human and nature meet, we will write our own poems and then share our discoveries with the group.
This recorded class is available to rent for two weeks through a private YouTube link. The link will be sent to the email you use to enroll (check your spam).
Let’s work together!
I am available to travel and lead workshops on ecopoetry, ranging from single-session to multi-session workshops. See my events page for upcoming programs.
Below are examples of workshops I have taught that can be modified for different settings, both in person and online.
Please email redsofasalon@gmail.com to discuss.
Speaking for Earth: An Ecopoetry Walk
One 90-minute to 2-hour session, in person
“Each and every grass has a song” – Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav
We are living on a fragile and sacred planet that needs us to speak on its behalf. What happens when we attune ourselves to the songs of the grass, the trees, and the creatures that share our world? The act of reading and writing poetry can train us to listen deeply to the voices of the earth. We will come together for a nature poetry walk. We will read a selection of environmental poems that will open us up to different ways of speaking for the earth. Then we’ll take a walk and engage in writing exercises inspired by the landscape. Bring a notebook, pen, and an open mind. All are welcome – no writing experience necessary.
Testimonials
“Hila bridged the natural world with the literary one in her ecopoetry program in the woods she created for my organization. Our participants appreciated her depth of preparedness and breadth of poetry that she shared with us. We were grateful for the touchstone she provided for us to have the opportunity to experience and write. It was a meaningful program, and Hila executed it with grace, modesty, and intelligence. Hila’s ecopoetry program transpired into an opening for our community. Because of her innovative program, we then went on to establish a Jewish Mindfulness in Nature program, in the same woods we met with Hila, which has been very grounding and uplifting for the community.”
Glenna Lee, Sisterhood President, Westchester Jewish Center
“I appreciated stepping out of my everyday life into the forest and exploring with you how poetry and nature complement each other; you showed us how, when we slow down, both can enable us to notice small moments and phenomena we miss when going about our daily activities. I loved the shift in perspective I experienced from your workshop. Reading (and writing) poetry and observing (and reflecting on) nature all require an inner patience that can be nurtured and developed; your ecopoetry walk gave us a template for doing just that.”
Amy Fastenberg, participant in “Speaking for Earth: An Ecopoetry Walk”
Songs of the Grass: Exploring Jewish Ecopoetry
Six 90-minute sessions, in person or online
“Each and every grass has a song” – Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav
The Jewish environmental movement has sought to excavate and breathe new life into ancient texts that call us to right relationship with this fragile and holy earth. Jewish poets vividly describe the human encounter with plants, animals, and the elements where they often find intimations of the Divine or cause for protest on behalf of the non-human world. Together we’ll read poetry and other Jewish writings that will inspire our own experiments with ecopoetry. Some poets we will read include Marge Piercy, Muriel Rukeyser, Alicia Ostriker, Adrienne Rich, Denise Levertov, Stanley Moss, Stuart Kestenbaum, Phillip Levine, Mónica Gomery, and more! We’ll engage in writing exercises, some of which will take us outside to our local environments to allow us to listen to, and translate, the voices of the earth. You will come away with a deepened appreciation for Jewish wisdom on the environment and a number of poem drafts that will help you envision your personal Torah of the earth.
“Songs of the Grass: Exploring Jewish Ecopoetry was a powerful class for me to take when I was working on a project related to climate justice and responding with bravery to emotions around climate change. Looking at these issues through a Jewish lens added depth to my writing and thinking. Hila created a thoughtful and engaged community in the course, and sessions included rich discussion of source texts followed by writing exercises that were both generative and nourishing.”
Elisa McCool, participant in Songs of the Grass
Writing Poems for the Earth: An Ecopoetry Workshop
Six 90-minute sessions, in person or online
What does it feel like to be a human on earth during the climate crisis? How can we find the words to express our concern, grief, and awe for this fragile planet that we call our home? In this generative, interactive workshop, we will trace the evolution of nature poetry from the Romantic tradition to what we now call “ecopoetry,” a poetry that interrogates the relationship between the human and non-human, shifting the human gaze to make room for other voices and perspectives. We will read poems that respond to the climate crisis and that explore the intersection of race and identity with experiences of nature. We’ll read works by Lucille Clifton, Ed Roberson, Camille Dungy, Juliana Spahr, Forrest Gander, John Clare, John Keats, Denise Levertov, Inger Christensen, and Brenda Hillman. Depending on the setting, we will also go on poetry walks, where the landscape will be our muse. Becoming deeply attentive to our environment, to its creatures and plants, to the places where human and nature meet, we will write our own poems and then share our discoveries with the group.