wandering in the dark
Odes to Wandering in the Dark
3 writing sessions to meet the unknown
June 22, 29 and July 6
Dear fellow StoryTravelers:
I feel so inspired by reading Carl Sagan's books about the wanderers and wonders of our universe, the colors of the sky in different planets, the nebula of our shared origins, the stars that we are seeing in our present, their past. And these words are reminding me of the mythic Urusula K. Le Guin's book of essays, The Language of the Night and my name shab, which means night. And being in a space now where some of my next true steps are visible but many others are not, and I thought, - hmm, potent mix all of this! And just yesterday, an offering took shape:
ODES TO WANDERING IN THE DARK
a series of 3 creativity sessions
to create writing in the form of story poems
that explore journeys into the unknown
When: Three Thursdays: June 22, June 29, July 6
at 9am MT (Mountain Time US) | 11am Eastern Time | 5pm Spain
Duration: Each session is 70 minutes
FEE: $60 usd | 55 euros
THE NECESSARY DARK
May these writings/this experience support you
~ in meeting moments of uncertainty in your story life
~ in celebrating the freedom of surrendering to the unknown, instead of fretting about it.
~ in surprising you with insights that need darkness to illuminate the way
STORYTRAVELERS, ALL OF US
Faraway is Close is the name of all my storywork. It comes from my love of journey, especially to remote landscapes. It comes from my capacity, hard-won, nurtured everyday, to withstand uncertainty as an independent artist for decades. It comes from seeing, especially in the creativity workshops I have facilitated, how our capacity to create stories that resonate is always closer that we think. faraway is close.
There are some planets where, close to the terrestrial surface, the skies are endless dark. But then as you ascend into the sky, you meet layers of color created from the encounter with different elements. The night becomes color...
"We like to think we live in daylight but half the world is always dark and fantasy, like poetry, speaks the language of the night." Ursula Le Guin
To which I will add - I think many genres can speak this language so in our journey will be open to prose, poetry, fantasy, memoir - whatever wants to emerge.
ABOUT ME
I’m a writer, filmmaker and performer, originally from India, once based in New Mexico, now in Spain. My work has been supported by New York Foundation for the Arts Fiction Fellowship, a Telly documentary award, and a Fulbright research grant to Mongolia. I’ve facilitated creativity workshops for over a decade in New Mexico, American Samoa, Zuni pueblo, Mongolia. Palestine and Spain.
(photo: Hu Rong)
IN ALL MY WORK…. I seek to get to the oldest root within me, the oldest stone, that which remembers dark and manifests in metaphor, sound, silence, movement. These days, I really just want to dance, sing, write and nurture creativity in fellow story-travelers. And create fierce gentle solo plays woven with dance, story and poetry. To me, it’s all the same journey, excavating what oppresses, what liberates in a felt body sense. More and more, I am understanding the ripple effects of colonization - historical, emotional, cultural - on everything. Read more.
Fee: $60 USD | 55 Euros
~ Paypal (shebana@gmail.com). Please choose “send to someone you know”
~ Bizum +34 602 656 384 (write to me at info@shebanacoelho.com for other payment options)
HOW IT WORKS
As always, with all Faraway is Close creativity sessions this is a safe nurturing space. I'll guide us through visualizations, exercises, readings inspired by night, journey, the planet, from Carl Sagan, Ursuala le Guin and others.
We listen, write, share, move, meditate, invoke the language of the senses, invoke naturescapes and planet scapes.
At times, I invite you to share what you have written. I set guidelines for feedback that is nurturing - may your words be like water so that the greenness of stories grow. The exercises are short and you'll see how organically storypoems emerge. May we live free and write! Olé.
YOU ARE WELCOME AS YOU ARE
The only criteria for attending this workshop is that these words call to you somehow.
That is, you may have written for decades or never or somewhere in between.
Come as you are. You are welcome.
TO REGISTER
Fill out this form below and click Register
Choose your payment method
Paypal (shebana@gmail.com). Please choose “send to someone you know”
Bizum (+34 602 656 384 for 55 euros)
You’ll receive a Zoom link within a day of your payment.
WHAT FOLKS HAVE SAID ABOUT FARAWAY IS CLOSE CREATIVITY WORKSHOPS
“Shebana Coelho is one of those people whose natural grace and intelligence can’t help but inspire the rest of us to shine brighter. Her natural voice in writing and open heart mixed with imaginative powers make her a fine teacher of writing.”
“Shebana is engaging and generous...She has a magical way of guiding the body, mind and soul of people who work with her in a way that opens them to deep levels of themselves and the story they want to tell.”
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS
write me at info@shebanacoelho.com or message me at
SIGNAL | WHATSAPP+34 602 656 384
LINKS
STORY MENTORING - FEEDBACK FOR YOUR PAGES-IN-PROGRESS
Read writing by workshop participants in:
Santa Fe
