Emotion & Suspense in Theatre, Poetry, and (Non)Fiction
Saturday, October 2 & Sunday, October 10, 2021 * 1:00-4:00 pm EDT
Ruth Stone House | Online
Plato argues that human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. And before staging Kalidasa’s The Recognition of Śākuntalā, the director challenges his actress-lover: “As though in a painting, the entire audience has had their emotion colored through your melody. So now—what shall we perform to sustain the mood?” In this class, we will explore how creating vivid emotional worlds between characters and within storylines can build suspense, sustain drama, and lure the reader deeper in. If you’re currently working on a short story, novel, screenplay, theatrical play, lyrical essay, memoir, or narrative poem which has a unique emotional landscape, come stop by the Ruth Stone House for our next online creative writing workshop led by Rita Banerjee on October 2 and October 10, 2021. Students will read Rita Banerjee’s article, “Emotion and Suspense: The Essence of Rasa Theory” from Poets & Writers Magazine, do in-class writing exercises centering rasa, emotion, and suspense, and share out their work with classmates. Register at the Ruth Stone House. Workshop Fee: $150 for 2 Sessions.
Literary Manifestos & What’s at Stake Workshop
Sunday, April 8 * 2-4 pm * Admission: $30
Weehawken Writers & Artists Studio
10 Louisa Pl., Weehawken, NJ 07086
The Weehawken Writers & Artists Studio is delighted to host a creative writing workshop by Rita Banerjee on Literary Manifestos & What’s at Stake Workshop!
CREDO. I believe. No other statement is so full of intent and subversion and power. A Credo is a call to arms. It is a declaration. A Credo is the act of an individual pushing back against society, against established stigmas, taboos, values, and norms. A Credo provokes. It desires change. A Credo is an artist or community challenging dogma, and putting oneself on the front line. A Credo is art at risk. A Credo can be a marker of revolution. A Credo, is thus, the most calculating and simple form of a manifesto. In this creative writing workshop, writers will get a chance to create their own literary manifestos and discuss what’s at stake in their own writing, art, and craft. We will read literary manifestos and poetry from writers such as Allen Ginsberg, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Amiri Baraka, and Bianca Stone, and will explore how writers and readers become more invested in a work of writing, its performance, and its narrative by raising the stakes.
International Write-a-Novel Month 2017 Writing Workshops
Sunday November 5, 12, 19, and December 3, 2017 * 14:00 – 17:00
Location: Café Clara, Isabellastraße 8, 80798 München
Join creative writing instructor Rita Banerjee for International Write a Novel Month 2017! These workshops are for writers who are developing or working to complete a book-length manuscript. For our first workshop, writers are encouraged to bring in project proposals. Ideas for a book-length manuscript will be reviewed in class. We will also review texts that blur the line between fact and fiction and that can serve as a launching pad for building longer narratives. During subsequent workshop sessions, writers will work and receive feedback on their manuscripts. Light readings on writing craft and narrative structure will also be provided. Participation in all four workshops is recommended, but not required. To register, send an email to John by November 3, 2017 at: store@themunichreadery.com. Workshop Fee: €35.
Character Development & The Law of Desire
Saturday July 22, 2017 * 9:00 – 12:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
Femme fatales, gumshoe detectives, star-crossed lovers, wicked stepmothers, wise fools, empathetic anti-heroes: dynamic and archetypal characters can be key to making a good story or lyrical piece tick and pulling in the reader deeper into your creative work. In this workshop, we will discuss how dynamic and archetypal characters can help structure stories, propel narratives forwards, and how each character’s desire provides interesting ethical dilemmas and emotional spectrums to narratives and verse. We will learn about the building blocks of creating strong, unforgettable characters, discuss the connection between desire and plot, and learn how playing with persona can help liberate nonfictional stories and lyrical poems. So if you’re currently working on a short story, novel, screenplay, theatre play, lyrical essay, memoir, or poem which has a strong and unique character at is heart, come stop by the Munich Readery on Saturday July 22 for our next creative writing workshop led by Rita Banerjee. To register, send an email to John by July 15, 2017 at: store@themunichreadery.com. Workshop Fee: €35.
Revising, Pitching, and Publishing
Sunday July 9, 2017 * 13:00-16:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
While Allen Ginsberg and the Beats touted the philosophy of “First Thought, Best Thought,” and the merits of spontaneous writing, in this workshop, we’ll explore the role that revision plays in landing the perfect publication deal. We’ll take a look at what it takes to pitch to literary journals, and get that poem, short story, memoir, essay, or play published. We’ll discuss why writers should network, and when writers should look for literary agents, and we will demystify elements of the publishing and creative writing industry at large. In addition, we’ll have some fun with our writing and revisions as well! So if you’re currently working on a short story, novel, screenplay, theatre play, lyrical essay, memoir, or poem which you’d like to revise and published, come stop by the Munich Readery on Sunday July 9 for our next creative writing workshop led by Rita Banerjee. To register, send an email to John by July 2, 2017 at: store@themunichreadery.com. Workshop Fee: €35.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A Munich Creative Writers Workshop – June 23, 18:00-21:00
“Lovers and madmen have such seething brains,
Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend
More than cool reason ever comprehends.
The lunatic, the lover and the poet
Are of imagination all compact:
One sees more devils than vast hell can hold,
That is, the madman: the lover, all as frantic,
Sees Helen’s beauty in a brow of Egypt:
The poet’s eye, in fine frenzy rolling,
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;
And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen
Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name.”
~ Theseus, Act V, Scene 1
On Friday June 23 at 6 pm, Rita Banerjee will be teaching a creative writing workshop for Munich Creative Writers inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For more information on upcoming Munich Creative Writers workshops and meetings, please visit their website here.
Emotion & Suspense in Theatre, Poetry, and (Non)Fiction [SOLD OUT]
Saturday January 7, 2017 * 9:00-12:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
Plato argues that human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. And before staging Kalidasa’s The Recognition of Śākuntalā, the director challenges his actress-lover: “As though in a painting, the entire audience has had their emotion colored through your melody. So now—what shall we perform to sustain the mood?” In this class, we will explore how creating vivid emotional worlds between characters and within storylines can build suspense, sustain drama, and lure the reader deeper in. If you’re currently working on a short story, novel, screenplay, theatrical play, lyrical essay, memoir, or narrative poem which has a unique emotional landscape, come stop by the Munich Readery on Saturday January 7 for our next creative writing workshop led by Rita Banerjee. Rita Banerjee’s article, “Emotion and Suspense: The Essence of Rasa Theory” appears in the January/February 2017 Inspiration Issue of Poets & Writers Magazine. To register, send an email to John by January 2, 2017 at: store@themunichreadery.com. Workshop Fee: €30. This workshop is SOLD OUT.
The Cambridge Writers’ Workshop is proud to announce our new series of creative writing workshops and craft of writing seminars in partnership with the Cambridge Center for Adult Education in Cambridge, MA! The Cambridge Writers’ Workshop is thrilled to return to Cambridge and to offer an exciting range of courses for our Boston-area writers. Our featured faculty this fall includes Jade Sylvan, Rita Banerjee, Laura van den Berg, and Diana Norma Szokolyai. Classes will meet on select Saturdays from September 11 – December 10, 2016 from 10 am – 1 pm at 56 Brattle Street, Cambridge MA 02138 USA. Registration for our Fall 2016 creative writing workshops and craft of writing seminars will open on the Cambridge Center for Adult Education website on July 27, 2016! For information on course schedule, price, and instructors, please visit the Cambridge Writers’ Workshop!
Emotion & Suspense in Theatre, Poetry, and (Non)Fiction [SOLD OUT]
Saturday June 25, 2016 * 9:00-12:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
Plato argues that human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. And before staging Kalidasa’s The Recognition of Śākuntalā, the director challenges his actress-lover: “As though in a painting, the entire audience has had their emotion colored through your melody. So now—what shall we perform to sustain the mood?” In this class, we will explore how creating vivid emotional worlds between characters and within storylines can build suspense, sustain drama, and lure the reader deeper in. If you’re currently working on a short story, novel, screenplay, theatrical play, lyrical essay, memoir, or narrative poem which has a unique emotional landscape, come stop by the Munich Readery on Saturday June 25 for our next creative writing workshop led by Rita Banerjee. To register, send an email to John by June 20 at: store@themunichreadery.com. Workshop Fee: €30. This workshop is SOLD OUT.
Poetry & What’s at Stake
Saturday June 4, 2016 * 9:00-12:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
What’s at stake” reveals how and why a poem is being told. What’s at Stake builds urgency, conflict, and pivotal turns within a lyrical or narrative poem, and drives engagement. It reveals what’s on the line for the speaker and the reader in terms of personal, emotional, psychological, physical, social, and political investments. In this class will read work by poets such as Gertrude Stein, Paul Celan, Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Carolyn Forché, Yusef Komunyakaa, Patrick Rosal, Bianca Stone, and Ocean Vuong, and will explore how writers and readers become more invested in a poem, its performance, and its narrative by raising the stakes. If you’re currently working on narrative or lyrical poetry, or are interested in the commitments and stakes of modern world poetry, come stop by the Munich Readery on Saturday June 4 for our next creative writing workshop led by Rita Banerjee. To register, send an email to John by June 1 at: store@themunichreadery.com. Workshop Fee: €30.
Science : Fiction – How to Build Literary Worlds [SOLD OUT]
Saturday April 30, 2016 * 9:00-12:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
In this class, we will explore how the fabric and rules of literary worlds in realist and speculative fiction are created. By examining the parameters of social and behavioral codes, human interactions and psychology, and the materiality of worlds, we’ll explore that volatile space where truth and lie meet, where conflicts crystallize, and where storytelling disturbs and delights. If you’re currently working on a short story, novel, screenplay, theatrical play, lyrical essay, memoir, or narrative poem which has a unique literary world at its heart, come stop by the Munich Readery on Saturday April 30 for our next creative writing workshop led by Rita Banerjee. To register, send an email to John by April 22 at: store@themunichreadery.com. Workshop Fee: €30. This workshop is SOLD OUT.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? Writing What You Fear Workshop
Saturday April 16, 2016 * 9:00-12:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
In this workshop, writers will be invited to write about what they fear. We will begin by studying Lidia Yuknavitch’s personal essay, “Woven,” and Alexander Chee’s “My Parade,” and will discuss how nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and theatre can grapple with uncomfortable subjects and situations to illuminate conflicts, heighten drama, create complex characters, and reveal the human condition. In this class, writers will be invited to push their speakers and protagonists to face obstacles that they’re rather like to avoid or are afraid to encounter. We’ll study what makes a story compelling based on psychological, physical, spiritual, and emotional stakes. If you’re currently working on a short story, novel, screenplay, theatrical play, lyrical essay, memoir, or narrative poem which has a unique dilemma at is heart, come stop by the Munich Readery on Saturday April 16 for our next creative writing workshop led by Rita Banerjee. Participation in this workshop is limited to 15, and advance registration is required. To register, send an email to John by April 12 at: store@themunichreadery.com. Workshop Fee: €30.
National Write a Novel Month 2015 Writing Workshops & Write-ins!
During November, The Munich Readery will host workshops and write-ins for writers developing or working to complete a book-length manuscript. We’ll kick off the month by hosting a workshop with Rita Banerjee on “Life and Lived Stories” and the craft of nonfiction and fiction writing on Saturday, November 7. Writers will bring in their project proposals and ideas for a book-length project to be reviewed in class. We’ll review a text that blurs the line between fact and fiction and can serve as a launching pad for building longer narratives. Beginning writers also welcome. On the next three Saturdays, November 14, 21, and 28, The Munich Readery will host special “write-in” sessions, during which writers will work on their book-length projects. Rita Banerjee will meet individually with writers during these sessions to discuss their projects and progress. Rita will help writers set goals for each write-in, and the sessions will conclude with self-assessments and a question and answer period. Workshop Fee: €30/workshop. Email Lisa at the Munich Readery to enroll at store@themunichreadery.com
Location: The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
Saturday November 7 – Life & Lived Stories Workshop (9 am – 12 noon sharp) [SOLD OUT]
Saturday November 14, 21, 28 – Write-ins (9 am – 12 noon sharp)
Creative Writing Workshop & Literature Lab at the Munich Readery – April 18, 2015
Rita Banerjee will be leading a monthly creative writing workshop and literature lab at The Munich Readery for writers who are currently working on a long-term, book-length creative writing manuscript. Poets, fiction writers, playwrights, memoirists, essayists, and screenwriters are welcomed to join the workshop. The workshop will meet for a three-hour session each month in which writers will share and receive feedback on their creative writing projects and manuscripts in progress. In addition, each workshop will open with a half-hour literature lab in which short and well-known works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and theatre will be analyzed alongside essays on creative writing craft and technique. This workshop will be limited to 10 participants, and enrollment will close once seats are filled. Writers are encouraged to enquire about upcoming workshop dates in case seats become available. Readings for classes will be provided to all writers. Workshop Fee: €30/session. Email Lisa at the Munich Readery to enroll: store@themunichreadery.com Location: The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
Upcoming Workshops:
Saturday April 18, 9:00-12:00 – Triggering Towns + Introductions [SOLD OUT]
Saturday May 9, 9:00-12:00 – John McPhee & the Art of Nonfiction [SOLD OUT]
Saturday June 13, 9:00-12:00 – Haruki Murakami & Stories within Stories [SOLD OUT]
Saturday June 20, 9:00-12:00– Haruki Murakami & Stories within Stories [OPEN]*
Sunday July 5, 14:00-17:00 – Joan Didion & Telling Stories Slant [SOLD OUT]
* Due to popular demand, a second class of Haruki Murakami & Stories within Stories will be offered on Saturday June 20, from 9 am – 12 pm at the Munich Readery.
What’s at Stake Revision Workshop
Sunday May 17, 2015 * 14:00-17:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
What makes a story tick? What makes a hero embark on a story filled with the promise of adventure and the inevitability of peril? If you are trying to figure out what the central, driving force of your story is, and how to structure and propel your narrative forward, come to our creative writing workshop “What’s at Stake Revision Workshop.” In this revision workshop, we will pick up where our “Storytelling and What’s at Stake” workshop left off, and we will investigate how knowing what’s at stake in a story can help a writer to further engage his/her audience by developing central conflicts and tensions which help to make a story unique and memorable. During workshop, we will review and revise the writing begun for the “Storytelling and What’s at Stake” Workshop. Participants are also welcomed to bring in the character sketches, stories, poems, and performance pieces they are currently working which explore what makes each character tick and react in terms of what Szokolyai calls a character’s personal, professional, social, and political investments. So if you’re currently working on a short story, novel, screenplay, theatre play, lyrical essay, memoir, or narrative poem and are trying to figure out what’s at stake in your work, come stop by the Munich Readery on Sunday May 17 for our next creative writing workshop led by Rita Banerjee. To register, send an email to Lisa at: store@themunichreadery.com. Workshop Fee: €30. Please contact the Munich Readery at store@themunichreadery.com for information on future writing workshops taught by Rita Banerjee.
Storytelling & What’s at Stake Writing Workshop
Sunday March 8, 2015 * 14:00-17:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
What makes a story tick? What makes a hero embark on a journey filled with the promise of adventure and the inevitability of peril? If you are trying to figure out the central, driving force of your story and how to structure and propel your narrative forward, this workshop is for you! We will explore what makes every character tick and react in terms of what Szokolyai calls a character’s personal, professional, social, and political investments. We’ll also look at how understanding what’s at stake can help a writer to further engage readers by developing central conflicts and tensions that help make a story unique and memorable. So if you’re working on a short story, novel, screenplay, theatre play, lyrical essay, memoir or narrative poem and are trying to figure out what’s at stake in your work, join us on March 8. Participation in this workshop is limited to 15, and advance registration is required. To register, send an email to Lisa at: store@themunichreadery.com. Workshop Fee: €30. Please note that this workshop is currently SOLD OUT. Please contact the Munich Readery at store@themunichreadery.com for information on future writing workshops taught by Rita Banerjee.
Character Development Workshop
Sunday, October 12, 2014 * 14:00-16:30
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
Femme fatales, gumshoe detectives, star-crossed lovers, wicked stepmothers, wise fools, empathetic anti-heroes: dynamic and archetypal characters can be key to making a good story or lyrical piece tick and pulling in the reader deeper into your creative work. In this workshop, we will discuss how dynamic and archetypal characters can help structure stories, propel narratives forwards, and how they can provide interesting ethical dilemmas and emotional spectrums to narratives and verse. We will learn about the building blocks of creating strong, unforgettable characters, and learn how playing with persona can help liberate nonfictional stories and lyrical poems. So if you’re currently working on a short story, novel, screenplay, theatre play, lyrical essay, memoir, or poem which has a strong and unique character at is heart, come stop by the Munich Readery on Sunday October 12 for our next creative writing workshop led by Rita Banerjee. Workshop fee: €25. To register, send an email to store@themunichreadery.com by October 8. Please note that this workshop is currently SOLD OUT. Please contact the Munich Readery at store@themunichreadery.com for information on future writing workshops taught by Rita Banerjee.
Character Development Revision Workshop
Sunday, November 16, 2014 * 14:00-16:30
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
Femme fatales, gumshoe detectives, star-crossed lovers, wicked stepmothers, wise fools, empathetic anti-heroes: dynamic and archetypal characters can be key to making a good story or lyrical piece tick and pulling in the reader deeper into your creative work. In this revision workshop, we’ll pick up where our Character Development workshop left off, and will focus on putting dynamic and archetypal characters in action. During workshop, we will review and revise the writing begun for the Character Development and Playing with Persona Workshop. Participants are also welcomed to bring in the character sketches, stories, poems, and performance pieces they are currently working on which utilize dynamic and archetypal characters. Workshop fee: €25. To register, send an email and writing to review (1000 words or less) to store@themunichreadery.com by November 12.
Revision Workshop
Sunday, June 8, 2014 * 14:00-16:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
The last two creative writing workshops on Evocative Objects and Literary Taboo were huge successes at the Munich Readery. And thanks to Lisa and John, a follow-up creative workshop has been scheduled for Sunday June 8 from 2-4 pm at the Munich Readery. This workshop will focus on the topic of revision and will feature the writing begun for the Literary Taboo and Evocative Objects workshop. Participants are also welcomed to bring in some of the writing they are currently working on at home. Feedback will be provided on all the writing that has been sent to the Munich Readery before June 4. Workshop fee: €25. To register, send an email and revised to store@themunichreadery.com by June 4.
Literary Taboo Creative Writing Workshop
Sunday, April 27 * 14:00-16:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
Come join Rita Banerjee and the Munich Readery for an afternoon of literary games, riddles and creative writing! Get ready to play Literary Taboo. During the game, you may be asked to describe a person, idea, object, or phenomenon without using certain taboo words. You are welcomed to create poems, short stories, theatrical sketches, first-person narratives, and riddles about the topics you encounter during the game, and everyone is invited to become a true literary detective! So join us for an afternoon filled with creative writing, sensorial riddles, and literary taboos! Workshop fee: €20. To register, send an email to store@themunichreadery.com
Evocative Objects Creative Writing Workshop
Sunday, February 2 * 14:00 – 16:00
The Munich Readery, Augustenstraße 104, 80798 München
Join Rita Banerjee at the Munich Readery for a creative writing workshop on evocative objects! Participants will encounter unusual and evocative objects, puzzles and odradeks, and will be invited to make these objects come alive in their writing, and create poems, short stories, theatrical sketches, or first-person narratives on the strange, beautiful, or mysterious objects they encounter during the workshop. Workshop fee: €20. To register, send an email to store@themunichreadery.com
Please note that this workshop is currently SOLD OUT. Please contact the Munich Readery at store@themunichreadery.com for information on future writing workshops taught by Rita Banerjee.
Rita Banerjee 