Family Memoir, Children’s Writing and More Offered by Write On

The writer residency program at Write On, Door County welcomes new and returning artists to its Juddville property this month, in addition to a series of programs led by local writers. Free programs include writing personal and family memoirs and writing about trauma. Programs for children, families, and adults are also offered. The classes reflect Write On’s commitment to offer both free and tuition-based programming for Door County residents and visitors.

Several classes are offered by writers who make their homes in Door County. Poets Francha Barnard and Ann Heyse began a free four-part series on writing memoir at the Northern Door YMCA on June 6. Former Gibraltar elementary school teacher Kaija Johnson leads a number of programs for families and young children. Local poets will also help lead sessions of Art/Speaks, Write On’s free lab to explore ekphrasis – writing based on visual art. June programs take place on various dates at Edgewood Orchard Galleries in Fish Creek and Margaret Lockwood Gallery in Sturgeon Bay.

Write On will also host several visiting writers, who will be in residence at the center’s Juddville property. On June 10, Denise Low-Weso, former Poet Laureate for the state of Kansas, leads a free workshop on writing family memoir. The workshop will take place at St. Paul’s Church in Juddville, 1 – 4 pm. St. Paul’s former pastor, Michael Brecke, returns to Juddville to lead “What a Character!,” in which participants will write about friends and family members who were special or unique. The three-part class begins June 19, 9 am – noon, with subsequent classes June 21 & 23. The class will culminate with a picnic in Write On’s meadow and a sharing of work. Memoirist Zoe Zolbrod makes her first visit to Write On, leading a writing workshop on writing about trauma for staff of the Door County Medical Center and HELP of Door County. Zolbrod is the author of The Telling, a memoir of the abuse she suffered as a young child at the hands of an older cousin.

For more information visit writeondoorcounty.org.