Tuesday, December 10, 2024

The Craft of Writing

If you’re interested in refining a rough draft of poem or prose piece, or if you enjoy discussing what makes writing compelling, you’ve come to the right place. In this two hour session, led by Donna, who has MA in writing studies, has published several personal essays, travel articles, and poems, and who has taught writing for 40 years, we’ll look closely at style choices, diction, tone, and other elements that affect a piece of writing.

Here’s what to expect:

• concentration on your specific selection of original writing
• small class size of no more than six participants
• written revision suggestions
• a take-home writing prompt

No matter your writing goals, you will be right at home with others who come from all levels of experience, from diarists to dabblers to published authors. 

When: Tuesday, December 10, 2024 1 pm – 3 pm

Where: The Farmhouse at the Burlington County Agricultural Center 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057 Cost: $45 ALL ZEN WISE WORKSHOPS ARE OPEN ONLY TO PARTICIPANTS 18 YEARS OLD OR OLDER.  

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Looking for Light

As always with the approach of winter, there is both darkness and light in the days ahead. Come write with us as we examine the darkness and search for the light.

Here’s what to expect:

• breath work and a brief intention-setting meditation
• two prompts followed by two blocks of individual writing time
• two optional sharing sessions

Don’t forget, if you are working on something and would like an intimate group of avid listeners to hear your words, feel free to bring your work in progress, your published poem, your memoir excerpt, whatever needs an appreciative ear.

The workshop is a bring-your-own-lunch. There is a refrigerator and microwave available to you. Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided. Please bring your own mug to help reduce the amount of trash generated.

No matter your writing goals, you will be right at home with others who come from all levels of experience, from diarists to dabblers to published authors. Come share your light!

When: Tuesday, December 3, 2024 10 am – 3 pm

Where: The Farmhouse at the Burlington County Agricultural Center 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057 Cost: $95 Register by Sunday, November 17 and save $10 ALL ZEN WISE WORKSHOPS ARE OPEN ONLY TO PARTICIPANTS 18 YEARS OLD OR OLDER.  

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Fall Into Writing

It’s that easy! Fall in with us at this Zen Wise workshop and work on that story that’s already in you or be prompted toward ideas to make your memoir, well, memorable; to make your story a charmer; to make your poems sing and your lyrics singable.                                                                               

Here’s what to expect:

• breath work and a brief intention-setting meditation
• two prompts followed by two blocks of individual writing time
• two optional sharing sessions

As always, if you are working on something and would like an intimate group of avid listeners to hear your words, feel free to bring your work in progress, your published poem, your memoir excerpt, whatever needs an appreciative ear.

The workshop is a bring-your-own-lunch. There is a refrigerator and microwave available to you. Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided. Please bring your own mug to help reduce the amount of trash generated.

No matter your writing goals, you will be right at home with others who come from all levels of experience, from diarists to dabblers to published authors. Come tell your story!

When: Tuesday, October 29, 2024 10 am – 3 pm

Where: The Farmhouse at the Burlington County Agricultural Center 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057 Cost: $95 Register by September 28 and save $20! ALL ZEN WISE WORKSHOPS ARE OPEN ONLY TO PARTICIPANTS 18 YEARS OLD OR OLDER.  

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Dog Days of Summer

The dog days of summer are almost over! But until they are, come get relief from the heat by attending a Zen Wise workshop.

We’ll meet from 10 am til 3 pm (survey said the extra hour would be greatly appreciated) at the Farmhouse on the grounds of the Burlington County Ag Center.                                                                                        

Here’s what to expect:

• breath work and a brief intention-setting meditation
• two prompts followed by two blocks of individual writing time
• two optional sharing sessions

As always, if you are working on something and would like an intimate group of avid listeners to hear your words, feel free to bring your work in progress, your published poem, your memoir excerpt, whatever needs an appreciative ear.

The workshop is a bring-your-own-lunch. There is a refrigerator and microwave available to you. Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided. Please bring your own mug if possible, to help reduce the amount of trash generated.

No matter your writing goals, you will be right at home with others who come from all levels of experience, from diarists to dabblers to published authors. Come tell your story!

When: Tuesday, August 20, 2024 10 am – 3 pm

Where: The Farmhouse at the Burlington County Agricultural Center 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057 Cost: $95 Register by August 5th and save $20! ALL ZEN WISE WORKSHOPS ARE OPEN ONLY TO PARTICIPANTS 18 YEARS OLD OR OLDER.  

Tuesday, July 16

A Midsummer Day’s Dream

Remember when you were a kid and could lose yourself for hours of daydreaming? Maybe you were reprimanded for what my grade school nuns pejoratively called woolgathering. (To be gathering anything seems pretty productive to me.) Every artist, writer, musician and thinker knows how invaluable those let-your-mind-wander moments are. Come to our next Zen Wise workshop and give yourself a day to indulge your imagination. You won’t be rebuked; you’ll be rewarded.

This somewhat shorter than usual workshop will start with breath work and a brief intention-setting meditation, followed by a prompt, write time, and an optional sharing session. There will be a second unique prompt to take home.

As always, if you are working on something and would like an intimate group of avid listeners to hear your words, feel free to bring your work in progress.

The workshop is a bring-your-own-lunch. There is a refrigerator and microwave available to you. Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided. Please bring your own mug if possible, to help reduce the amount of trash generated.

No matter your writing goals, you will be right at home with others who come from all levels of experience, from diarists to dabblers to published authors. Come tell your story!

When: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 10 am – 2 pm

Where: The Farmhouse at the Burlington County Agricultural Center 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057 Cost: $95 Register by July 2 and save $20! ALL ZEN WISE WORKSHOPS ARE OPEN ONLY TO PARTICIPANTS 18 YEARS OLD OR OLDER.  

Monday, June 10, 2024

On the Cusp of Summer

Early June is a time of anticipation. Summer is opening its arms and welcoming us to longer, lazier days, promising sunshine, freshness, and perhaps some freedom from routine.

Open that portal to the summer season by coming to a Zen Wise writing workshop. Join this cohort of open-minded, large-hearted participants for a dive into the pool of creativity.

As usual we start with some breath work and brief meditation to wake up the senses and set a personal writing intention. Unique prompts inspire and generate thought, but if you are working on something and would like an intimate group of avid listeners to hear your words, feel free to bring your work in progress.

No matter your writing goals, you will be right at home with others who come from all levels of experience and non-experience. 

This workshop is a bring-your-own-lunch. There is a refrigerator and microwave available to you. As always coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided. Please bring your own mug if possible, to help reduce the amount of trash generated.
When: June 10, 2024 11 am – 4 pm Where: The Farmhouse at the Burlington County Agricultural Center 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057 Cost: $115.00 Register by May 19 and save $20! ALL ZEN WISE WORKSHOPS ARE OPEN ONLY TO PARTICIPANTS 18 YEARS OLD OR OLDER.

Spring returns to Cape May and so do we… with another writing workshop at The Nature Center of Cape May, part of the New Jersey Audubon Society. Join us at this beautiful nature center surrounded by native plants and trees and in view of the Cape May Harbor, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Delaware Bay. Start with centering breath work, light movement and brief meditation to help you set your writing intention. Then let the butterflies in the gardens and the hawks overhead nudge you to thought and awareness. Respond to one of our carefully composed prompts or bring something you’re working on. At the end of the day, share what you like with the group or take in and reflect on what others have written.  The session runs from 11 am to 4 pm, leaving you with time to walk on the beach or visit the Cape May Lighthouse before sundown. This workshop is a BYOL (bring your own lunch). We will provide  coffee and tea throughout the day at no charge. There is a refrigerator where you can stash perishables, if needed.   

Maybe you’ve been thinking about writing a memoir… maybe you’ve dabbled in poetry and would like some listeners… perhaps you’ve always wanted to write but just need some encouragement. If that’s true for you, take the leap and check out what Zen Wise writing is all about. Join us at the clubhouse of the Holiday Village community in Mt. Laurel, NJ, for a slightly shorter version of a Zen Wise Writers workshop. This four-hour gathering, from 10 am to 2 pm, will give you an introduction to the workshop format in a comfortable small-group setting. The workshop is limited to 15 participants. Coffee, tea, and lunch are all included in the workshop fee.

WHEN April 14, 2024 10 am – 2 pm

WHERE Holiday Village Clubhouse 1 Holiday Blvd. Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054

Cost: $95/person

February 24, 2024. 11-4 pm

Now is the Winter of Our Discontent… or not!

Whether winter has you cocooned in fleece and groaning, or gamely moving pink-cheeked through the cold, the February Zen Wise writing workshop will loosen your tense muscles with some stretching, open your thoughts with a few moments of meditation, inspire your writing with unique prompts, and give you the camaraderie of open-minded and open-hearted participants. No matter your writing goals, you will be right at home with others who come from all levels of experience and non-experience. 

This workshop is a bring-your-own-lunch. There is a refrigerator and microwave available to you. Coffee and tea will be provided all day. Please bring your own mug if possible, to help reduce the amount of trash generated.
When: February 24, 2024 11 am – 4 pm Where: The Farmhouse at the Burlington County Agricultural Center 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057 Cost: $115.00

January 27, 2024. 11-4 pm

At a Tranquil Pace

You’ve been rushing enough for the past few months. Time to slow down and give your body, mind, and soul some serenity. The January Zen Wise writing workshop will give you that halcyon moment. Here’s what’s in store: Breathwork and stretching for all body types, brief meditation to focus your thoughts, unique prompts to help unspool your ideas, and a supportive group of fellow writers who come from all levels of experience and non-experience. 

This workshop is a bring-your-own-lunch. There is a refrigerator and microwave available to you. Coffee and tea will be provided all day. Please bring your own mug if possible, to help reduce the amount of trash generated.
When: January 27, 2024 11 am – 4 pm Where: The Farmhouse at the Burlington County Agricultural Center 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057 Cost: $115.00

Nature knows what you need and it is a writing workshop at the Cape May Nature Center! Join us at the Nature Center surrounded by native plants and trees and in view of the Cape May Harbor, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Delaware Bay. Start with centering breath work, light movement and brief meditation to help you set your writing intention. Then let the butterflies in the gardens and the hawks overhead nudge you to thought and awareness. Respond to one of our carefully composed prompts or bring something you’re working on. At the end of the day, share what you like with the group or take in and reflect on what others have written.  The session runs from 10 am to 4 pm, leaving you with time to walk on the beach or visit the Cape May Lighthouse before sundown. This workshop is a BYOL (bring your own lunch). We will provide  coffee and tea throughout the day at no charge. There is a refrigerator where you can stash perishables, if needed. 

Before the summer slips by, fit in a bit of time for your current creative endeavor, or start something new. Join us for a shortened version of our one-day retreats. This half-day workshop offers all the features of our full days: mindfulness, breathwork, and light movement for all body types; a writing prompt that is sure to get your pen gliding across the page or your fingers tapping the keys (whether your goal is poetry, story, memoir, or journaling). There will be sharing time for immediate feedback, if desired. This particular event does not include lunch, but coffee and tea will be available free of charge throughout the session, and you are welcome to bring any other sustenance you may want! When: August 14, 2023 9 am – 1 pm Where: The Farmhouse at the Burlington County Agricultural Center 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057 Cost: $40/person