Upcoming Workshops

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

The Places We Belong (or Not)

Offered Sunday December 15th, 2024

10am-2pm

(lunch included)

We Will Consider PLACES: How They Shape Us, Why They Call Us Back, and How We Can Put Them to Use in Our Craft

We often hear that place shapes character, in writing as well as in life. In this workshop we will discuss and explore the importance of place not just in our writing—and how it can and should enhance our stories—but also how the places that have shaped us, or continue to shape us today, inspire and feed our writerly obsessions. We will consider and work on how each of us can use the places that have been important to us as springboards or frames for the story we want to write, be it fiction or nonfiction.

We will read a couple of short essays/stories/poems where place is a central narrative tool, and I will guide you in both a free association writing exercise as well as give prompts to get you started on a few flash or micro pieces that you may develop into something more polished or longer on your own. We will share, respond to each other’s writing, and talk about how we can become more aware of “place” as we move on in the world.

This is a workshop suitable for all levels of writers, the only requirement is that you come with something to write on and with, and that you bring an open mind and a desire to be inspired.

Fee: $99 for in person (includes vegetarian lunch); $89 for virtual attendance (a Zoom link will be emailed the week before the workshop)

The workshop is held in downtown Brunswick, Maine. The address will be emailed to participants the week before the workshop.

Register by emailing us at info@mainewritersstudio.com with "DECEMBER WORKSHOP" in subject line, and send your payment by Venmo (@Nina-Lichtenstein-1), or Zelle (nblichtenstein@gmail.com) or by check (Nina Lichtenstein, 34 School Street, Brunswick, ME., 04011) --Your spot is guaranteed once payment is received.

If you have more questions about the workshop, you can email us at info@mainewritersstudio.com

NEXT UP: & BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND

The Body Remembers
~a generative workshop~

Sunday, March 2, 2025, 10am-2pm

Did you know that our body is the most reliable record-keeper of life experiences; much more so than our brain and what we like to call “memory”?

In this workshop we will (re-)discover the treasure chest that is our bodies and how useful it can be to mine our body parts to re-member, or make whole, past experiences that have brought us to this point in our lives. We will read excerpts from authors whose bodies feed remembering and whose beautiful, memorable writing, inspires us by its sheer physicality.

With body-focused writing prompts, your eyes, breasts, hips, or feet, etc., will collaborate with you as you discover the wonder of your body parts’ evocative abilities in turning forgotten incidents into vividly remembered scenes for richer and more viscerally crafted personal essays and memoir writing.

Registration opens January 2, 2025

Testimonials

What do past participants have to say about Nina's writing workshops?

Nina is a well of wisdom, a warm and welcoming host and teacher, and a flexible guide through the material she leads. The examples were fresh, relevant and immensely helpful. And, selfishly, the intimate class size is perfect for the sensitivity of most memoir writing. Also, though I was present at the workshop, Nina was masterful at effectively including the zoom participants (I think they probably felt the same way) and managing the class participation for all attendees. ~Michelle Sweet Redo

Nina's presence is so warm and welcoming--she unlocks connection and inspiration in a way that will stick with you long after you leave. It is an unbelievable gift to spend your day learning from her and sharing your writing with her. ~ Writing Our (M)Others workshop participant (from anonymous evaluation)

If you're looking to reflect on your mother and the relationship you had with her, and to get some of that down on the page, I highly recommend this workshop as a way to do so in a structured, supportive environment. ~Writing Our (M)Others workshop participant (from anonymous evaluation)

As a large-bodied woman and writer who is too much in my head, I left Nina’s workshop with a renewed commitment to delve back into writing on a visceral, cellular level. The discussions, readings, and prompts offered a feast of various ways to remind myself to check in with what I call my Body-body for the stories I carry. ~Rickey Celentano

My experience of Nina Lichtenstein’s workshop was illuminating and revelatory. She really helped me to be in “compassionate conversation” with parts of my body that I’d covered up, minimized, or felt shame around. Highly recommend!

~Jenny Douglas

Nina's approach to writing about the body is truly transformative; she encourages me to focus on elements of myself that yield depths of insight and understanding. I love her classes.

~Pamela Lear

As soon as Nina B. Lichtenstein took the seat of teacher at my writing studio, I smiled. She brought energy, confidence, enthusiasm and expertise to my students. She guided them into the body, into their bodies, and onto the page with ease, managing the three-hour workshop with grace.

~Jennifer Lang

I attended Nina Lichtenstein's "The Body Remembers" workshop and what a beautiful surprise. The discussion, writing prompts, articles, and quotes given to spark our creativity was next level. I loved the writing that I produced and would happily sign up for any workshop she is offering.

~Joyce Bryant

Nina is a knowledgeable and open instructor, there was a level of comfort in the room that allowed for full disclosure when writing about such delicate subjects as our bodies the parts we loved the parts, we don't. I appreciated the opportunity to look at my body as Proust's Madeline...a different way of remembering things past. ~ The Body Remembers workshop participant (from anonymous evaluation)

EXAMPLES OF NINA'S WORKSHOPS:

MY BODY REMEMBERS: A GENERATIVE WORKSHOP

WRITING OUR (M)OTHER, OUR MONSTER, OURSELVES

THE PLACES WE BELONG, OR NOT

WRITING OUR SIBLINGS

THE ART OF THE SUCCINCT: FLASH, MICRO and the teeny forms of story

Past Workshops

Writing Our (M)Others, Our Monsters, Ourselves

We all come from our mothers, and herein lies the challenge: Of course we love her, even if in an abstract way, because she gave us life, but the complexities of mother-daughter relationships seem to have no end. This is what makes it such a fertile place to dive into in our creative writing. In this workshop, we will explore how our mothers have impacted our lives and who we are and have become, or are becoming as we age.

I invite you to spend 4 generative hours with me diving into a process of discovery sure to get your creative juices flowing by tapping into the visceral self as formed by our mother-daughter/son-relationships. Together we will read a few short essays and poems by well-known as well as by less well-known writers to be inspired by how powerful (m)otherly writing can be, selected from, among other places:

Dorothy Parker’s Ashes issue on Mothers https://www.dorothyparkersashes.com/mothers
Mother: Famous Writers Celebrate Motherhood with a Treasury of Short Stories, Essays, and Poems (Atria Books, 1996).

I will guide you in both a free association writing exercise as well as give prompts to get you started on a few flash or micro pieces that you may develop into something more polished or longer on your own. We will share, respond to each other’s writing, and talk about how our mother writing can be an important channel for our emotional well-being and coming to terms with all the complexities that necessarily fill relationships to our (m)others, our monsters, ourselves.

This is a workshop suitable for all levels of writers, the only requirement is that you come with something to write on and with (laptop or pen and paper), that you bring an open mind, a desire to be inspired and to spend 4 hours with fellow writers and those curious about writing.

Who is this workshop for?

"Writing Our (M)Other, Our Monster, Ourselves" is for everyone curious about how tapping into the mother-daughter/son well of experiences for creative inspiration can lead to discoveries and realizations that will enrich your writing. Whether you are deep into your memoir or personal essay writing or just starting out, you will gain wisdom and skill from exploring how this unique relationship gives your story—and life— meaning, depth, and perspective.

Where will the workshop take place:

The workshop will take place around my table at Maine Writers Studio in central Brunswick, ME. (Location will be shared once spot is reserved & paid) Participation by Zoom is possible, if requested.

What do I need to bring?

An open mind and heart. A deep curiosity about language, its power and elasticity, and how it relates to experience in the body. A tolerance for new ideas. An interest in reading and discussion. A commitment to putting some new words on the page. A wish to create.

Also, bring something to write on and with, whether this is pen & paper or your laptop, or both. I will provide coffee & tea, snacks, and a light lunch.

What does the workshop cost?

$99, (or $89 if you Zoom in) payable by Venmo, Zelle, or check.

Non-refundable if you cancel within one week of the workshop and your place cannot be filled.

About your teacher:

Nina B. Lichtenstein is the founder and director of Maine Writers Studio. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast program, and a PhD in French literature from University of Connecticut. She has taught languages and literatures (in three languages on three continents!) since grad school in her early twenties and has been awarded for excellence in teaching. Nina is known for her warm, generous, and inclusive teaching style. Nina’s creative writing has appeared in in many publications, literary journals, and anthologies, and she is also active in live storytelling. Her memoir, Body: My Life in Parts, is forthcoming from Vine Leaves Press in 2025. You can learn more about her work and bio here.