I’m looking forward to the residential retreat starting this weekend in Gindou, France! It’s called “Awakening Genius: An Exploration of Desire and the Creative Life,” and we have a great group coming from around the United States and Europe. 
We’ll be working at Le Perchoir des Paons, a renovated stone farmhouse in the heart of the Dordogne region. Classes and writing time will be in the mornings, and we’ll explore the sites in the afternoon, including the nearby prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux. Since our subject is genius – by way of desire – there couldn’t be a more historically apt marker of inherent human creativity.
Each of us is born with a unique gift. Within every person exists an original spark of creativity waiting to be ignited. This creative power is our genius, a source of inherent brilliance whose dynamic potential can transform our lives once we know how to find it. In my experience, insight is the key to Continue reading
The question “Who am I?” is the bottom line for memoir writers but also for spiritual seekers; both groups are fascinated by questions of identity, truth telling, authenticity, meaning, and inner experience. This course will be appeal to people who want to investigate the nature of the “I” (we all share) as distinguished from personality. I’ll be giving a series of writing exercises designed to prompt existential inquiry and help students peel back the layers of their many masks . We all wear so many masks in the world. Who would you be without your masks? Who are you REALLY? This is the inquiry that we’ll be working with. I’m really looking forward to it!