Shoshana Sarah
Writing Workshops & Coaching
“Ask yourself, must I write?” ~Rainer Maria Rilke
I am a storyteller. I am the voice. I am the scribe. I am a wordsmith. The form varies — from voice-over to spoken word poetry to interpretation, from content creation to blogging, from literature to creative non-fiction — but the goal is the same. We all just want to connect and to be understood. Over the years I have cultivated the tools to write the script of my own story using creativity as the source. Let me help you do the same.
I offer workshops in creative nonfiction, spoken word poetry, and private writing coaching. I also teach English literature (with experience in the bagrut) and academic writing at the university level. I hold a master’s degree from The Shaindy Rudoff Graduate Program in Creative Writing and teaching certification from David Yellin. I am a spoken word performer and my debut book Not on the Map is forthcoming.
Creative Nonfiction & Poetry
Explore identity, belonging, and ideas of home through poetry, lyric essays, memoirs, or hybrid forms of creative nonfiction (CNF). Be inspired by writers such as Walt Whitman, Eula Biss, Joy Harjo, Ocean Vuong, Cheryl Strayed, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and more.
Spoken Word Workshops
What is spoken word? Decipher the literary techniques and performance art that combine poetic and theatrical elements Learn the rules of poetry slam events. Explore styles and themes. And most importantly: write, write, write.
American Literature
Dive deep into the voices of American Literature in the form of timeless poetry, short stories, epic essays, and classic novels. With a special place for the likes of James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and Zora Neale Hurston.
Nonfiction & Poetry
Dear You, Dear Me: A Poetry & Creative Nonfiction Workshop on Letters
Letters have been around since wooden tablets, pottery, animal skin, and papyrus. They have played a valuable role in writing as an art form throughout history. The drive to address another whether friend, foe, or lover is a deeply human and ancient one. How does addressing another, or even ourselves, inform our creative process? How does the possibility of a correspondence or exchange influence our writing? How do letters transcend time and place? How is letter writing still relevant in our digital age? From Rilke to Vuong, join us for an exploration of the epistolary form through poetry and creative nonfiction. Because we all have things left unsaid. This workshop and others are available in person or online.
Spoken Word
I love spoken word because it is the democratization of the poetic giving everyone a voice. After falling in love with this genre in my youth, I started performing at poetry slams over 15 years ago. (To see me in action click here.) Today, I offer spoken word workshops and specialize in teaching teens and young adults, from one day workshops, to a series of sessions, to longer courses. I have taught workshops all over the country, from schools in Tzfat and Tiberias to Ofekim, and of course Jerusalem. I also work with olim (new immigrants) and I have facilitated for organizations such as BaBayit, Naale, and Amal (עמל רשת בתי ספר). Learn literary techniques and performance art, and explore styles and themes. And most importantly: write, write, write. Workshops are also available online.
June last year, the muses blessed us with the inspiration to create “Dear You, Dear Me: A Poetry and Creative Nonfiction Workshop on Letters.” It was a thought-child of pure love and enthusiasm. The type of workshop we would’ve loved to have joined ourselves. We couldn’t have imagined how well it would turn out. 📝✨
We lucked out on amazing participants who showed up ready to dive into juicy texts and wrote delicious blitzes to the writing prompts. Their presence was truly a present, bringing their hearts and pens ready to pour out onto the page and hold lively discussions. Not only was it a blast, Geula and I discovered that we work extraordinarily well together, complementing each other’s strengths. I really couldn’t ask for a better partner in professionalism with matching creativity. Our planning sessions were pure synergy. 🌀💫
We wanted to do it again soon (and by demand!). This time last year in my sukkah I was brainstorming new ideas. Alas, the world had other plans. The next workshop was put on the back burner as we grappled with the new harsh reality. But in the spirit of the warrior poet, armed with open hearts and ink, we’re back, with a workshop that speaks to the times we’re living in. “The Poet’s Kaddish: A Workshop on Elegies and Poetry as Prayer”: click here to see scenes from the event.
The Poet’s Kaddish: A Workshop on Elegies & Poetry as Prayer
What is The Poet’s Kaddish? Kaddish is a prayer of praise, read to god on behalf of a loved one who is no longer with us. A sanctification, a supplication. The poet has the audacity to be more direct, to conjure new songs. She will write the call across the great beyond herself. He will ride the fence between the holy and the profane. They will recite not only for their beloved but for a nation, mingling the personal and the political. The Poet’s Kaddish dares to rewrite ancient texts, address whom it will, demand, pray, and praise in the same breath.
Inspired by Allen Ginsberg’s “Kaddish” and the times we are living in, we will explore the origins of poetry as prayer, the mystic power of litany, and the mourning poetics of the elegiac genre. We will find words for the unfathomable. We will find solace on the page. We will make peace with loss on our own terms. We will write our own Kaddish.
Shoshana Sarah 