TEACHING
Iris is available to teach at conferences and community classes; she also offers private consultation about writing. Here are upcoming workshops and recent courses she’s offered.
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The Profile Essay as Genre—Telling Other People’s Stories
There is quite a market for profile essays—a subgenre of literary nonfiction centering on a certain person, place or thing. This session will explore various forms of profiles, craft elements, and publication possibilities, drawing on Iris’s experience as the author of two books in this genre.
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Journaling as Meditation: From the Blank Page to the Divine
An introduction to journaling as a spiritual practice combined with making a hand-bound journal.
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The Writer’s Journal: Containing Our Stories
An original workshop influenced by the work of Pat Schneider, James Pennebaker, Louise DeSalvo, John Fox, and others. It’s designed to provide a safe and supportive container for personal growth. Iris offers this 2-day workshop in partnership with fellow writer, Deborah Nedelman, MFA, Ph.D.
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Write to Heal
Writer and psychologist Deborah Nedelman and Iris combine their years of experience as writers and healers to offer this day in which participants create their own handmade journals and practice writing techniques designed to foster healing of both body and spirit.
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Inspiration and Perspiration: How Writers Start and Keep Going
For many writers, starting the pen (or keys) moving is the hardest task. And even for those who make it to the desk, keeping at it—day after day, year after year—can be a challenge, too. We’ll have fun exploring sources of inspiration and techniques to persevere.
- Discover tools and techniques to inspire and sustain your writing
- Learn how to put your internal critic to work for you
- Identify your own sources of perseverance.
Other Course Topics
- Turning Memory Into Memoir
- You As the Main Character (memoir)
- Build Your Lyrical Muscles – Poetic Devices for Prose Writers
- Writing About Faith
- Creating an Online Presence to Invigorate Your Writing Life.
EDITING/PUBLISHING
From 2012-2015, Iris served on the editorial team of Soundings Review (the literary magazine of Northwest Institute of Literary Arts), first as Nonfiction Assistant Editor and then as Nonfiction Editor. She is the publisher of SHARK REEF, an online literary magazine launched in 2001. Iris also independently published her first book, Hands at Work.
Please contact Iris for more information about her availability for teaching, editing, or publishing.
