COLLEEN SHOSHANA MCKEE, MFA
upcoming classes and events
Confluence of Place, a LitCrawl Reading
I’ll read somewhere in the Mission District of San Francisco, time TBA, on Oct. 26th, along with other readers. Curated by Anshu Johri, who is translating some of my work into Hindi.
People search for a place where they want to be; and carry places they come from. Places can be ideas detached from physicality. We will let poems tell stories of all things places can be or don’t want to be or cannot be. Come, Listen to them! Expressed bilingually in English/Hindi.
Reading at Beast Crawl for Haight Ashbury Literary Journal
I’ll be reading for the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal at a time and location TBA. It will be free and sometime on the evening of July 27th, somewhere in Downtown Oakland.
San Francisco Writers Workshop Reading at Noisebridge
I’ll read with other current and former members of the San Francisco Writers Workshop at Noisebridge, 272 Capp St., San Francisco. Free reading. Donations for SFWW accepted. Books for sale.
Bauchhaar: A Reading
Kathmandu Cuisine, 158 Main St., Milpitas, CA
I will be a featured writer at this reading, whose theme is “Ruins,” and I will talk a bit about what makes poetry compelling. There will also be an open mic in English and HIndi, hosted by Anshu Johri. Come enjoy delightful food and literature with us!
Fairy Tales, Folklore, and Feminism
An 8-Week, Creative Writing Workshop for Women, online
In this 8-week, creative writing workshop for women, we will be inspired by fairy tales and folklore from around the world. Participants may write poetry, prose, or a mix of the two. So that every student may have a critique every week if she wishes, the class is capped at 4 students.
In a supportive, helpful learning community, we will look at themes such as good sisters/bad sisters, maidens and witches, animals and humans—and where the two start to slide, perhaps disturbingly, together. Each student is not required to write an entirely new fairy tale every week, just to try to respond to some of this rich and fabulous material in some way, whether it is an image, a theme, etc. Play with these powerful stories in a traditional way, a subversive way, or...your way, why not? Fairy tales have always taught us what girls and women should be, but as a woman yourself, you are the expert!
About the teacher: Colleen Shoshana McKee, MFA, is the author of six books of poetry, memoir, and fiction. She has been teaching for over 20 years. She is endlessly fascinated by folk stories; they fill her dreams.
The workshop costs $320.00. To register and/or to schedule a free conversation to talk about writing goals with potential participants, contact Colleen Shoshana at colleenbethmckee@gmail.com.
(Note: the Sunday afternoon Fairy Tales, Folklore, and Feminism workshop is full.)
Flash Fiction Forum
I’ll read with other writers TBA at the Works Gallery at 38 S. 2nd St., San Jose, CA. Free event; books for sale
Fairy Tales, Folklore, and Feminism
In this 8-week, creative writing workshop for women, we will be inspired by fairy tales and folklore from around the world. So that every student may have a critique every week if she wishes, the class is capped at 4 students.
Every week, we will read fairy tales or folklore, or about them, both in poetry and prose. We will also check out traditional and nontraditional takes on fairy tales and folk tales in visual art and animation, and listen to music incorporating these magical themes. The emphasis is on generating our own poems or other kinds of writing, so we will not have so much homework, just a few selections a week.
In every class, we will begin with a bit of writing from prompts, which women may share if they wish. (Of course, we won’t critique anything written quickly and spontaneously.) Each week, we will also discuss a different fairy tale/folklore theme (such as transformations, secret girls, and that perennial favorite, witches). The final part of the workshop is an opportunity for each woman to share her work and to get a critique (if she wishes for one) in a supportive, honest environment One is not required to write an entirely new fairy tale every week, just to try to respond to some of this rich and fabulous material in some way, whether it is an image, a theme, etc. Play with these powerful stories in a traditional way, a subversive way, or...your way, why not? Fairy tales have always taught us what girls and women should be, but as a woman yourself, you are the expert!
The class tuition is $320. The class will run on Thursdays, April 18th-June 6th, 6-8 pm Pacific Time, with a brief break midway through. Classes will meet on Zoom. (Note, there is also another section of this class, which will begin in March, but it is full.)
About the teacher: Colleen Shoshana McKee, MFA, is the author of six books of poetry, memoir, and fiction. She has been teaching for over 20 years. She is endlessly fascinated by folk stories; they fill her dreams. https://www.colleenshoshanamckee.com/
I would be happy to schedule a free conversation to talk about writing goals with potential participants.
The deadline for registration is April 11th. The deadline for payment is April 17th.
Moondrop Productions Reading
Will read with Cassandra Dallett, Kelechi Ubozoh, and others TBA at Tamarack Restaurant, 1501 Harrison St., Oakland. Free reading. Books, food, and drink for sale.
Flash Fiction Forum Reading
Flash Fiction Reading
Works/San Jose Gallery, 38 S. 2nd St., San Jose
Free, hybrid event (online and in person). Write me at colleenbethmckee@gmail.com for the free Eventbrite ticket and/or Zoom link if interested.
Los Angeles Press Journal Reading at Tia Chucha's in L.A.!
Celebrate the latest issue of Los Angeles Press Journal with Colleen Shoshana McKee, Linda Ravenswood, and other writers at Tia Chucha’s bookstore! Free reading; journals and books available for purchase.
https://tia-chuchas.myshopify.com/
https://thelosangelespress.com/
Writing, Illness, and Healing: A Women's Workshop
This is a women’s creative nonfiction class. (Though we would not be writing fiction in this class, women could write autobiographically in prose or poetry.) The class would be capped at four students so that everyone would have a chance to discuss their writing and others’ writing every week, and to create a class dynamic based on mutual support. Everything that is brought up in class is confidential.
We would begin each class with writing from a prompt. If women wanted to read/talk about what they wrote, they could. Then we would discuss the week's reading. We would take a brief break halfway through the two-hour class. After break, everybody who wanted a critique could get an oral critique in class. I would also provide written comments on women’s work.
Our required books would be Are We Feeling Better Yet? Women Speak About Health Care in America, an anthology of narrative essays edited by Amanda Crowell Stiebel and myself. We would also use Writing True by Sondra Perl and Mimi Schwartz. These books would help with both craft and the struggles of authentic self-expression. Occasionally I might also suggest you read something online. We would read writing about mental, emotional, and physical illness, as well as addiction and the challenges of being a caregiver. Grief is also something from which we can heal, and we would address that.
The class would meet online on Sundays, from August 7th-Sunday, October 23rd, on Zoom. That would be from 12-2 Pacific Time. The tuition would be $380. For more details, contact colleenbethmckee@gmail.com
Medicine for Nightmares Reading
Reading with Linda Ravenswood and others at what used to be Alley Cat Books in San Francisco!
Beyond Baroque
I’ll be a guest reader at Linda Ravenswood’s book launch for her marvelous book The Stan Poems at the legendary Beyond Baroque.
Women's Poetry Workshop: 8-week class led by Colleen Shoshana McKee, MFA
Women’s Poetry Workshop
~an eight-week class~
with Colleen Shoshana McKee
*About the workshop
In an environment of honesty and encouragement, women writers of all levels will stretch their poetic muscle to try out a variety of kinds of material, moods, and structures. We’ll explore what it means to write poetry that can celebrate as well as mourn, be silly as well as serious, that honors the body and is also intellectual. We will also explore the process of writing, what hinders us as writers and what pushes us further.
*About the instructor
Colleen Shoshana has been teaching for 20 years. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She has taught poetry remotely; and at Washington University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and The St. Louis Writers Workshop. She is the author of five collections of poetry, including Routine Bloodwork, a finalist for the Charlotte Mew Award. She is also co-editor of Are We Feeling Better Yet? Women Speak About Health Care in America.
*The details
~ Saturdays, January 22nd-Mar 12th, 12-2 pm Pacific time (no class on Mother’s Day)
~ On Zoom
~ Tuition Cost: $280. Installment plan available.
~ For more information, reach Colleen Shoshana at 314.898.8289 or misscolleenmckee@yahoo.com.
What former students say:
Sign up, women! Colleen Shoshana is a great teacher. I'm twice her age but I learned a thing or seventy from a summer series of workshops presented by her. –Gaye Gambell-Peterson
Colleen Shoshana is an amazing writing teacher. –Amy Razeghi
Her lessons always inspire me to write. –Masha Yukhimenko
Women’s Memoir Workshop: 12-week class led by Colleen Shoshana McKee, MFA
On Sundays, from September 19, 2021 to December 5, 2021
12pm-2pm Pacific Standard Time (with a break midway)
On Zoom
$380.00 total per student
4 students maximum
I don’t know what I have inside me, something
that wants to come out
—The Mekons
In an atmosphere of honesty and encouragement, we will study what it means to write truthfully about our lives in a way that honors our experiences. Students may choose to continue working on a project they have already begun and/or may work on a variety of shorter projects. They may work in prose, poetry, or a combination of the two. Our goal will be to write as truthfully as possible. Please prepare to be a bit vulnerable with the faith that doing this real work can pay off in beautifully crafted narratives which bear witness to our real women’s lives as well as our wider communities and cultures. Everything that comes up in class will be treated as confidential.
We will use the book Writing True: The Art and Craft of Creative Nonfiction, edited by Sondra Perl and Mimi Schwartz, along with supplementary reading Colleen Shoshana will provide.
About the teacher: Colleen Shoshana McKee, MFA, is the author of six books. These include Are We Feeling Better Yet? Women Speak About Health Care in America, a collection of personal narratives which she co-edited; and Nine Kinds of Wrong, a book of her own memoir, fiction, and poetry. She has been teaching for over twenty years. Visit her online at ColleenShoshanaMckee.com
To register for the class, please contact Colleen Shoshana at misscolleenmckee@yahoo.com, on Facebook, or at 314.898.8289.