Joining one of Doug's workshops last year has turbo-charged my writing.  As a foundation, Doug is a warm and encouraging mentor, also erudite, familiar with a vast array of literature, sharing selected examples to teach and inspire us.  His prompts are provocative, inviting us to stretch and dig deep.  As he has gotten to know us, Doug is able to identify the particular strengths we can develop further.  

 

Due to the pandemic, the format has been writing at home, then meeting via zoom to share our work and responses to others' writing.  As a creative non-fiction writer, I've greatly appreciated the mix of poets, memoirists and fiction writers who have formed the groups I've participated in, and the cross-pollination that ensues.  I have been blessed with a steady crew of gifted, supportive writers from whom I've learned, and of whom I’ve grown fond.  I've liked writing outside the workshop, to learn to keep the flame going on my own and to have however much time I want to devote to an assignment.

 

In brief, a most rewarding and enlarging experience.