Microchimerism, mythological creatures, and corporeal histories

with Amra Brooks

Four weeks on Wednesdays: 7/30, 8/6, 8/13, 8/20 from 12PM—2PM Pacific over Zoom
(Recordings of each session will be made available to all registrants for a limited period afterwards.)

In Greek mythology a chimera had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake. What parts would make up your chimera? In this month-long writing group we will discover, explore, and generate writing that explores the many different parts of ourselves or our characters. We will look at the mythological creatures, medical phenomena like microchimerism where cells from others live inside us, talk a little about the psychotherapy practice of parts work, and the Buddhist 32 parts of the body meditation practice. The writing experiments will explore the parts we discover or want to know better in order to deepen our work, our connections to ourselves and others, and our writing practice. What do our bodies hold or carry from our families, our lovers, our children? What parts of the natural world or specific places live inside us or shape us? Where do we feel those parts in our bodies? What do different parts of our bodies have to say to us if we listen?

We will explore your responses to these questions and many others. We'll read some of Lucy Jones' Matrescence, Maggie Nelson, Sylvia Plath, Elena Ferrante, Aja Monet, Vera Blossom, and others. We will meet for two hours once a week for four weeks. All genres welcome! Sessions will be recorded and available in case you need to miss a week or engage at your own pace. Reading will be available in advance.

The Buddha's teachings in AN 4.45:

Within this fathom-long body 

with its thoughts and emotions lies our world

I's origin, it's cessation, and the pathway to nibbana (freedom)

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Pricing:

The following payment model is inspired by and borrowed from the payment model of Bayo Akomolafe’s class, We Will Dance With Mountains: Into the Cracks.

This workshop offers a sliding scale based on your relative financial standing. In an effort to reflect disparity in economic condition and access to wealth, the following payment system is designed for those with more wealth to help cover the costs of those with less access to wealth and resources. We trust your discernment of your current financial situation and how you fit into the global economic context.

As you decide what amount to pay, please consider your present-day financial situation governed by income, but also the following factors: historical discrimination faced by your peoples; your financial wealth (retirement/savings/investments); your access to income and financial wealth, both current and anticipated (how easily could you earn more income compared to other people in your community, country, and the world; are you expecting an inheritance); people counting on your financial livelihood including dependents and community members; the socio-economic conditions of your locale (relative to other places in your country and in the world); your relationship to food & resource scarcity.

$480 Partner

$320 Supporter (Note: This amount reflects the “real” value of this course.)

$250 Companion

$120 Friend

Scholarships are also still available for anyone needing further financial assistance. Please email Daniel at registration@corporealwriting.com for more info, or if you are feeling challenged in any way by the financial requirements of participation.

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Amra Brooks writes creative nonfiction, poetry, as well as essays and reviews about contemporary art. Her memoir is forthcoming from Dopamine Books in 2026. Her novella California was published by Teenage Teardrops in 2008. Her writing has appeared in Artforum, Inventory, Khôra, Printeresting, Entropy, This Long Century, and many other publications. She grew up in California and has taught creative writing at the University of California in Santa Cruz and San Diego, and Muhlenberg College. She now lives in Providence, Rhode Island and is a Professor and the Director of Creative Writing at Stonehill College in Easton, MA. She curates the Raymo Literary Series. website: https://www.amra-brooks.com/ substack: https://substack.com/@amrabrooks