Antlers and Beehives: Writing in Natural Patterns

A generative writing workshop with Alex Behr

Saturday April 5th and Saturday April 12th :: 10am to 12pm Pacific :: over ZOOM
Both sessions will be recorded and shared with registrants for 30 days afterwards

In this two-part zoom workshop, we’ll explore two forms described in Jane Alison’s "Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative": fractals (antlers) and networks (beehives). This encounter may cause a little brain resistance as you break down inherited rules about “proper” narrative progression. However, the outcomes might crack through writer’s block and generate access to your ephemeral somatic spirit. As Alison writes, “[Fractal and branching] patterns aren’t just around us: they inform our bodies, too. … Our brains recognize and want [these] patterns.”

Session 1: Fractals (Antlers)

Like antlers, lightning, or twigs, fractal writing starts with a seed and branches as the imagination expands, yet when the story ends, it has cohesion. The glue can be repetition, words in opposition, a story told in captioned photographs, etc. This concept might be unusual at first glance, but oral stories are often fractals: enlarging the seed, going on detours, and coming back with more momentum.

Session 2: Networks (Beehives)

Like beehive cells or soap bubbles, network writing replicates cells to create cohesion and symmetry. In this form of writing, the author’s and readers’ brains form connections between the writing segments – and these connections are unique to each person. Instead of a chronological, causal progression, segments might be linked through color, analogy, dissonance, or repeated motifs. The possibilities are endless. This writing form can create “vectors” slicing through the segments.

In both sessions, we’ll look at published examples in writing and in other art forms. We’ll experiment with free writing and look for ways to bring in these natural structures in re-visioning and in longer pieces.

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.

$225 Partner I

$175 Supporter (Note: This amount reflects the real value of this course.)

$125 Companion

$100 Friend

A limited number of scholarships are also 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.

Alex Behr is the author of Planet Grim: Stories (7.13 Books) and co-author of the chapbook Cold Plum Wine (Picture Frame Press). Her short fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared widely. She received an MFA in creative writing from Portland State and has taught creative writing to kids, teens, and adults. Regional Arts and Culture Council awarded her two grants: Make-Learn-Build in 2022 and Arts3C in 2023. The latter went toward producing a short documentary film called Grief Stick to document the love story and sudden death of her fiancé. It shadows her poetry chapbook, Grief Stick (Picture Frame Press), and vice versa. See alexbehr.com.

Testimonials:

“Thank you for such a fun and productive class, and for all the exploration-y generative tools you gave so generously. I'll be revisiting that viewfinder prompt often.” — Susan L.

“Thanks for this, and for opening the way.” — Joan F.

"It's always a pleasure to work with Alex at Corporeal Writing. I occasionally take the workshops we offer, and Alex's is by far one of my favorites. Her teaching style integrates multiple portals in to the creative process, including visual art, music, non-traditional poetry and prose. This activates my brain to open up and expand my creativity in ways that are expansive. As a visual artist and writer, cross-pollination is an important part of the process for me, and Alex leads in a way that invites a natural collaboration in a splendid environment." — Katie G.