Calendar

Author and artist Grace Desmarais is back! Grace will give background on her medical experience and then discuss her comic Spoons: a dairy on chronic illness, Tubes: diaries from the hospital and her up-coming book Healing Year. She will then hold a Q&A. At the end, attendees will have an opportunity to buy her mini comics and have them signed.

Artist Bio: 
Grace Desmarais is a French-Canadian illustrator and cartoonist. She currently lives in Eastern Massachusetts and spends most of her time drawing.

Grace Desmarais primarily self-publishes auto-bio comic while also being involved in a variety of anthologies. Most of Grace’s work is rooted in subjects like art history, dis/ability and personal experience. Her long-term goal is to be a published author/illustrator with a committed comics publisher.

Meet Lori Pelliccia! Lori will lead this workshop to get you started, she comes with great experience with both writing and food! Perfect for those interested with little, some, or a lot of writing experience. Fun and of course with FOOD! Ages 12+ LSTA grant sponsored

In the presentation of her book Freedom From Psychiatric Drugs, Chaya will discuss her work consulting with people coming off psychiatric drugs, what helps them the most, and her other experience working with people in withdrawal from psych meds. She will share wisdom gained from 15 years of professional experience working non-medically with people seeking a variety of alternatives to the mainstream psychiatric paradigm. She will also share from her personal experience of having withdrawn from psychiatric meds herself. There will be time for Q and A so bring your questions.

Author Bio: Chaya Grossberg has been sharing her psychiatric survivor and trauma story publicly for over 15 years and is an advocate and consultant to those coming off psychiatric drugs and/or seeking alternative approaches to distress. She has written a book about her work called “Freedom From Psychiatric Drugs” and has worked professionally with people seeking alternatives to the mainstream psychiatric narrative as a teacher, facilitator, program coordinator, and consultant to individuals and families. She has coordinated open mic speak out style events for psychiatric survivors to share their stories in poetry, speech and performance. She has led many writing groups and support groups as well as taught yoga and meditation for psychiatric and trauma survivors

Inaugural Easthampton Poet Laureate Gary Metras will be reading a selection from his three most recent books: White Storm, Captive in the Here, and River Voice.

Gary Metras’s new books of poetry are River Voice (Adastra Press, 2019), Captive in the Here (Cervena Barva Press 2018), and White Storm (Presa Press 2018), short-listed for the Mass. Poetry Book of the Year by the Mass. Center for the Book. The author of seventeen previous collections of poetry, his poems have appeared in over 250 journals, including America, The Common, Poetry, Poetry East, and Poetry Salzburg Review. He lives in Easthampton, Massachusetts, where he was inducted as the city’s inaugural Poet Laureate in April 2018. He is past president of the Pioneer Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the national cold river conservation non-profit. A retired educator, he fly fishes the rivers of western Mass. as often as possible.

This Zoom event requires registration. To register, email Stephanie at slevine@ewmlibrary.org.

Chaya Grossberg will discuss her work consulting with people coming off psychiatric drugs & what helps them the most. She will also share from her personal experience of having withdrawn from psychiatric meds herself. Q & A to follow.

About the Author: Chaya Grossberg has been sharing her psychiatric survivor and trauma story publicly for over 15 years and is an advocate and consultant to those coming off psychiatric drugs and/or seeking alternative approaches to distress. She has written a book about her work called Freedom From Psychiatric Drugs and has worked professionally with people seeking alternatives to the mainstream psychiatric narrative as a teacher, facilitator, program coordinator, and consultant to individuals and families. She has coordinated open mic speak out style events for psychiatric survivors to share their stories in poetry, speech and performance. She has led many writing groups and support groups as well as taught yoga and meditation for psychiatric and trauma survivors. Learn more on Chaya’s website at chayagrossberg.com! 

Limited to 15 participants. To register, visit tinyurl.com/ewml-memoir-art.

Join us for a writing workshop to tap your creative spirit and help you focus on meaningful periods and events of your life. You will learn to craft memories into prose or poems, through lively writing exercises and group discussions. Writing tools and prompts will help participants discover and explore their stories and distill the essence of experience. Memoir writing leads to deep self-reflection, as well as purposeful direction, and a greater sense of well-being as you explore the perplexing, humorous, nostalgic, and challenging experiences of your life. Give voice to those untold stories, and watch your life take on a new shape in this supportive, fun writing workshop. No writing experience necessary!

Facilitator Bio:
Laurie McMillan has an MFA in fiction and has led writing workshops for 21 years in all genres. She was the co-founder of the Pittsburgh Memoir Workshop, and several workshop series in venues as diverse as art museums, outpatient clinics, and at the VA. She believes that creativity and community in a safe and supportive environment can help writers do their best work. She is published in several magazines including American Journal of Nursing and the Healing Muse.

Limited to 15 participants. To register, visit tinyurl.com/ewml-memoir-art.

Join us for a writing workshop to tap your creative spirit and help you focus on meaningful periods and events of your life. You will learn to craft memories into prose or poems, through lively writing exercises and group discussions. Writing tools and prompts will help participants discover and explore their stories and distill the essence of experience. Memoir writing leads to deep self-reflection, as well as purposeful direction, and a greater sense of well-being as you explore the perplexing, humorous, nostalgic, and challenging experiences of your life. Give voice to those untold stories, and watch your life take on a new shape in this supportive, fun writing workshop. No writing experience necessary!

Facilitator Bio:
Laurie McMillan has an MFA in fiction and has led writing workshops for 21 years in all genres. She was the co-founder of the Pittsburgh Memoir Workshop, and several workshop series in venues as diverse as art museums, outpatient clinics, and at the VA. She believes that creativity and community in a safe and supportive environment can help writers do their best work. She is published in several magazines including American Journal of Nursing and the Healing Muse.

NOTE: This session is canceled.

Limited to 15 participants. To register, visit tinyurl.com/ewml-memoir-art.

Join us for a writing workshop to tap your creative spirit and help you focus on meaningful periods and events of your life. You will learn to craft memories into prose or poems, through lively writing exercises and group discussions. Writing tools and prompts will help participants discover and explore their stories and distill the essence of experience. Memoir writing leads to deep self-reflection, as well as purposeful direction, and a greater sense of well-being as you explore the perplexing, humorous, nostalgic, and challenging experiences of your life. Give voice to those untold stories, and watch your life take on a new shape in this supportive, fun writing workshop. No writing experience necessary!

Facilitator Bio:
Laurie McMillan has an MFA in fiction and has led writing workshops for 21 years in all genres. She was the co-founder of the Pittsburgh Memoir Workshop, and several workshop series in venues as diverse as art museums, outpatient clinics, and at the VA. She believes that creativity and community in a safe and supportive environment can help writers do their best work. She is published in several magazines including American Journal of Nursing and the Healing Muse.

Limited to 15 participants. To register, visit tinyurl.com/ewml-memoir-art.

Join us for a writing workshop to tap your creative spirit and help you focus on meaningful periods and events of your life. You will learn to craft memories into prose or poems, through lively writing exercises and group discussions. Writing tools and prompts will help participants discover and explore their stories and distill the essence of experience. Memoir writing leads to deep self-reflection, as well as purposeful direction, and a greater sense of well-being as you explore the perplexing, humorous, nostalgic, and challenging experiences of your life. Give voice to those untold stories, and watch your life take on a new shape in this supportive, fun writing workshop. No writing experience necessary!

Facilitator Bio:
Laurie McMillan has an MFA in fiction and has led writing workshops for 21 years in all genres. She was the co-founder of the Pittsburgh Memoir Workshop, and several workshop series in venues as diverse as art museums, outpatient clinics, and at the VA. She believes that creativity and community in a safe and supportive environment can help writers do their best work. She is published in several magazines including American Journal of Nursing and the Healing Muse.

Limited to 15 participants. To register, visit tinyurl.com/ewml-memoir-art.

Join us for a writing workshop to tap your creative spirit and help you focus on meaningful periods and events of your life. You will learn to craft memories into prose or poems, through lively writing exercises and group discussions. Writing tools and prompts will help participants discover and explore their stories and distill the essence of experience. Memoir writing leads to deep self-reflection, as well as purposeful direction, and a greater sense of well-being as you explore the perplexing, humorous, nostalgic, and challenging experiences of your life. Give voice to those untold stories, and watch your life take on a new shape in this supportive, fun writing workshop. No writing experience necessary!

Facilitator Bio:
Laurie McMillan has an MFA in fiction and has led writing workshops for 21 years in all genres. She was the co-founder of the Pittsburgh Memoir Workshop, and several workshop series in venues as diverse as art museums, outpatient clinics, and at the VA. She believes that creativity and community in a safe and supportive environment can help writers do their best work. She is published in several magazines including American Journal of Nursing and the Healing Muse.