A quarterly pop-up writing workshop with Holly Wren Spaulding.
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 4:00–5:30 pm Eastern on Zoom
If you've arrived at the end of summer and felt it passed you by, or whatever unfolded during those sun baked days feels like a blur, this generative writing session will help you reclaim and affirm what actually happened, and how it felt.
Often we need a form to support us as we transition from one thing to the next, and the Zuihitsu is one that I've found both easy and joyful to return to as the heat waves subside and the leaves begin to redden.
After a brief introduction to Zuihitsu, and a few inspiring examples, we'll write together for the better part of an hour, using creative prompts and exercises designed to bring forth what is within you. The workshop will conclude with an opportunity to share and receive encouragement.
Zuihitsu (随筆), often translated as "following the brush," is a Japanese literary tradition of loosely linked fragments and observations that follows the mind's associative drift rather than a fixed structure or narrative. Together, we'll write our own "stray notes" (Makoto Ueda) — to record and reflect on the season we're closing, before we step into the one arriving.
No experience required — just a willingness to notice what the last few months have brought you. You'll leave with a piece of writing that is both an archive of moments and a poem — and the felt sense of having honored the season through this simple ritual.
While a recording will be shared with all registered participants, you are encouraged to attend the interactive Live session, which always has a little extra magic.
*My intention is to offer these workshops on a more or less quarterly cadence. As always, the best way to follow my work is via my newsletter, Ars Poetica.