Author: jacobscheier

Poem in New Anthology

My poem “My Mother Dies in Reverse” from Letter from Brooklyn was just republished in the anthology: MESS: the hospital anthology, a collection of poetry and prose. It’s a beautiful book and I am additionally honoured that my poem inspired the cover art. You can read an interview with the editors, in which my poem among other works in the book are discussed, here

Join me this summer for a 3 day Writing Retreat-Workshop in Dunedin, Ontario

Creativity Art Retreat is thrilled to welcome the Governor General’s Award winning poet, Jacob Scheier for 3 heart filled days of creative writing.

In this creative non-fiction (memoir, personal essay/personal narrative) and poetry workshop, Jacob reveals a range of literary devices and techniques to make your own experiences speak to others.

LFB coverTelling our own stories and hearing the stories of others is a powerful reminder of our collective humanity…

Workshop Schedule:
Our week starts Sunday, June 15 with a 5:00 reception, gourmet dinner and an introductory talk by Jacob.

Please DO NOT come earlier as we will be setting up, unless you are staying on-site, in which case you may access your room at 4:00.
There will be time to set up your space and unpack your materials after the opening dinner.

The workshop runs Monday through Tuesday, 9:00 to 4:00, and Wednesday 9:00 to 2:00 with delicious snacks and lunches provided. An hour of yoga follows each workshop day. We have a limited number of yoga mats to share, so please bring your own mat if you have one.

The workshop ends Wednesday, June 18 after a late lunch and wrap up.

 

CREATIVITY ART RETREAT is located in DUNEDIN, Ontario, just 7 km west of Creemore, on the banks of the Noisy River, snuggled amongst purple hills in a quiet little hamlet. The perfect place to ‘retreat to’.

accommodation
We’ve been running this Art Retreat since 1996, bringing together some of the most exciting art instructors from across Canada and the States. The Retreat provides an inspiring and safe forum for people to explore and explode their creative juices, be they absolute beginners or experienced artists; and to discover and expand their own individual marks in an atmosphere of community, enthusiasm and learning.

WORKSHOPS
Workshops take place in both our wide-open and spacious north-facing studio and in our gallery space, on the banks of the Noisy River, amidst the purple hills of Dunedin.  Our workshops are for everyone – beginners through advanced – with a wide range of drawing and painting, writing and journaling workshops.

zoja workshops

Relax; curl up with art books, conversation and sharing.

INSTRUCTORS
This year, once again, we have an exciting selection of highly-acclaimed, award-winning instructors who are committed to helping participants make their personal creative journeys to find their very own creative marks.

MEALS
Delicious gourmet lunches, dinners and snacks with the freshest of foods, purchased locally, often at Creemore’s summer farmer market, served on site, either at the Art Retreat or next door on the deck of the River House, and created beautifully by one of our fabulous local chefs.

car-eating

WINE
We serve wine at our opening and closing gourmet celebration dinners at each workshop. Participants are invited to bring their own wine for the rest of the week, if they wish.

More info here
Register here

Cheers!

Upcoming Spring Workshop: Writing Poetry About Grief

Writing Poetry About Grief, Spring 2014:

A 6 week workshop on writing poetry about grief with Jacob Scheier. We will read and discuss contemporary elegies (poems of mourning) and craft our own.The workshop is intended for aspiring writers and professional writers — essentially anyone would is interested in giving their experiences of grief and loss poetic expression. Participants will learn about the nature of the elegiac form, as well as how to utilize literary devices and techniques to make our experiences of grief and loss speak to others. Grief, in this context, is not limited to death, but any kind of loss, including, but not restricted to: divorce and separation, the loss of a part of someone or oneself through illness or loss of a wider scale (e.g. ecological loss).

The cost of this workshop is $150/per participant. Materials provided.

Time and Place: Wednesdays, May 7-June 11, 6:30-9 pm. 25 Maitland Street, Toronto (1 block south of Wellesley St. and 1 block east of Yonge St).

 About me:

I won a 2008 Governor General’s Award for poetry for my first book, More to Keep us Warm (ECW Press). My follow up collection, Letter from Brooklyn (ECW Press), was published last spring. I am also a volunteer peer-facilitator of support groups with Bereaved Families of Ontario since 2008 and I have been facilitating workshops on writing about grief for over three years. I have facilitated these workshops through Ryerson’s School of Continuing Education, at the Centre of Social Innovation, at the Bereavement Ontario Network’s Annual Conference and on the Walpole Island First Nations Reserve.

 “Jacob creates a class atmosphere that is safe, supportive, and truly creative, and this has given all of us the freedom to write very moving and powerful pieces around the subjects of grief and loss.” – Dianne Moore, former student.

 To register or for further information, please contact me at [email protected] or call 416-949-6003.

My Toronto Star Ebook Published!

My Ebook about my struggle with a rare neuro-psychiatric condition is now available with with The Toronto Star.

You can purchase it here or subscribe to the ebook series here.

This is my first work of creative non-fiction/literary journalism and am quite proud of it, though nervous of how personally revealing it is and how seemingly controversial some of the content may seem… but it’s a story I felt, for a lot of reasons, I needed to tell.