Alchemy Writing Workshop

☿ ALCHEMY WRITING WORKSHOP

Alchemy Writing Workshop was created due to a need for writers to learn the craft and to gain the experience necessary to become successful in the writing world as professional writers. As a single mother with dreams of becoming a writer, not having the finances or ability to attend an MFA or writing retreats/workshops left me outside of the game to learn and enhance my writing.

These workshops are for those who are serious about their writing but don’t have access to an MFA program or other workshops, classes, or retreats due to family responsibilities, jobs, or income. Responsibilities should never stop you from achieving your dreams. The writing workshops, lectures, and classes will be taught by various professional writers, performers, artists, and organizations in your writing communities. These are talented individuals who are interested and motivated to help you become successful. Each workshop or class will be taught online via Zoom.

All are welcome. We are fiercely inclusive of LGBTQIA BIPOC and promise to create a liberated space. *All workshop instructors are trained using Felicia Rose Chavez’s The Anti Racist Writing Workshop: How to Decolonize the Creative Classroom.

Every writer has different areas of interest and needs. We are here to ensure you learn skills and are educated on crafts and topics that will help you become successful on your journey to becoming a professional writer, regardless of circumstance. Alchemy Writing Workshop is dedicated to helping you fulfill your dreams. Your words matter.

Testimonials:

“What an amazing group of people. They generated so much that I think if this had gone another week or two, there might have been enough for a small anthology. It was one of the best teaching experiences I’ve had. I left feeling full and inspired.” Shawna Erwin, Saying the Unsayable: The Poetry of Disability Workshop

“Shawna did a great job holding space and making everyone feel welcome and valued. The poems she shared were well curated and the slideshow was well paced and organized. She was also amazing about accommodating part differing needs.

Thank you again for the generosity of the scholarship to attend this workshop. It means a whole lot to me that some folks understand that disability income isn’t even enough to survive on. And for some of us Poetry is part of our survival!!

I really enjoyed the opportunity to try on form as a way of saying the unsayable. It actually worked! I was able to start getting some things down on the page that I wasn’t able to before.” – M.S. workshop participant

A LISTING OF ALCHEMY WRITING WORKSHOP COURSES:

Writing Workshops Upcoming taught by Hillary Leftwich

The Tarot Alchemist: Transforming Stories Through Archetypes and Spirit 8-Week Workshop (Online)

First class meets sunday, march 16th (Zoom)

Overview:
This 2-hour weekly Zoom workshop explores the Tarot as a powerful tool for creative storytelling, blending the deep archetypal insights of Story Arcana by Caroline Donohue with spirit writing practices. Participants will learn how to use Tarot archetypes, symbolism, and structure to inspire their writing, while also tapping into the intuitive, mystical energies of their own creativity. Whether you’re writing poetry, creative nonfiction, memoir, or hybrid/experimental forms, this workshop offers a unique space for creative exploration across genres.

The workshop will include Tarot discussions, spirit writing sessions, writing prompts, and feedback, helping writers connect with both the conscious and subconscious layers of their creative process. This workshop is suited best for those with a basic understanding of the Tarot and who have their own Tarot or Oracle deck they are familiar with to use with this class. Feel free to start a new project or use this workshop to work on something already in progress. Be prepared to participate in weekly homework exercises along with discussions during our Zoom sessions. This is a group-focused and led workshop so participation is extremely important.

Workshop Format:

  • Frequency: Weekly, 2-hour Zoom sessions (SCHEDULE TBD or SUNDAYS IN THE AFTERNOON
  • Structure:
    • Introduction & Reflection: Each session begins with a brief welcome and a chance for participants to share their creative breakthroughs or challenges from the previous week.
    • Tarot and Archetype Exploration: Each week, we will explore a Tarot card or archetype from Story Arcana. We’ll dive deep into the card’s symbolism, potential meanings, and how it relates to story, character, and theme, all while considering the specific needs of various writing genres.
    • Spirit Writing Session: A guided intuitive writing exercise where participants will freewrite, channeling their creativity with the help of Tarot cards and archetypes. Spirit writing encourages flow, openness, and connection to deeper creative forces.
    • Writing Exercise: A focused writing prompt inspired by the Tarot card or archetype of the week. Writers will be encouraged to incorporate these insights into their poetry, nonfiction, memoir, or hybrid/experimental pieces.
    • Sharing & Group Feedback: A space for participants to share their writing in a supportive environment, receiving feedback from fellow participants.

Genres Covered: This workshop is designed to inspire writers across various genres, including:

  • Poetry: Explore the symbolic, metaphorical potential of Tarot through verse, using archetypes and intuitive writing techniques to deepen poetic expression.
  • Creative Nonfiction/Memoir: Use Tarot’s symbolism and archetypes to uncover personal truths, deepen reflections, and inspire new perspectives on memory and experience.
  • Hybrid/Experimental: For those working in unconventional forms, this workshop encourages the blending of genres, using Tarot as a gateway for creative innovation and boundary-pushing storytelling.

Weekly Breakdown:

Week 1: Introduction to Tarot & Archetypes in Storytelling

Week 2: Building Characters with Tarot Archetypes

Week 3: Worldbuilding with Tarot and Archetypes

Week 4: Conflict, Transformation & Plot Development

Week 5: Relationships and Dialogue in Tarot

Week 6: Plot Twists and Unseen Forces

Week 7: Fate, Free Will, and the Journey of Choice

Week 8: Integration and Final Story Presentations

Takeaways:

  • A deep understanding of how to use Tarot and archetypes for creative writing across genres.
  • Regular spirit writing sessions to tap into your intuition and unlock new levels of creativity.
  • Personalized feedback and a supportive community to help refine your writing.
  • A completed short story, poem, or scene/hybrid work that incorporates Tarot symbolism, archetypes, and personal growth.

COST OF WORKSHOP $299 (deposit required to hold your spot. Half up front and half the first week of class).

Payments accepted via Venmo @Hillary-Leftwich or PayPal at hillary430@gmail.com

Once the deposit or full payment is made, you will receive a welcome email with further details and the Zoom meeting link.

The Tarot Alchemist: Transforming Stories Through Archetypes and Spirit 4-Week Workshop (Online)

first class meets Sunday, march 23rd (Zoom)

Week 1: Archetypal Integration and Character Evolution Across Genres

Week 2: Exploring Story Structure, Plot Development, and Thematic Depth with Tarot

Week 3: The Unseen Forces & Nonlinear Storytelling with Tarot

Week 4: Synthesis, Revision, and Tarot-Inspired Final Project Group Share

COST OF WORKSHOP $122 (deposit required to hold your spot. Half up front and half the first week of class).

Payments accepted via Venmo @Hillary-Leftwich or PayPal at hillary430@gmail.com

Once the deposit or full payment is made, you will receive a welcome email with further details and the Zoom meeting link.

Email me at alchemyauthorservices@gmail.com for registration info or use the registration form below.

**To register for a class please provide the name of the workshop in your registration form**

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Word Doulas: Writing Our Way Beyond Illness – Four-Week Online Zoom $150

Illness affects not only the body but also the mind. When it comes to writing about our experiences with illness, how can we act as witnesses to ourselves or to those we act as caregivers for to honor our collective experiences? By observing language, imagery, and movement, we will learn how to use the lyric essay, prose poetry, and other forms along with the tools we can use to take control of our experiences— both in body and mind—pushing past the sterile fields of definitions to discover our own meanings to honor ourselves and those we care for.

In this four-week workshop, participants will learn to create an autobiographical diagnosis of their own while focusing on journey and intimacy while examining several examples from writers such as Emmalea Russo, Chelsea Biondolillo, and others to learn how to write the root of the nature of illness by using tools learned to heal wounds with our wounds—from personal perspective to caregivers alike—writings produced will be clarified to act as doulas for those who can benefit best from this workshop—including healthcare practitioners, loved ones, or caregivers. 

Crossing Artistic Boundaries: Four-Week Hybrid Poetry – Online Zoom $150

In this multi-genre poetry workshop, we will explore the evocative essence, dynamic convergence, and creative stimulus of poetry and various other genres. We will workshop poems while responding to generative writing prompts where poems collaborate with memoir, photography, collage, and raw, collected material. Students are invited to explore expansively and immerse themselves deeply in the inventive interplay of language that crosses artistic boundaries.

Evoking Our Haunts: On Persons, Places, and Finding Voice  – 3 hours online Zoom $60

A ghost is often created out of trauma or deep emotions—a haunting of place or person, seeking a witness to form and voice. In this workshop, we’ll explore possibilities of homes for our ghosts, from sestina to erasure, lyric essays to prose poetry. What’s haunting you, and what can’t you seem to dispel? Together, let’s evoke our powerful words to better understand what lingers beyond the veil and our own rituals for words. 

HOW MUCH DO WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES COST?

The workshops and classes are priced based on length and time. Part of the proceeds go to a scholarship fund established by Alchemy Writing Workshop to help students and members of the writing community to cover costs associated with applying for grants, publication submissions, and other writing/creative costs. Alchemy Services encourages BIPOC Writers to apply. Scholarships are always available. 

Do you want to teach a class or workshop for Alchemy Writing Workshop?
Email alchemyauthorservices@gmail.com or the contact form below with your workshop proposal and a brief statement on why volunteering to teach for your writing community is important. Those seeking opportunities to gain experience in teaching without access to a teaching assistant program or other means can learn valuable teaching skills through Alchemy Writing Workshop.

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all levels and areas of writing craft. What practices, tools, tidbits, and to-do’s do you want to create, catapult, and conceptualize within your words? It’s all about you and supporting our local communities/small businesses/artists/creators. All are welcome. We are fiercely inclusive of LGBTQIA BIPOC and promise to create a liberated space.

Workshops and classes are constantly being added, as well as new teachers. Stay up to date by subscribing below!