Writing from Within

Writing from Within with Kayara Hardnett-Barnes

Six Tuesdays, Oct 7—Nov 11, 6:30-8:30pm

Cost: $175-$250 sliding scale*

As writers, we are the record keepers of the beautifully treacherous return to oneself in a world that, by nature and in practice, pulls us outward. This isn’t all bad: the sense we make—or don’t—of our surroundings are powerful nutrients for our stories, and it’s in their telling that we venture inwards through the page. The fear, joy, and resistance we encounter in this process is what makes writing a creative voyage of both spirit and discipline; and the biggest myth of all is that we must do it alone. 

This workshop is an invitation for writers of all genres/experience levels to embark on this return to self in a sacred community. Over the course of 6 weeks we will assess and uncover the conditions for our creativity; engaging in a series of exercises, activities, and discussions designed to help us hone our inner ear, nurture our individual and collective voices, and empower us to write with courage, curiosity, and intention. Drawing from—and away from—the contributions of several great and flawed creatives, each week will build on the last to provide you with the tools to create a personalized sustainable writing practice to support you in telling the stories you’ve always wanted to tell. Don’t miss this nourishing new class facilitated by Kayara Hardnett-Barnes!

Please bring a spiral bound notebook and pen/pencil to write by hand if you are able, as well as one large manilla envelope and one standard envelope. 

For questions or to register, please email programs@nohoarts.org. If registering, please include your full name, mailing address, and phone number. Payment may be made in advance via PayPal here or by check to “NCFA” mailed to the Northampton Center for the Arts, PO Box 366, Northampton MA 01061.

*Payments on the upper end of the sliding scale help support our ongoing commitment to accessibility and sliding scale models. If financial assistance is needed, participants may apply for Community Fund support.

Kayara Hardnett-Barnes (she/her) is a multidisciplinary writer and creative based in Northampton. A Western Mass local, she has taught and facilitated for as long as she can remember. Since receiving her BA from Smith College in Sociology and Film and Media Studies, she has published non-fiction essays, co-written curriculums, and serves as a lead writer on a thee-part short documentary series. There are currently a novel, a television pilot, a film, and a handful of personal essays bouncing around in her head, but she promises she can still hear you. 

Poetry Breakthrough 2025

Poetry Breakthrough 2025

Three Thursday workshops, November 6, 13, and 20, 7:00-9:00pm

Cost: $35-$65 sliding scale* per workshop, Register for one or all three!

Are you creating consistently compelling drafts? Satisfied with your revision process? Comfortable with your ability to share your work publicly? If not, this is your chance to become a poetry triple threat! This series is for poets who want more from their practice. If it’s time to make a bigger commitment to your writing life, increase your current output, and improve your ability to share your work, these intensives are for you! Register for one or all three!

November 6: I FEEL A DRAFT: CLOSE READING AND EXTREME REVISION

This workshop supports participants in turning drafts into poems. We will explore our satisfactions and dissatisfactions with our writing practice. We will discuss and demonstrate close reading, and how this affects revision. We will also discuss steps to achieving finished poems and collections. Each participant will offer one poem to the group for workshopping.

November 13: YOUR WRITING OBSESSION: CONSTRAINT AND VULNERABILITY

This workshop support participants in creating or honing their process for success. Writing can leave us in a dilemma between public exposure and personal vulnerability. This workshop will explore constraints we put on ourselves that can either promote or hinder our creativity. Also, we will practice generative exercises that help us acclimate to discomfort, and produce work that connects deeply with readers.

November 20: GOING PUBLIC: PUBLISHING AND PERFORMING

This workshop support participants in valuing their writing. If you are brave enough to share your writing, how do you deal with the fickleness and competition inherent in the industry? What can you do to make your submissions and presentations more compelling? Each participant will perform a short reading and receive feedback.  Limited to 8 participants.

To register, email programs@nohoarts.org (preferred) or call the Center at 413-584-7327. Please include your name, address, and telephone contact. Course fees are payable in advance by check to “NCFA” and can be mailed to the Northampton Center for the Arts, PO Box 366, Northampton MA 01061, or by Paypal here.

*Payments on the upper end of the scale help support our commitment to sliding scale rates, as well as our low teacher/participant ratio. Financial aid is available through our Community Fund.

Michael Favala Goldman is an award-winning poet, jazz clarinetist, and translator of Danish literature. Michael’s eight books of original poetry include Small Sovereign, which took first place at the 2022 Los Angeles Book Festival. Among his seventeen translated books is Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen, which made the New York Times Best Books of the Century as book three of The Copenhagen Trilogy. His work has appeared in scores of publications including The New Yorker, Rattle, and The Harvard Review.  He has been running poetry critique groups since 2018. https://michaelfavalagoldman.com/

Poetry Critique Meet-up - Online

Poetry Critique Meet-up

Saturday, July 19, 1-3:30 ET 

Sunday, July 20, 1-3:30 ET 

Sunday, August 10 1-3:30 ET 

Saturday, August 16, 1-3:30 ET 

COST: BY DONATION*, SUGGESTED SLIDING SCALE $25-$40. No one turned away for lack of funds, Limited to five participants. Register early!

Poetry Critique Meet-up is a twice-monthly chance for poets to give and receive immediate constructive feedback on their poems by everyone in attendance. Learn what is working in your poems, and what may need revision. Contribute your observations to other poets. Be fascinated by the breadth of the written word. Moderated by translator and poet Michael Favala Goldman. New dates are added throughout the year!

Please register in advance through Straw Dog Writers Guild! Please pay through the Center for the Arts via Paypal here, via Venmo @Northampton-CenterForTheArts, or by mailing a check made out to NCFA to PO Box 366, Northampton, MA 01061. Please note Poetry Meet-up in the memo line.

These workshops are held in memory of Eli Daniel Nemetz Todd, and made possible by donations to NCFA in Eli’s honor.

For questions about the meet-ups, please email: hammerandhorn@gmail.com.

Michael Favala Goldman is author of five poetry collections and translator of sixteen books. His work has appeared in scores of publications such as The New Yorker, The Harvard Review, and Rattle Magazine. https://michaelfavalagoldman.com/

Michael’s blog about the Poetry Critique Meet-up: http://strawdogwriters.org/blog/poetry-meet-up

* Donations on the upper end of the scale help support our continued commitment to accessibility, including offering sliding scale models and out Community Fund.