The Observant Writer: The Art of Noticing

INSTRUCTOR: Matthew Hefti
TIME: Two Saturdays, February 3 and 10, 1:00–4:00 p.m. CST
PRICE: Early bird price: $85 for members, $100 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, January 28. After Sunday, January 28: $100 for members, $115 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here.
LOCATION: Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map)
LEVEL: All levels
CAP: 15

The art of noticing. The world around us is rich with detail and the best writers are observant writers. When you look around, what do you see? Hear? Smell? What do you feel? When you close your eyes, can you describe the steam ghosting its way up from your coffee cup? Do you hear the mechanical beat of the fly’s wings as it endlessly buzzes around your desk? Can you express the feeling of putting on warm, dry clothes after being soaked by a cold, pouring rain?

The key to noticing is to be still with intent, so the smallest details come into sharp focus. However, in the daily war for our attention, stillness is hard to find, and stillness with intent must be actively cultivated.

Join Matthew Hefti in this two-session workshop that will help you sharpen your observation skills, teaching you to pay attention to the smallest details and share them in colorful, vibrant language. In the first session, we will unlock the art of noticing by studying mentor texts by masters like Mary Oliver and Anne Lamott and by engaging in short writing bursts of our own. Between sessions, students will be given the easiest homework ever to bring back to the second session, where we will continue to hone how we notice the world around us, sharing and learning from each other.

This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance.