Rancho La Puerta Celebrates Writers and Writing
Week of August 7, 2021
Anyone who enjoys putting words on paper finds great inspiration at Rancho La Puerta. This week, guests have the opportunity to attend writing workshops led by accomplished writers. Kathleen Flynn and Rita Jacobs, Ph.D. will both teach classes that will help guests sharpen their writing skills. Additionally, we will hold an evening celebration for our 2019 writing contest winners, where they will read the stories they wrote. Join us to sharpen your skills!
Kathleen Flinn is an internationally bestselling author, teacher and speaker best known for a series of acclaimed memoirs starting with The New York Times bestseller The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry (Viking/Penguin Random House). This week, Flinn will utilize exercises from her popular “Hungry for Words” food and travel writing workshops and experience as a memoir writer to guide guests through questions many of us find answers difficult to define. Her sessions will be relevant whether you’re interested in crafting a memoir, keeping a journal or simply seeking a structured way to think about life.
A writer and journalist for more than 25 years, Flinn has been a residence writer at the Richard Hugo House in Seattle and taught at the Writer’s Center in Washington, D.C., the University of Washington and the University of Texas at Austin and dozens of writing and culinary-focused conferences. Kathleenflinn.com
Rita D. Jacobs, Ph.D., is the author of The Way In: Journal Writing for Self-Discovery; Tommy: The Musical; A Day in the Life of America and A Day in the Life of Canada. She is a widely published journalist and book reviewer whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, PARADE Magazine, Diversion, Frequent Flyer, Glamour, SELF and GRAPHIS. She is Professor Emerita of English at Montclair State University and in the past twenty years she has taught workshops in journal writing nationally and internationally, often in Eastern Europe. In fall 2012, Random House commissioned Rita Jacobs to write 20 columns titled, “From Journal to Memoir” which are available on her website. She is a judge for the National Jewish Book Awards and is currently developing a journal-writing app for tween girls to promote introspection and combat bullying. On the Web: ritadjacobs.com