Mar 3-5, 2009 (Tuesday-Thursday)
Great presenters not only have charisma, they have craftsmanship. They develop tools to deal with stage fright, the emotion and theatrics of a piece, improving solo work, self-criticism, group criticism, artistic growth, and the vulnerability of performance. Holly Near has been presenting in public for 50 years, starting at the age of eight, and she’s willing to share all that she knows.
Holly will focus on how to turn what we notice, whether beautiful, mundane, or horrific, into storytelling and song. Through a process of active noticing she will instruct us how to recognize and gather the experiences that become the material of our stories. She will show how to illuminate the details, avoid the generalities, and turn rhetoric into poetry. She works with the politics, power, and the personal revelation of writing.
Writing with Holly is joyful and vibrates with critical thinking and loving attention. You identify your next challenge and Holly works with you to remove assumptions and obstacles. What do you want to say? To whom do you want to say it? What feelings do you want to convey? What creative element is being ignored? How can the craft of writing serve the writer’s intention?
Come prepared to write, using new material, and/or things you’ve been working on, or simply watch, learn, and respond. This is a workshop on writing of any kind and for performance of every kind. They fit together. All levels of experience are welcome. Holly’s last visit was 25 years ago, and we’re delighted to have finally arranged for her triumphal return.
Click if you would like to read an article we published in our newspaper The Center Post.
Holly Near is an immense vocal talent, but her passion for music cannot be separated from her passion for human dignity. In 1971, when she was 22, Holly joined Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, and other artists in the Free the Army Tour, singing to soldiers who were resisting war and racism from within the military. She started writing and singing political songs, and the next year she founded Redwood Records, which became a major force in alternative music for nearly 20 years. She bears personal witness to the hugely important role that music plays in political action movements, and her integrity has earned her the reputation as one of the most articulate political artists of our time. Out of this gentle, vibrant woman comes a huge voice, a unique sense of humor, an unexpected theatricality, and a startling power. Holly Near is one of a kind and sings a bold truth.