The Jack Grapes METHOD WRITING Program

Finding Your Voice in Poetry & Prose

 

Instructor: Alexandra Kostoulas

We want to connect with the world. We want to share the life that is inside us. We want to write poetry and prose that speaks the truth and moves the reader. But where do we start?

There’s a voice within all of us wanting to find its place in the world. The concepts and techniques in the Jack Grapes METHOD WRITING Program will lead you step by step, show you how to create compelling moments and scenes, how to move your reader with writing that jumps off the page and grabs them by the heart.

In this workshop, we will focus on stripping away the artifice of writing, the baggage that keeps us from the most essential building block of any writing: the Deep Voice. We’ll turn journal entries into poems and stories, and by the end of the class, you’ll produce a “chapbook” of your work, turning process into product. This class focuses on weekly journal writing using the techniques and concepts of Method Writing. Suitable for both poets and prose writers, beginners and advanced, this class will help you find your deep voice and use it to create clear and compelling written work.

We’ll be using Grapes’ textbook, Level 1: Jack Grapes’ Method Writing: The First Four Concepts.  Continuing students can begin level 2: The Four Voices and beyond. This section is geared toward beginning and returning students. All levels welcome.

These classes have been running for 30+ years and were founded by Jack Grapes. Classes are offered in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. San Francisco classes run three times per year.  Check out our website for ongoing classes and announcements.

---

Alexandra Kostoulas is an award-winning writer of poetry, fiction, and journalism. She received her MFA in English & Creative Writing from Mills College, and a BA in Literature & Creative Writing from College of Creative Studies at UCSB. She was a longtime student of Jack Grapes’ Method Writing Program and one of the selected few authorized by Grapes to teach his technique. She is the founder of the San Francisco Creative Writing Institute and publisher of the Mid-Market News. She has performed her work on stage locally and nationally. She teaches people to find their voice and unblock themselves creatively every day.

---

The Jack Grapes METHOD WRITING Program

Finding Your Voice in Poetry & Prose