Summer Pop-Up
WRITING CLASSES WITH LAURA
Summer Pop-Up Writing Classes with Laura Davis
They’re easy, short, and online!
Summer is the season when we want our lives—and our learning—to be more spontaneous, immediate, flexible, and fun.
In keeping with this summer spirit, I’m taking a five-month hiatus from my regular classes and have created a brand-new offering: an eclectic potpourri of short, online pop-up classes with something for every writer.
Welcome! I'm Laura Davis.
I write books that change people's lives and help people tell stories that matter.
I am the author of seven non-fiction books, including The Courage to Heal, Becoming the Parent You Want to Be and I Thought We'd Never Speak Again. My groundbreaking books have been translated into 11 languages and sold more than 1.8 million copies. In addition to writing books that inspire and change people's lives, the work of my heart is to teach. For more than twenty years, I've helped my students find their voices, tell their stories, and hone their craft as writers. I love creating supportive, intimate writing communities online, in person, and internationally.
Subscribe to my mailing list and I will immediately give you a beautiful eBook: Writing Toward Courage: A Thirty Day Practice.
Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.
Featured Retreat
Writing as a Pathway through Grief, Loss, Uncertainty and Change
IN-PERSON: Mount Madonna Center, Watsonville, CA
Tuesday, August 1 - Monday, August 7, 2023
This retreat is for people who have come to a crossroads in their lives, due to the death of someone close, a loss like divorce, empty nest, or a move, an illness, a major life transition, shift in status, aging or simply the deep inner urge to chart a new course or make significant change in your life. If you're feeling "ripe with uncertainty" or are in transition from one phase of life to another, this retreat is for you. Experience the power of healing, the gift of supportive community & the profound impact guided writing can have in facing the unknown with courage.
Classes and Retreats
Experience the incredible power of finding your voice and honing your craft in a supportive circle of your peers. Click the "classes" button below for more information.
I also run writing retreats online, around the US, and internationally, from daylong and weekend workshops to weeklong retreats on writing through grief and uncertainty, to international travel adventures that combine writing with ecotourism in beautiful places around the world. To learn more, click on the link below.
LAURA'S AWARD-WINNING MEMOIR:
The Burning Light of Two Stars
A Mother-Daughter Story
This riveting memoir by The Courage to Heal author Laura Davis examines the endurance of mother-daughter love, how memory protects and betrays us, and the determination it takes to fulfill a promise when ghosts from the past come knocking.
Writer's Journey Roadmap - Writing Prompts
The Writer's Journey Roadmap: Receive the gift of weekly inspiration. Powerful, provocative, motivating writing prompts in your inbox every Tuesday.
Upcoming Events with Laura Davis
Two Things I Love Best: Writing About Food
Half-Day Online Summer Pop-Up Class
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Writing about food often evokes deeper stories. When we write about food, we explore hunger, scarcity, satiation, greed, deprivation, sensuality, family rules, pleasure, nostalgia, loss, punishment, and rewards. Food is the vehicle that reveals these truths.
You’ll leave the workshop feeling nourished and well-fed, with a notebook full of vivid, memorable stories.
Finding Joy in a Time of Grief and Uncertainty
Half-Day Online Summer Pop-Up Class
Friday, June 16, 2023
The past few years, we’ve faced unrelenting change, loss, and uncertainty. It’s easy to block out realities we find too painful by falling into numbness, cynicism, and despair.
There is an alternative: learning to accept things the way they are while simultaneously renewing our commitment to connection, gratitude, and joy. In this half-day pop-up class, master writing teacher Laura Davis will lead you in writing exercises, guided meditation, and small group sharing that will support you in learning to embrace heartbreak and beauty simultaneously.
Stories That Make Us Whole: The Power of Writing in Sacred Community
IN-PERSON RETREAT: Big Sur, CA
Monday, June 19 - Friday, June 23, 2023
When the world around us is polarized and the future is uncertain, gathering in community, living in our bodies, and expressing the truth is more important than ever.
In this transformative five-day writing workshop, we’ll use ritual and deep writing to connect with our inner voice, discover the healing power of language, and birth powerful true stories onto the page. Evocative prompts, movement, and guided meditation will lead you deeply into the world of language and story. Discover how to “find the story beneath the story,” why writers need to “slow down where it hurts,” and the secret of crafting tales rooted in the immediacy and physicality of the moment.
Exploring the Caregiver Journey Through Words and Stories
Half-Day Online Summer Pop-Up Class
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
In this supportive half-day pop-up class, you’ll learn to use words and story to explore the joys, complexities, and challenges of being a caregiver.
It’s been well-established that writing and honest sharing are deeply healing practices that relieve anxiety, increase resilience, and promote self-compassion. Sharing caregiving stories with those facing similar challenges diminishes isolation and provides life-giving support.
Writing as a Pathway through Grief, Loss, Uncertainty and Change
IN-PERSON: Mount Madonna Center, Watsonville, CA
Tuesday, August 1 - Monday, August 7, 2023
This retreat is for people who have come to a crossroads in their lives, due to the death of someone close, a loss like divorce, empty nest, or a move, an illness, a major life transition, shift in status, aging or simply the deep inner urge to chart a new course or make significant change in your life. If you're feeling "ripe with uncertainty" or are in transition from one phase of life to another, this retreat is for you. Experience the power of healing, the gift of supportive community & the profound impact guided writing can have in facing the unknown with courage.
Binding the Whole Together: Twelve Tricks to Transform Strong Scenes into a Cohesive, Compelling Finished Book
Half-Day Online Summer Pop-Up Class
Friday, August 11, 2023
There is an art to creating a tight, compelling manuscript that keeps readers turning pages. No matter how effectively written your individual scenes are, knitting a finished book together into a dramatic, cohesive whole requires a discrete set of skills beyond strong scene writing.
In this workshop, 7-time-author Laura Davis will reveal twelve secrets she employed during the final edit of her memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars, transforming her completed manuscript into a compelling, vivid, immersive page-turner.
How to Write About What You Can’t Remember
Half-Day Online Summer Pop-Up Class
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Many of us believe that writing a memoir—recording the stories of our lives—requires us to accurately remember our past and then transcribe our memories. This belief stops us before we begin because we are appalled at how much we don’t remember. Sometimes it feels as if whole years of our lives have been wiped out. And so, we believe our writing is doomed because there is so much that we don’t remember.
In this half-day workshop, master teacher Laura Davis, author of The Courage to Heal and The Burning Light of Two Stars, will teach you how to transform scraps of memory into a rich written legacy.
Beyond Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll: Writing Practice for Boomers
Half-Day Online Summer Pop-Up Class
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Writing practice is a terrific way to remember the past and preserve your memories—and those of us who are baby boomers (the best generation ever) have a lot to record and remember.
In this fun, sensory rich pop-up class, we’ll use music, smells, sounds, and other evocative techniques to rocket through time so you can capture the stories, adventures, and misadventures of your youth and explore the times that shaped you.
Write, Travel, Transform: A Creative Pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago, Spain
Monday, September 11 - Sunday, September 24, 2023
THIS RETREAT IS NOW FULL AGAIN. CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO JOIN THE WAIT LIST.
Hiking the Camino has been on Laura's bucket list years—and maybe it's on yours. This famous pilgrimage trail, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has attracted people from all over the world for more than 1,000 years. Our 14 day trip will combine eight days hiking the last 100 km of the French Camino de Santiago with four days focused on creative expression. At the beginning, middle, and end of our trip, non-hiking days will be set aside for Laura to teach writing and our guide, Brenda, to teach quick sketching and watercolor techniques, helping to experience and reflect on your journey. Beginners in both disciplines are welcome. After 14 days in Spain, immersed in beauty and an intimate traveling community, you'll return home with a personal journal documenting your journey.