we read your writing
PEEP·HOLE
IS YOUR
WRITING HAUNTED?
haunt·ed
/ˈhôn(t)əd/
adjective
preoccupied,
as with an emotion, memory, or idea;
obsessed; disturbed; distressed;
inhabited or frequented by ghosts
Haunted Texts is back...
For the SIXTH (!) summer in a row.
WHAT IS
HAUNTED TEXTS?
A workshop
in which we investigate hauntedness
as a prism for exploring
new languages and forms in our writing.
HAUNTED TEXTS VI:
DEFACEMENTS
This year, we delve into
DEFACEMENTS
as a form of haunting.
Acts of vandalism and disfigurement,
defaced-to-face encounters with ourselves
and with the Other,
with monsters
and maybe even with the hidden face of God (?).
Together, we're going to be
reading, watching, talking, and experimenting
in attempt to find new ways into our writing.
Writers, creators and humans of all genres
interested in exploring hauntedness
are welcome to join,
whether you've participated in
previous Haunted Texts workshops or not.
Our group will be small; space is limited --
WHEN:
August 17th, 24th, & 31st
Sundays, 7 PM – 9 PM Israel time
12 PM - 2 PM EST
* Get in touch to calculate the time difference in your area
WHERE:
Online via Zoom
HOW MUCH:
589 ILS
[includes a complimentary, exclusive Haunted Texts tote!]
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION EXTENDED:
* Extra 10 % off for False Starts and Epiphanies participants
* To help make the workshop more accessible, I offer two partial scholarships for those with financial need. These are intended to support individuals who feel deeply called to the work but may not otherwise be able to participate. If this resonates with you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me HERE for info.
Can't make it this summer?
Join my waiting list and be the first to hear about fall workshops!
Read more about Haunted Texts HERE
Want to sign up for my new newsnote?
Questions? Deliberations?
Contact me HERE or write to peepwriters@gmail.com
AMITAL STERN writes film, theater, and hybrid work. Her plays have been performed at the Theatronetto Festival, the Jerusalem Fringe Festival, the Arab-Hebrew Theater and more. Her work has appeared in Guernica, Elderly, and Best American Experimental Writing. You can read some of her writing here & here.
Testimonials from previous workshops:
*see here for previous workshops & explorations
In Amital's "Haunted Texts" workshop, I discovered a new relationship with my writing. By approaching writing as a vehicle for self-investigation rather than focusing on the end product, I found myself writing with a freedom I hadn't experienced in a long time.
My self-criticism faded as Amital, balancing levity and gravity, established a space that felt both safe and inviting for exploration.
Her exercises and prompts centered on "hauntedness" revealed unexpected pathways into my own experiences, allowing me to engage with the messy, unwanted, inarticulate parts of myself. These prompts have stayed with me—I still return to them months later when seeking deeper engagement in my writing.
I really hope to join another of Amital's workshops in the future and would encourage anyone seeking to deepen their relationship with writing to do the same. There's something truly exciting in discovering that meaningful writing often emerges from the quieter, 'haunted' corners of ourselves!
*
Amital has the ability to share post-post modern writing and crazier assignments with perfect poise and then has the nerve to ask if there are any questions.
Listen to her deeply and your writing arm will free a little more after each class.
*
Amital began each session with a range of texts and images, drawn
from many genres and worlds, for us to engage with and to prompt us
into our own writing. Along with making for rich reading and
conversation, this did the work of creating a writing space which was
expansive and free of judgment, where I felt safe to experiment with
my own writing style and to explore my thoughts, wherever they may
go. Amital’s experience and her entirely accepting presence created a
tone where it became easy for all of us to jump in, cover a lot of
ground and go deep in a relatively short amount of time. It was one of
the most original and enriching writing workshops I’ve ever taken part
in, and would welcome the opportunity to do another one with her.
Amital is simply an amazing teacher. I found myself completely transfixed and transformed by my work with her. What she knows how to do (that I believe is rare to find), is to stand there ready to help, in the way that YOU need help. It is your class, your work, and she knows how to stay out of your way, but support, nurture, and engage with you. She very perceptively gives you feedback and in an unusual way that makes it very easy to hear and understand.
That doesn't mean she won't provide structure and guidance and clear lessons. She does all of that so seamlessly that you are thrown back into yourself to find your solutions.
I felt her feedback and her teaching methods incredibly thoughtful, deeply perceptive and most importantly inspiring. I can't wait for the next class she offers. My advice: grab it!
*
Amital’s conception of what we were doing together, and how to
write about sex, was transformational . . . Amital’s sequence of writing
exercises made me realize that writing about sex was writing about our
life and death force, and breaking taboos about what you could write
about transformed every part of my writing that day, and I have
continued to mull over these insights over the past month. I’m inspired
by Amital’s sense of urgency about reading and writing, and their
transformational effect.
*
I have no hesitation in recommending Writing Messy workshop led by Amital Stern to all aspiring writers who want to explore subjects which challenge our sense of decency and sometimes fill us with disgust. Such subjects offer a potentially rich wellspring of ideas with which to experiment.
Amital uses an eclectic mix of artistic material to challenge the senses and stimulate creativity; avant-garde art, film and literature that both repels and entices. No subject is off limits. The workshop has developed my confidence to experiment with material of which prior to taking the course, I had no knowledge. I consider that my writing has benefitted significantly as a result.
Amital is an inspirational teacher. She is very enabling, encouraging and has a fierce intelligence. It has been a great privilege to have been in her class. It is a testament to the power of the class that the writing of all the participants flourished as the workshop progressed.
I would take this workshop again in a heartbeat. The whole experience was brilliant.