Freedom to Write • Brilliant Playground

Freedom to Write: Creative Writing Workshop

Dissolve writer’s block and discover a wellspring of inspiration
Develop your authentic voice and unique gifts as a writer
Learn tools of the writer’s craft to make your writing shine
Bring your writing dreams and projects to life
Enjoy camaraderie with other writers and have fun!

Open to writers in all genres and at all levels of experience. This creative writing workshop is powerfully effective for all kinds of writing—from poetry to screenplays, memoir to fiction, from writing as healing to writing for publication, from beginners to experienced writers.

We write together each week and share our writing in a safe, supportive and highly stimulating environment. We learn new skills and hone tools of the writer’s art and craft to make your writing sizzle.

This is my most popular (and most fun!) class, and many students take it again and again as the material I share keeps changing and the process keeps you inspired, writing and growing as a writer.

Drawing from the renowned Amherst Writers and Artists Method, Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones, and a wealth of other sources, this method is powerfully effective for getting the ink flowing, staying inspired, generating strong, original writing and growing as a writer from wherever you are starting.

Whether you have a project that’s stalled, are just exploring writing for the first time or returning to it after a long hiatus, Freedom to Write will have your words flowing beautifully onto the page.

“The tools given to me by Maxima opened a whole other level of writing to me. Quite the catalyst! I was reminded of how cathartic writing is. For me, it’s a way to validate and honor myself. Take this class. Get over your fears of not measuring up or of being afraid you won’t feel approval. It’s a judgement-free and safe and supportive environment.”

“It has opened a window to myself – to expression, to connect again to the voice that speaks to me and wants to be known and heard through language on paper-and ever so much more. Totally loved it!”

Structure of the Workshop

We write together in class, using inspiring suggestions and examples as instigation for our creativity.

I teach aspects of the writer’s art that help you develop your skills and broaden your palette of possibilities. And I offer optional ideas and creative prompts to keep you writing at home, help you cultivate a regular writing practice (if you want one), and support you in reaching your writing goals.

You are free to write in any medium—poetry, prose, fiction, non-fiction. You can work on an ongoing project or simply see what arises each week.

You have the option to share your work and receive supportive feedback to help you develop your unique voice and strengths and grow as a writer.

You’ll also receive practical guidance for developing a regular writing practice, evoking your muse, and having the courage and commitment to reach your writing dreams. Remarkable growth happens and projects get completed when people engage in this process.

And you’ll have fun!

“I was reminded of the brilliance and power of each unique voice and that it is simple to call forth that voice with prompts.

I feel inspired to keep writing and sharing with others.

I would highly recommend working with and being mentored by Maxima. You will be in gifted and skilled, caring hands.“

I wrote freely for the first time in ten years and really enjoyed it. I remembered a part of myself long locked away!

Maxima Kahn has been leading workshops on writing and creativity since 2004, formerly at the University of California Davis Extension, and now at Brilliant Playground. A recipient of scholarships and fellowships to the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley and the Vermont Studio Center, she has been published in numerous literary journals, has twice been nominated for Best of the Net and was a finalist for the Atlanta Review Poetry Prize. Her book of poems, Fierce Aria, was published by Finishing Line Press.

Details

9 Thursdays • 4:00 – 6:00 pm Pacific Time
(Find out when that happens in your time zone here: www.worldtimebuddy.com)
February 11 – April 8
Live online via Zoom
$397 • Scholarships for BIPOC available. Contact me here to inquire about them.

How To Register

To register, click the Buy Now button below. Sign up now, this class tends to fill up.

THIS CLASS IS NOW FULL. SIGN UP HERE TO GET ON MY MAILING LIST FOR THE NEXT ONE (starting in May or July).

NOTE:You do not need a PayPal account to pay. You can use a credit or debit card.
To pay by check or if the PayPal button is not working for you, contact me here.

There are no pro-rating for classes that you miss and no refunds once you register.

“I loved the experience of discovery, of new writing and new perspectives
unfurling naturally like the opening of a flower… allowing the work to write itself, because it’s been there all along, waiting for the pen to outline its form.”

Freedom to Write is the best writing class I’ve taken in my life. It jumpstarted my creative process, tickled my inner muse, took me on multiple strange literary journeys that sometimes surprised me and always delighted me. Max has the knack (skill, art) to bring out the best of what you have. There are several writing exercises offered during the course of the series, some that will resonate w you, some will not. Pick the ones you like and hold on! Max taught me to trust my higher self in the writing process by getting my conscious thinking rational self out of the way. What a difference that one small change has made! I went from ten short stories in ten yrs to 45 last year alone. I highly recommend Maxima Kahn’s Freedom to Write.

B.S.

When I take this class (which I have done more than once and will do again) I find my playfulness with thought and language and imagination actually spreads through my body like a cool drink on a sweltering hot day. All my cells are quenched and energized. I feel more confident, more playful, and more pleased with myself, because I am honing my powers of creativity and expression, and can see it produce a benefit that spreads throughout the rest of my day to day. I look forward to class each week. I am both inspired and eager to revel in the creative spirit I witness in each of my peers in group. And I appreciate that Max, who leads this class with a whole heart and a beautiful mind that explains and offers crystal clear and helpful feedback, thinks astutely about what elements we can focus on each class and during the week with optional homework.

Max’s gentle presence, encouraging space, sensitive nature and warm community all contribute to a very unique setting – one in which words just flow and the inner critic melts away. Positivity and a sense of open ended permission abounds in Max’s classes. I have been blessed to have created seeds of many beautiful pieces in Max’s classes – ones that would not have otherwise come to fruition. This class was my weekly highlight. If you want to write effortlessly, without pressure or blocks, in a safe and embracing setting, I highly recommend this lovely course!

V.K.

Maxima Kahn brings so much to her classes on writing. She has a wholeheartedness as well as a palpable desire that her students do well. Her methods are specific, fun, easy to understand, and inspirational. The classes zoom by and the participants encourage each other in their comments on each other’s writing.

M.Q.

I joined the class hoping to get a boost to write again, feeling I’d been out of the stream too long. And son of a gun, I did! Thank you so much for giving me that positive kick in the rear-end, I’ve regained my desire to get back in the saddle.

Thank you so much for that Max. I was so impressed with the talents I perceived in the group. You had many really good writers in there and although my direction might have been a bit different, I enjoyed “meeting” so many gifted writers who obviously moved ahead with your direction and guidance. Thanks for your help. You’re a wonderful teacher and were tuned into the direction of your “kids.”

I’m looking forward to “seeing” you again and gaining the advice and direction of your teaching. Thank you so much for what you gave us.

J.H.