Sean W. Murphy, Writing and Mindfulness Workshop
SEAN W. MURPHY is the recipient of a 2018 National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Creative Writing, and is the author of three novels and one book of nonfiction. The latest edition of his One Bird, One Stone, a nonfiction chronicle of Zen in America (Hampton Roads 2013), won the 2014 International Book Award in the Eastern Religions category. The Time of New Weather was named Best Novel in the 2009 National Press Women’s Communication Awards, while his debut, The Hope Valley Hubcap King, won the Hemingway Award for a First Novel. He is also the author of a third novel, The Finished Man. (All novels published by Bantam-Dell). His novel-in-process, Wilson’s Way, won the 2014 Dana Award in the Novel, as well as the 2017 William Faulkner Wisdom Award for novel-in-progress. In 2019 he was awarded the Mary C. Mohr prize in Creative Nonfiction by Southern Indiana University. His essays, articles and short stories have been widely published and anthologized, including: You Are Not Here and Other Works of Buddhist Fiction (Wisdom Publications); the 2012 Fish Publishing Literary Anthology (Ireland); the 2004, 2005, and 2007 Writers Market and the 2007 Guide to Literary Agents, and the magazines The Sun, Yoga Journal, Lion’s Roar, and Tricycle:The Buddhist Review.
A recognized Zen meditation teacher (Dharma Holder), Murphy has practiced Zen meditation for 30 years. He taught for many years with Natalie Goldberg (author of Writing Down the Bones) in her series of writing and meditation seminars. He is the founder of the nonprofit Sage Institute for Creativity & Consciousness, which hosts an innovative meditation leaders training program. He has taught classes in meditation, creative writing, and literature for the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years, as well as for Southern Methodist University’s Taos campus, the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, Naropa University in Boulder, and a variety of conferences and organizations. Sean holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado. See his website at www.murphyzen.com
Friday, May 31 – 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Zen in the Art of Writing Workshop with Tania Casselle and Sean Murphy
In this contemplative writing workshop we’ll explore how meditation and mindfulness practices can stimulate the creative process and open the mind to new possibilities, with special emphasis on freeing the natural flow of the creative process and finding or deepening our most natural writing voices. We’ll combine meditation, mindfulness and sensory awareness practices with writing practice and other exercises to stimulate creativity and encourage fresh ideas. Most importantly, we’ll rediscover the freedom, playfulness, and joy that made us want to write in the first place. As a process-oriented rather than critically-oriented workshop, this is open to everyone at all levels of writing experience.