Writing for Change: Women's* Creative Writing Workshop
Sunday March 10
10 AM-12 PM
Boott Cotton Mills Museum (Lowell National Historical Park), 115 John Street, Lowell, MA
Logistics: The workshop itself is in a free part of the museum (so no charge for the workshop), but if one wants to see the museum exhibits, there is an admission fee for park visitors ($6 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for students; national parks passes can be used for a partial discount). The admission can be paid at the front desk/main entrance area to the museum. No RSVP needed.
(Public transportation: the MBTA Lowell Commuter Rail line, the first train on Sunday leaves from North Station at 8 AM and runs every two hours. The national park's visitor center is about a 15 minute walk from the train station; the Boott museum is about 10-15 minute walk from the visitor center. For driving: there is free validated parking at the national park visitor center (use 304 Dutton Street for GPS/Google directions); any parking closer to the museum is metered or in a city garage where there's a fee. For more detailed info about getting to the national park, see
http://www.nps.gov/lowe/planyourvisit/directions.htm )
*Also: although "women's" is in the title, as the facilitator, I won't be hosting this workshop exclusively - it is open to anyone who feels they fit this certain identity. I won't be making any determinations.
Lowell National Historical Park preserves and interprets the working history of the city of Lowell, as one of the first industrially planned cities in the United States. One notable aspect of Lowell's history is the role of women, who made up a large proportion of factory workers from the 1830s until roughly the 1950s. This year, the National Park Service, along with several local community partners, is presenting a week of programming for Lowell Women's Week, centered around the theme of "Working Together, Creating Change." Inspired by the first generation of women workers in Lowell, the "mill girls" of the 1830s who wrote and published their own literary magazine, this workshop will continue that tradition of women's writing in Lowell. We'll start with excerpts from the "Lowell Offering" and other Lowell women's literature to create pieces of any genre, and use collaborative writing activities to keep the atmosphere conversational and relaxed. And if anyone feels so moved, they can share their pieces towards the end of the session if they'd like to (but no pressure to those who'd rather not share, either!)
Contact/more info:
Resi Polixa [Lyon's Pride, class of 2011],
Park Ranger (Interpretation)
more info about Lowell National Historical Park:
nps.gov/lowe
