Creative Writing Workshop by John Maxwell

July 23, 2009 - PRLog -- The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation is pleased to welcome the talented John Maxwell as he presents his own Creative Writing Workshop.  Using the skills John has learned in writing his award-winning dramatic monologues, he will guide students through the writer’s journey in creating monologues of their own.   The workshop will be held Saturday, October 3rd from 9:00am-11:00am.  Reservations are required and admission is $55/SCHF members and $65/Non-members.

Students will first be introduced to some general basics instruction on how not to squelch the creative spirit that is innately in each of us, and then how to nurture and encourage that spirit. With this process students will be asked to listen to that spirit and then to respond to it through a short dramatic monologue.
 
Maxwell’s experience is that the major obstacle we all face as artists is in overcoming the “evaluator” that is in all of us. That “evaluator” is almost always negative and has to do with our inability to be clever or provocative or intelligent enough to write. It’s only after we are able to deal with this that we are then able to take advantage of the rich abundance of the creative spirit.

How then do we deal with the “evaluator”? What steps can we take in silencing the negative so that we are free to mine the wealth of the creative spirit? This two hour seminar will focus on just that.
 
John Maxwell is a writer and performer from Jackson, Mississippi. Maxwell holds a Masters Degree in Theatre from The University of Mississippi has been the recipient of a Tennessee Williams Scholarship to study playwriting at The Sewanee’s Writer’s Conference.  He is best known for his portrayal of William Faulkner in “Oh, Mr. Faulkner, Do You Write?”.  The play has been performed steadily since its world premiere at Jackson's New Stage Theatre in 1981 . It appeared as a film, directed by Jimbo Barnett, in 2006, and was released on DVD in 2008.  In 2006, he received the "Best Actor" Award at the Atlanta Film Festival for the film version of “Oh, Mr Faulkner, Do You Write?”.  He is a member of both Actor’s Equity and Screen Actors Guild, and has appeared in numerous films for screen and television. Most recently he received The Best Actor Award for the screen version of “OH, MR. FAULKNER, DO YOU WRITE?” at The Atlanta Film Festival and a Best Actor Nomination for the same role in the Meth Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Space is limited and reservations are required.  To register or for more information, call the SCHF business office at (601) 631-2997 or email info@southernculture.org.

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The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization, maintains and operates the Southern Cultural Heritage Center in Vicksburg, MS and provides artistic, cultural and education opportunities to the community.