We’re back! Hope everyone had a good holiday season. I sure did - lots of relaxation, a few presents, some time hiding under the covers from our six-week winter, and more than my share of eggnog cocktails.

Now it’s back to work. Our first Write On The Cusp workshop of 2009 is on the second weekend in February - that’s less than two weeks away!

The lineup

In keeping with the spirit of the new year, the units I’ll be teaching will center around new beginnings. In one exercise, we’ll study the opening moves of various authors and how they succeed in hooking their readers from word-one. Another exercise will involve a new technique I’ve developed to start writing no matter what.

Abbie always surprises me with something that gets me thinking about fiction in a new way. She hasn’t told me what she’s going to teach yet, but I’m sure I’ll learn more than a few things. She has a serious knack for getting right to the heart of an idea or sentiment, and showing others how to do the same in their work.

Making a return to Write on the Cusp this time around will be Jenny Minniti-Shippey. If you’re poet, you don’t want to miss her fun, insightful exercises. If poetry scares you, you really don’t want to miss Jenny - what better way to start the new year than by charging your fears head-on? When Jenny taught with us last summer, I left with a number of new ideas that led me in directions I’d never been. She’ll be teaching with us on Sunday the 8th - I have it circled on my calendar as “Jenny teaches me to be a better poet.”

I hope you’ll join us in February. And because you’re a friend, we have a 25% discount for ya. How’s that for a New Year’s present?

See you soon,

- Jon O

Jon Oropeza is a co-founder of The Creative Cusp. When he’s not hiding under the covers or tapping code, he can be found scribbling poems in our city’s libraries and cafes.