“The confidence I gained in Lee’s workshop transformed me and changed my life. I never could have done this on my own, but with Lee’s support and expertise, I found my voice, the stories I was born to tell.”
Ricarte Aquino
Whether you’re new to the writing life, “used to write” and want to get back to it, or are a much published author seeking inspiration, you’ll find creativity-sparking resources and camaraderie at Scribe Sanctuary. Writing together in generative workshops, we try new forms and dig deep. Our open-genre methods lead to extraordinary creativity: Scribe Sanctuary workshop participants have produced short stories, screenplays and poems, stage plays, lyric essays, comics and graphic novels, songs, memoir, auto-fiction, literary fiction for adults, young adults and middle grades, as well as children’s chapter and picture books. We employ a variety of prompts, from written and verbal exercises to listening and responding to music, sound, taste, smell, images, art, guided imagery and much more.
I loved my MFA program at Mills College, but felt constrained by the traditional workshop methods, which sometimes silence the writer, and meant I often left workshop less clear about my own work than before the discussion in class. Soon after graduation, I met Pat Schneider, founder of Amherst Writers & Artists “AWA,” and discovered an alternative to the traditional writing workshop method that offered connection to authentic community, support, and deep inspiration to write fully and wholly like myself. Now, as an AWA-certified workshop facilitator, I love watching writers deepen their craft, take risks, and respond generously to each others’ work, reflecting the unique beauty, genius and power of the words on the page!
Upcoming workshops will be noted on the forthcoming calendar page.
If you’d like me to design a private workshop for you, your company or non-profit organization, or for a special event like a birthday, reunion, retirement, baby or bridal shower, please make an appointment for a free consultation.
Summer/Fall Workshop Calendar – coming soon!
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Praise for Lee’s Creative Writing Workshops
“Yesssss! Most definitely, yes! Take a workshop with Lee Romer Kaplan.
Thank you, Lee, for giving us an opportunity to bring our creative writing to light. How much I loved every minute of our workshop! I learned not only about writing, but about performing my work. Our final writers’ symposium at the end of the workshop was amazing; so much beautiful writing, and all the love I received when I performed my dramatic monologue. Yesssss!”
Priscilla Aduampong, financial professional, radio personality, writer
“Thank you, Lee, for showing me the beauty in my work. In our workshop, for the first time, I felt like a writer.
AWA method brought something out in me I hadn’t seen before. All my memories, my way of talking and being, became something new on the page.
As a workshop leader, Lee is incredibly patient, clear, very kind, knowledgeable. She’s so warm and sincere. You can see this in her eyes—that she really listens, and is moved by our words. She supports us in creating our best work, not by trying to make us write a certain way, but by recognizing and developing what we already have inside us.
In workshop, even the most quiet people opened up and went deep. In NYC, where people keep their walls up, it was amazing to hear people share such private work. Treating the work as fiction allowed us to stand outside ourselves—it’s you and not you—which makes it safe to write about anything, and know that people will relate to you and your words with respect.
If you’re thinking about working with Lee, I say, “Go for it!” Writing with Lee is a joy. You will open your writing and see things in a new way. You’ll come away with a new perspective not just on writing, but see the world with new eyes. Now, every time I walk down the street, I see stories to tell, and find inspiration everywhere.”
Orly Cohen, NLP & reiki practitioner, writer
“For a long time, I wrote, but never showed my work to anyone. My first language is Spanish (I am from Mexico) and I was not confident about my English. I met Lee in 2012, when she was my professor in a college writing class, where she first introduced me to AWA Method. When I showed her my poems, I was prepared for a critique, but Lee told me, “You are a terrific poet,” which no one had ever said to me before. We wrote together the next semester, in an intensive creative writing seminar. I uncovered my writer’s voice, and wrote poems, epistolary short stories and a dramatic monologue that together, told a century-long story of a fictional family, beginning at the time of the Mexican Revolution, and into the 21st century. Drawing upon her training as an actor and fiction writer, Lee taught me how to develop characters and backstory, and out of that came so many stories and poems!
The confidence I gained in Lee’s workshop transformed me and changed my life. I never could have done this on my own, but with Lee’s support and expertise, I found my voice, the stories I was born to tell.”
Ricarte Aquino, writer
“Lee’s workshop is a journey through the catacombs of creativity, writing and art; a journey I’ve travelled and would take again and again. She aids you in bringing to fruition your talents and experiences and guides you toward a more polished, professional and cohesive piece. Years after, in my personal and professional life, I am still reaping the benefits of her expertise and passion in my own writing. I’ll tell you this: one workshop with Lee and your inner Hemingway is bound to leap out and beg for more and more. Take a leap of faith and rest assured-you’re in good hands with Lee.”
David Everett Strickler, digital marketing & brand strategist, LGBTQ+ workplace advocate, writer
“We’re all born with greatness, but not everyone is able to pursue their greatness. I was born in Sierra Leone, a war-torn country. Watching my parents struggle, there’s a broken shield in my heart that makes me want to help people, to have an impact in the world. Part of that is telling my story.
The first story I wrote with Lee was about a child escaping civil war, which is basically my own story, but one I was afraid to write. I wrote the first draft, and Lee said it was really good, and made some suggestions on how to develop it, and I did.
I’m happy to tell you now that the same story I wrote in the workshop is becoming a feature film. I’m writing it now. Lee gave me the confidence that the story was important and that I should continue writing.
A year after taking Lee’s workshop, I started a film production company called Bordernation, to make documentaries and short films, and we’re seeking out funding to make feature films. I have met many who encouraged me, but Lee set the bar to the highest level, and put confidence in me that I could reach my dreams.”
Abdulai Jalloh, Founder & President, BORDERNATION, filmmaker, storyteller, writer
“As a filmmaker and writer from the Philippines living in NYC, I represent the immigrant experience—moving between countries, between cultures and worlds. In Lee’s workshop, I learned how to honor the images and stories in my mind, and put them on paper.
The workshop helped me write from the heart. I stopped worrying about what was “good” or about how people would judge the work, and just write my experience.
Write, write, write. Get it on paper. Since the workshop, I’m so much more productive. I forgive myself more as a writer. I don’t judge the work too soon. Instead of throwing the words away before they’ve had a chance to become what they’re meant to be, I wait.
I spent my childhood separated from my mother by oceans. In one of my workshop pieces, Lee saw an image of a boy on the phone talking to his mother, whom he knows only by phone calls. Later, we talked, and she suggested I consider writing a play that expanded on the image, and now I’m writing it. In 2013, I made my directorial debut for a film I wrote. Lee inspired me to be ambitious in my writing, and I’m going for it.
Take a workshop with Lee—it will set you free as a writer.”
Kevin Oliver Arota, actor, cinematographer, director, writer
“I’m an adventurous person, and an avid reader, but I’d never thought of myself as a writer. Writing with Lee using Amherst Writers & Artists Method surprised me. Lee orchestrated the workshop in such a way that a very diverse group of people, both professional writers and others, like me, with no prior experience of creative writing workshops, quickly felt comfortable writing and sharing our work. What really struck me was that the same prompts elicited such completely different writing from each writer—in tone, content and form. Lee also used what we generated to teach craft, rather than just showing us a form and asking us to emulate it.
Lee’s approach offers such freedom to explore, to imagine and go beyond the expected, and the writing people shared in the group was funny, moving and meaningful.”
Andrea Levy, MS, MPH, MA, bilingual speech pathologist, public health administrator, writer
“I’m a creative person, and have worked in the music industry since I was a teenager. As a recording engineer in NYC, I’ve worked with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Eric Clapton, Dr. John and Jon Batiste, and I understand what it takes to bring out an artist’s best work. You have to respect the artist’s vision, and enter into a dialogue, both with the artist, and with the work itself.
Using innovative methods, Lee will bring out the best in you—creatively and personally—because she genuinely cares. She is so nurturing and present, and creates an environment in which you’ll feel safe to take risks. In Lee’s workshop, you’ll get exactly the kind of feedback, structure and guidance you need to nurture your creative spirit.”
Edgar Tejada, AV engineer, music producer, writer
“More than ten years ago, I took Lee’s very first AWA workshop. A few of us had met prior to the workshop, but for the most part, we were strangers. As an attorney working long hours in San Francisco, I found little time for creative pursuits, although I’d loved to write poems and stories when I was younger. When Lee invited me to what would be an eight-week workshop in her home, I was a little nervous, but I trusted her, and
decided to do it.
Lee gave us an overview of the method, and offered the first writing exercise. We each took a comfortable spot in the room, and quietly, we wrote for fifteen minutes in response to the prompt. I was sure that what I wrote wasn’t good enough to share, but Lee showed us how to give feedback for brand new writing, to say what you love, what you remember, what stays with you. I was moved and amazed by what others created. Somehow, because of the skillful way Lee built trust within the group, I found myself opening up, and sharing my work too. I even started incorporating Spanish, the language of my childhood, into my writing; something I had never before given myself permission to do.