Write Your Story
Writing and preserving life stories
This guided experience has participants writing and preserving a meaningful life story. They will attend the session with an already chosen event in their individual lives. Perhaps it is something that they go on to perform as “spoken…
Creative Writing
Journalling & Reflection
Narrative Practice
Public Speaking
Workshop
Description
This guided experience has participants writing and preserving a meaningful life story. They will attend the session with an already chosen event in their individual lives. Perhaps it is something that they go on to perform as “spoken word” at any number of city entertainment venues that offer it. Depending on the event, it could be an essay anywhere between 500-1000 words. If it is a retreat for instance, the session would be over two days, and the outline is fleshed out on Day One, with edits, reading aloud and feedback over Day Two and/or Three.
Benefits
The benefits of essay writing are many and profound!
- Putting pen to paper, or hands to a keyboard, turns experiences into both cathartic events and emotional outlets.
- Writing boosts resilience, and is simply great fun for any aspiring writer.
- Expressive writing can transform negative experiences into sources of wisdom, reduce stress, and connect us with others by revealing shared human experiences.
- It is wonderful to document a milestone event, the birth of a child, the discovery one makes that changes a life or that simply sticks with you.
- In the famous words of Joan Didion: "I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means." For anyone who has not experienced this yet, they will love a writing session!
- Gina’s writing spans varied stories: from a traumatic event to an uplifting experience with a stranger in a subway station. Life events or just curiosities are endless, and there is great joy in writing about them, and in safeguarding that memory that is special to each person.
Additional Experience Info
Ideally, writing workshops go over a span of days, where people can discuss one or two ideas they'd like to write about; then there is a rough draft beginning, and then it is edited in subsequent writing sessions where "students" share their writings. In this case, if not a long company retreat, perhaps it would be broken up between lunch or a "break."
Hosted by Gina Jarrin
About the Host
Gina Jarrin is a storyteller — in the written and spoken word — an actor, stand-up comic, screenwriter, and a curator/producer of branded events. Holding close relationships with partners across high-end retail, and the arts and entertainment sectors, she has a seasoned rapport with audiences and a deep understanding of what brands seek in their experiences. Some of her personal essays have been published in magazines and most recently in the inspirational book Soul Love. A graduate of USC’s Journalism School, Gina is fluent in Spanish and has also performed as a storyteller at the iconic Joe’s Pub in downtown Manhattan’s Public Theater space. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA and manages a popular New York City cover band.
Focus Areas
Creative/Culture
Location
New York, NY, USA
Languages
English, Spanish
Travel Locations
I am willing to go anywhere in the world, with appropriate travel and accommodations provided.
Corporate Experience
Significant
Certifications & Credentials
Not applicable.
Session Types Offered
Interactive & Passive
Past Experience Doing Sessions
Yes - Performing
Client Requirements
If it is a writing workshop, just laptop computers, and maybe photos or images to inspire the written word.
Past Clients
Maison 10 Gallery; Oberland Advertising Agency; The Family Beehive
Photo Gallery