Breaking Habits: Writing (on the) Outside of the Box

Richard Loranger will lead participants through a series of generative exercises designed to break one’s writing habits and free them up to write in different and new directions. These comprise a toolbox that can be built upon and utilized by the writer at any time. They’re useful for breaking a block, getting started after an absence from writing, or finding unexpected language and poems that your mind has waiting around for you. You’ll leave with some new approaches to writing, and maybe even new ideas of what writing can be!

Richard Loranger is a multi-genre writer, performer, text artist, and all-around squeaky wheel who has been working around the United States for over forty years. Their latest book of poetry and flash prose, Mammal, was released by Roof Books in October 2023. They’ve penned five other books and ten chapbooks, and have writing and text art in over 100 magazines and journals. Recent publications include a piece of anti-corporate text art in the upcoming issue 18 of Maintenant, and a short story that might or might not be very scary in the new great weather for MEDIA anthology Beacon Radiant. They’re also a prolific reader of poetry and spoken word, with over 500 featured performances to their credit. In June of 2024 they started a podcast to chronicle how eliminating television from their living space for one year is affecting their life, health, and creative work. My 12-Month Video Fast can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can find more about their work and scandals at www.richardloranger.com.

Host or Publisher California Writers Club — Berkeley Branch