Writing Ourselves Home with Raisa Tolchinsky – G26060307
In this creative writing workshop, we will ask: how can a writing practice help us come home to ourselves, to live more deeply, with more attention and more awareness of the present moment? How can we nurture writing that arises from curiosity and honesty, instead of writing that tries to be ‘good’?” How might writing become a wellspring, a source of joy, and a nourishing practice through the ups and downs of life?
Our time will include guided prompts of various genres, short readings and discussions, reflective workshops, and slow moments in the stunning landscape of Ghost Ranch. We’ll write both in community and on our own. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of their personal writing rhythms and practices, as well as resources to support their writing beyond our time together.
This workshop welcomes all skill levels—no prior creative writing experience necessary.
Instructor
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Raisa TolchinskyRaisa Tolchinsky is the poet-in-residence at Ghost Ranch for the 2026–2027 year, where she is developing new work rooted in landscape, myth, and the contemplative life of the high desert. She is the author of Glass Jaw (Persea Books, 2024), winner of the 2023 Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize, a collection that explores the world of women’s boxing. Raisa holds an MFA in poetry from the University of Virginia and a Master of Religion from Harvard Divinity School, where she focused on writing as a form of chaplaincy. Her poems have appeared in Boston Review, Kenyon Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, and other journals. Previously, she served as the 2022–2023 George Bennett Writer-in-Residence at Phillips Exeter Academy and taught as a visiting faculty member at Indiana University. She is a partner, daughter, sister, friend– an Italian speaker, lover of long walks and cold swims, and a forever student.