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Grief Spiral: Writing Elegies Along a Curved Path

March 8-15, 2025, Saturdays, 10:30-1:30 p.m. (two sessions)

$165

In this two-part workshop, we’ll explore elegies, or poems of lament, through the lens of spirals. We can use these curved paths to structure poems, such as through recurring phrases or imagery, and to relax the brain while creating literary responses in conversation with death, loss, and transformation. We’ll examine elegies by poets such as Ada Limón, Terrance Hayes, and Sharon Olds, who reference spirals in imagery or form. We’ll draw spirals to generate phrases and ideas, view spiral-based photographs as inspiration, and incorporate movement activities as we generate, share, and revise our drafts.

Access Program
We want our writing classes and seminars to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that our tuition structure can present obstacles for some people. Our Access Program offers writing class and seminar tuitions at a reduced rate. Most writing classes have at least one access spot available.

Please apply here for access rate tuition. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org if you have questions.

Liaison position
Every in-person class and seminar at Literary Arts has one liaison position. Liaisons perform specific duties for each class meeting. If you are a liaison for a class or seminar, the full amount of your tuition is covered by Literary Arts.

Apply here for the liaison position.

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Alex Behr

Alex Behr

Alex Behr is the author of the story collections Animal Kingdom (pub date Nov 2026) and Planet Grim, both on 7.13 Books, and the poetry chapbook Grief Stick (Picture Frame Press). Her writing has been published in Tin House, Salon, Oregon Humanities, The Rumpus, Buckman Journal, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, and elsewhere. Her website and film projects have been supported by grants from the Regional Arts and Culture Council. Her poems and imagery appear in the short documentary Grief Stick, edited/directed by Brian Padian, which was nominated for Best Documentary at the Oregon Documentary Film Festival. Behr lives in Portland, where she teaches creative writing workshops and plays piano and bass guitar. Reach out at alexbehr.com.

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