Contact Me

Susan Sink: retreat and workshop leader

I am available to do presentations and workshops on The Saint John’s Bible and on writing poetry. I have experience working with grades 3-12 and adults, and taught Creative Writing and English at the community college level for 8 years.

I am passionate on these subjects, and a knowledgeable and enthusiastic presenter. One of my primary goals is to engage people with the materials and generate their own creativity and insight, be it about the nature of God expressed in art or the human experience expressed in poetry.

Poetry

Poetry Reading:

I am happy to come to schools or libraries or other venues and read from and discuss my poetry. Depending on the venue and requirements, my fee is very flexible (especially if I can sell books!).

Poetry in the Schools:

I was trained as a Poet-in-the-Schools in California and love working on reading and writing poetry with grades 4-12. This can be a one-time visit or an entire poetry unit. As a unit, I would visit the classroom each week for an hour and bring a writing exercise. At the end of the unit we would “publish” a selection of the students’ work. I would also be happy to work with students and technology, including putting their work on the online blog site, cowbird.com or self-publishing.

Making Visible: Reading and Writing Poetry

This is a workshop I have offered twice in the past year in a retreat setting that proved to be very powerful and positive for the participants. It is not just about digging deep into our personal experience, which it certainly does, but also about what poetry does, the craft of lines, stanzas, even fixed forms, that help us access and tell our stories. By beginning with my own poetry and how I came to write it, the workshop encourages risk-taking and sharing. I have spent years reading, writing and thinking about the craft of poetry. The themes pursued are identity and imagination, the promise and possibilities of poetry.

The retreat works best when offered to a group of 6-10 people, with time to share the writing produced during the workshop. It can be offered as either a 1 1/2 day commuter retreat or a Friday night to Sunday noon residential retreat.

Please contact me at susanmsink@gmail.com to discuss offering this retreat or creating a retreat or workshop for your group.

The Saint John’s Bible

As author of The Art of The Saint John’s Bible, I have spent a lot of time with the illuminations in this project. I have also given presentations at Saint John’s University, parish churches and organizations throughout Minnesota, including three days of presentations in Duluth and a “day of immersion” in Wisconsin and Illinois. My preference is for faith-based communities of any type, as I don’t really have an interest in talking about “just” the art. I am able to tailor the presentation to the liturgical season and happy to help coordinate additional materials through The Saint John’s Bible Project to have on site.

My rates for these presentations are:

Introduction to The Saint John’s Bible:
Powerpoint presentation, approx 1.5 hrs  $200
Day of Immersion:
Introduction in the morning + visio divina experience in the afternoon $500
Presentation on a specific volume or topic related to The Saint John’s Bible:
Powerpoint presentation and guided discussion, approx 2 hrs $250

I’m happy to work with you to devise a schedule and presentation or presentations for your group. Contact me at susanmsink@gmail.com