“I have faith in our innate need to be creative. It’s what has fueled our progress from the Stone Age to the Digital Age… and will shape our future… Perhaps, evolution endowed us with a creativity gene to ensure our survival, so that we will continue to explore, reach beyond and thereby change and grow.”
~ Sally Wiener Grotta, from her essay I Can Do That
“Honest, humorous, human… I feel inspired and supported on my own creative path.”
~ Beth Berkhauser, Hexagon Project
Do you enjoy telling or writing stories? Do you dream of writing your memoir or a novel or some other creative work? Are you looking to improve your storytelling skills or seeking inspiration and guidance for a specific writing project?
Sally uses stories, writing exercises and lessons on the craft of storytelling and writing to encourage and nurture her audiences’ creativity. Depending on the audience, Sally tailors her creativity workshops and lectures to all levels of experience, from novices to professional writers. Programs may be an hour, a day, or several days. See Below for a sampling of the Creativity, Writing & Storytelling Programs that Sally offers conferences, schools, companies, fund-raisers and other organizations.
For information about Sally’s photography master classes, workshops, and presentations, please Click Here.
Types of Speaking Topics & Programs Offered
Sally designs every workshop, lecture or program specifically for the interests and needs of the audience. Most can range from one hour to one day to several days. (Please click on the title of the program to read its description.)
Explore the nature of creativity with Sally. She will discuss her creative process, share tales of her remarkable real-life adventures, and answer your questions about creativity, storytelling, publishing and the business of writing. In addition, she will guide you through exploring facets of your own innate creativity.
Do you have a story within you that you’re aching to write? In this workshop, Sally will help you understand how to craft your tale, and guide you through exercises to finetune your storytelling skills. In longer workshops, Sally will help individual participants develop their tales and suggest the next steps to complete and share their work.
Turning your passion – such as being a writer or artist – into a successful business requires intelligent planning, discipline and focus. Sally will provide guidance on structuring your creativity business so it may be both productive and satisfying.
Do you want to write a compelling non-fiction work that readers (and editors) can’t put down? Tell a great story. Sally will share techniques for using classic storytelling to create memorable non-fiction, while maintaining the factual integrity of the story. We will critique and discuss specific published articles to explore what elements of storytelling worked and how we might craft them to improve the readers’ experience. In addition, Sally will guide you through various writing exercises to finetune your storytelling skills.
What are the common elements of the books and movies that have been the most impactful in generating shifts in the sociopolitical climate? Sally will explore with the class techniques involved in crafting a compelling story that could inspire social and political change.
You have a great idea for a book or an article; now what? Sally will explain how to write a query and get it into the right hands, find an agent, negotiate contracts, work with your agent and editors, effective marketing, and other good business practices. She will also explain how the industry works, including traditional and self-publishing, and other options for getting your work seen and read by the public.
Sally Wiener Grotta occasionally accepts invitations to be an artist-in-residence, which can include a combination of lectures, readings, workshops, mentoring, etc.
Please use the Contact page to start the discussion with Sally about customizing a program to fit the particular purposes of your school, company, organization, conference, or fund-raising event.
“Sally was AMAZING!!! She was radiant and ignited us all in thought and laughter.”
~ Constance Denchy, Scranton’s Women’s History Month