When: This course will meet for 1.5 hours weekly for 6-weeks on Tuesdays from February 7 to March 14, 2023. The start time for the first week’s session in various time zones is as follows:
February 7, 2023, at 2 pm Honolulu, 4 pm Los Angeles, 6 pm Mexico City, 7 pm New York, midnight London, and
February 8, 2023, at 8 am Beijing, 9 am Tokyo, 11 am Sydney, 1 pm Auckland.
Where: Zoom (details to be shared upon registration)
What: Online peace writing course with Author/Activist Rivera Sun. Limited to 40 participants.
The pen is mightier than the sword … or the bullet, tank, or bomb. This course is about how the power of the pen can be lifted to promote peace. While war and violence are normalized in books, movies, news, and other aspects of our culture, peace and nonviolent alternatives are often overlooked or under-represented. Despite the evidence and options, most of our neighbors and fellow citizens have no idea that peace is possible. In this 6-week course with award-winning author Rivera Sun, you will explore how to write about peace.
We’ll look at how the written word can portray solutions like unarmed peacekeeping, violence de-escalation, peace teams, civil resistance, and peacebuilding. We’ll dig into examples of how writers from Tolstoy to Thoreau to today have spoken out against war. From anti-war classics like Catch-22 to sci-fi peace literature like the Binti Trilogy to Rivera Sun’s award-winning Ari Ara Series, we’ll look at how weaving peace into story can capture cultural imagination. We’ll work on best practices for writing about peace and antiwar themes in op-eds and editorials, articles and blogs, and even social posts. We’ll also get creative, exploring story and poetry, looking at novels and fictional portrayals of peace.
This course is for everyone, whether you think of yourself as a “writer” or not. If you love fiction, join us. If you gravitate toward journalism, join us. If you’re not sure, join us. We will have a lot of fun in this welcoming, encouraging, and empowering online community.
You will learn:
- How to write about peace and anti-war themes for various publications
- How to address/debunk misperceptions around peace
- How to capture readers’ attention and convey a powerful message
- Creative ways to portray peace in nonfiction and fiction
- The art of the op-ed, blog post, and article
- The science of creative writing featuring alternatives to war
Participants should have a working computer with a microphone and camera. Each week, participants will be given a reading assignment and an optional writing assignment to complete.
About the Instructor: Rivera Sun is a change-maker, a cultural creative, a protest novelist, and an advocate for nonviolence and social justice. She is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection, The Way Between and other novels. She is the editor of Nonviolence News. Her study guide to making change with nonviolent action is used by activist groups across the country. Her essays and writings are syndicated by Peace Voice, and have appeared in journals nationwide. Rivera Sun attended the James Lawson Institute in 2014 and facilitates workshops in strategy for nonviolent change across the country and internationally. Between 2012-2017, she co-hosted nationally two syndicated radio programs on civil resistance strategies and campaigns. Rivera was the social media director and programs coordinator for Campaign Nonviolence. In all of her work, she connects the dots between the issues, shares solutionary ideas, and inspires people to step up to the challenge of being a part of the story of change in our times. She is a member of World BEYOND War’s Advisory Board.
“Writing for peace and nonviolence is what we are called to do. Rivera can help us actualize that for each of us.” – Tom Hastings
“If you don’t think of yourself as a writer, don’t believe it. Rivera’s class helped me see what is possible.” – Donnal Walter
“Through Rivera’s course, I met a group of people from different backgrounds, who all care about the issues I do. I am sure you will enjoy the journey!” – Anna Ikeda
“I loved this course! Not only is Rivera an extremely talented author and facilitator, it motivated me to write weekly and receive helpful feedback from my peers.” – Carole St. Laurent
“This has been an amazing course giving us a chance to … look at a number of different types of writing from opEds to fiction.” – Vickie Aldrich
“I was surprised by how much I learned. And Rivera has an amazing ability to give encouragement and helpful tips without in any way making us feel bad for the writing.” – Roy Jacob
“For me, this course scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. The breadth of the course inspired me and the depth was total choice. I loved how much it could be personally tailored and meaningful.” – Sarah Kmon
“A wonderful melting pot of ideas for writing … in a myriad forms and for writers of all levels.” – Myohye Do’an
“Kind, insightful, and fun.” – Jill Harris
“A lively course with Rivera!” – Meenal Ravel
“Fun and filled with great ideas.” – Beth Kopicki
