Wednesday, August 30, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
11
COCC offers autobiography workshop Glaze Meadow
restoration set
Central
Oregon
Community College is offer-
ing a continuing education
10-week workshop for adults
on guided autobiography,
titled Write It Down. The
class will begin September
19. Each three-hour class will
meet on Tuesdays, from 1 to
4 p.m. in the Sisters Library
community room.
This workshop provides
structure for participants who
are interested in writing their
autobiography or memoir.
Each week, under the guid-
ance of facilitator and Sisters
resident Sue Stafford, mem-
bers will explore a different
life theme that has been influ-
ential in shaping their lives.
Writing is done at home on
each theme and then several
pages are shared in a small
group during the next class.
The first week explores major
branching points in partici-
pants’ lives. In subsequent
sessions members explore
such topics as family, the role
of money, major life work or
career, health and body, and
other topics that interweave to
form the tapestry of a life.
“Writing a guided autobi-
ography focused on central
themes in our lives can give
new meaning to our present
and future lives because it
helps us understand the past
more fully,” explains Stafford.
“This program is not therapy,
but the insights gained can
be very therapeutic. As sto-
ries are shared, strong bonds
of support are formed among
the participants. Previous
groups that have taken the
class, including the last fall
and spring groups, enjoyed
their experience so much they
elected to continue together as
ongoing writing groups.”
Former spring workshop
participant Bruce Barnes
described his experience this
way:
“Our group, of mostly
females, came together to
write about our lives but found
along the way, I’m guessing,
more than we’d signed up for.
There was a sense of discov-
ery. Even though I was in con-
trol of the keyboard, I never
really knew what was going
to appear on the next page –
what emotions I was going to
find; what memories would
appear, suddenly and unbid-
den; what words, phrases or
trails would appear. But, that’s
emotional/spiritual discovery.
There is also technical dis-
covery — use of voice; pac-
ing; flow; powerful (and not-
so-powerful) words — how
to paint a Technicolor picture
PHOTO PROVIDED
Sue Stafford will lead a guided
autobiography class in sisters.
rather than a muddy black
and white; and that pesky
grammar.”
The guided autobiogra-
phy program was developed
by James Birren, PhD, for-
mer associate director of
the UCLA Center on Aging,
based on his 25 years of
conducting autobiography
groups. Facilitator Stafford,
MA ABS, has a background
in counseling and expressive
arts therapy, as well as being
a freelance writer for The
Nugget and The Bulletin.
The cost of the 10-week
course is $179. To register
for the class, visit the online
COCC continuing education
catalog. Class size is limited
to 10 participants. For more
information about the class,
call instructor Sue Stafford at
541-549-2107.
Starting this week, the
Sisters Ranger District
will begin work to restore
Glaze Meadow, located
five miles northwest of
Sisters near Black Butte
Ranch.
The restoration work
will begin on August 31,
and continue until late
October. It is being done
in partnership with Trout
Unlimited.
The goal of the project
is to improve water stor-
age in the meadow, increase
habitat for wetland plant
and animal species and
reduce the encroachment
of ponderosa pine into the
meadow. To achieve these
goals, pond outlets are being
plugged, whole trees are
to be added for habitat and
the old ditches that were
used to drain the meadow
in the past are being filled.
Any areas that are disturbed
during the project imple-
mentation will be seeded
and planted with native
species at the end of the
project.
The Forest Service wants
to let hikers and horseback
riders who recreate in the
Glaze Meadow area know
that they need to be aware
of heavy equipment oper-
ating in the area during
weekdays.
For more information
about the project, con-
tact Nate Dachtler at the
Sisters Ranger District,
541-549-7725.
Outdoor Seating
Serving Lunch Noon to 5 p.m.
Dinner 5 p.m. to Close
Tasty Thursday: Aug. 31
Eugene Cellars, 5 -7 p.m.
Live Music: Sat., Sept. 2
Bill Keale, 7-9 p.m.
Open T
O
Tuesday-Saturday
d S t d 12
12-8
8 pm
391 W. Cascade Ave. | 541-549-2675
corkcellarswinebistro.com