Misery is easy – joy takes discipline.

As haiku master Issa pointed out, writing is a product of trust. You cannot trust what does not bring you joy. We must celebrate every sense we have when we put words on paper. That is the discipline.

But this is also a dance. You need your eyes, your ears, your nose, your touch. And you need your sixth sense as well. The wonder of being in a beautiful place with beautiful people doing a beautiful thing is that every sense can be drenched and satisfied. Our task now is to collaborate with our experience and make words of light and shadow. Forget audience, forget career, forget fame or fortune. Let us celebrate.

And “joy” doesn’t mean writing hilarity. It means the process (even talking about painful things) should be triumphant. When you look at the Jardin in San Miguel, you might find shadows of your own relatives and family. Are the indigenous children selling little pieces of art on the street a reflection or a contrast to children you have known? Are any of them you? When you step into the cathedral, do you feel the hopes and despair? If you are lucky, you might go outside of town to watch the murmuration (that magical shifting cloud of nesting birds at sunset that looks like a special effect) – that same murmuration in a different language happens in Nebraska.

This is a generative workshop. It is a combination of experience, lecture, and writing time. Luis gives you as many examples and writing prompts as can fit into your time, leaving ample time for writing. We complete writing exercises and share them with each other. Sometimes it might just be an exercise in seeing, but it all to goes into your notebooks. This workshop requires your acceptance of the many gifts of the day. Once you see them, they never stop coming. In some ways, Luis sees writing like a hummingbird that must be welcomed into your garden. Bring lots of pens and pencils. (Luis recommends reading The Hummingbird's Daughter if you want to understand his underlying thoughts on gifts, grace and trust).