Workshop Tanja Dückers

Maybe it was the need for a break, maybe the sun finally making a comeback, that kept all but four enthusiasts including myself away from the writing workshop Tanja Dückers was holding this Saturday at the fortress. This turned out to be a blessing, as Tanja took the time to pose a whole bouquet of tasks and made us read out all our works aloud. Starting with a description of our children's room we moved on to the apartment of an old lady recently fallen in love and an encounter of the same lady with a cat to practise dialogue. Also images and mental illnesses were used as inspirations. Tanja was a miracle of patience, listening wholeheartedly to our creations, picking out small imperfections and praising formulations she especially liked. Her inviting smile made it possible for me to lay off the nervousness about exposing myself on such a personal level. We all eagerly awaited to hear the texts of the others, and the next task. When we walked out, we were a bit exhausted after the flood of words and ideas, but very happy about having participated and the encouraging words we had received from nobody less than a real writer, although she would protest at this distinction, to our astonishment we noticed it was already 4 pm. We had spent about 6 hours writing. Tanja, thank you very much for sharing your time and energy with us.