Review Elīza:

“It was a typical Latvian grey January morning. I hopped on a train to Āgenskalns, on my way to a writing workshop I wasn’t sure I was prepared for. All I had was a notebook, a pen, and an old family photo. I found a spot by the window, unsure what to expect, but two hours passed in a blur of memories, emotions, and warm conversations.

Alise Īlēna led us through childhood memories; scents, places, textures. Pulling the past closer. Rhodé Tavenier introduced free writing, something I had never done before. I wrote about a house in Rīga that no longer exists, a place I know only through stories. By the end, I realized writing doesn’t have to be planned. It just needs space to unfold.”

This January me and Alisa Īlena organized together the very first “Zudusī Latvija Writing Workshop”.

This workshop was a first step for me to try to bring my Zudusī Latvija Project out of the digital and into the physical space. A way to let the stories of Latvians come to me, a way to build a feeling of community.

I met Alisa through her wonderful project Cycle Stories, to which I contributed my own Cycle Story. The workshop became an afternoon full of writing, memories and tea. Alisa guided us through a visualization in which we brought the past back to life, I guided us through several free writing exercises.

Are you interested in joining a writing workshop, or contributing a story? Email to zudusilatvija@gmail.com