Phil Cousineau
Phil Cousineau is a freelance writer, documentary filmmaker, independent scholar, worldwide lecturer, storyteller, and creativity consultant. He grew up just outside of Detroit, where he moonlighted in a steel factory for four years while studying journalism at the University of Detroit. His life-long fascination with the art, literature, and history of culture has taken him on myriad journeys around the world. He lectures frequently on a wide range of topics from mythology, film, and writing, to beauty, travel, sports, and creativity. His forty-plus published works include several bestsellers such as The Art of Pilgrimage, The Hero’s Journey: The Life and Work of Joseph Campbell, Stoking the Creative Fires, and Once and Future Myths. His most recent books include The Art of Travel Journal, The Oldest Story in the World, Beyond Forgiveness: Reflections on Atonement and Reconciliation, and Burning the Midnight Oil, which was featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. Cousineau also has over twenty-five documentary film credits including The Hero’s Journey: The Life and Work of Joseph Campbell; Ecological Design: Inventing the Future; Wayfinders: A Pacific Odyssey, and Forever Activists: Stories from the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, which was nominated in 1991 for an Academy Award. Since 2009, Cousineau has been the host and co-writer of the much-acclaimed series “Global Spirit.” As described by journalist Bill Moyers, “The discussions on the ‘Global Spirit’ series are sorely needed in this dispirited and disenchanted world. In many ways, it is more important than journalism today.” Cousineau has served as guest host on “New Dimensions Radio,” the longest-running radio interview show in history, and as a commentator on mythology in the movies for Warner Brothers, and the mythology of baseball for MLB.com and the Smithsonian Channel. Cousineau has been invited to lecture at many distinguished venues such as the University of California, Berkeley; Stanford University; Syracuse University; the University of Indiana, Pacifica Graduate Institute; several C.G. Jung Institutes; the American Film Institute, the TEDx Conference in San Jose; and on board the QE2. He has been a Fellow of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, and a Board Member of Sacred Sites International, and is a long-standing member of the Author’s Guild. He lives with his family on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco.
Learn more @ http://www.philcousineau.com
Virtual Workshop Schedule — Register here
Master Class Thursday, September 24, 2020–11:45 am to 4:00 pm
Stoking the Creative Fires: the Nine Stages of Writing
“Genius is the power for lighting your own flame.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
What are you on fire about now? Where does your fiery urge to create come from? What do you do to rekindle the inner flame of creativity when it is nearly extinguished by despair or fear? And what are you doing to pass on the torch of your inspiration? These questions are at the heart of one of the greatest human mysteries of all — creativity. This seminar explores the history of creativity, from painting and writing to photography, movies, and business, but its emphasis is on the practices, exercises, and sparks that enable us to sustain a creative life in any chosen field. To do this, we will focus on the three incandescent stages of the creative journey: Inspiration, Perspiration, and Realization. Each session will feature stories, film clips, and animated discussion. Our themes will include: the cultivation of work habits, the use of dreams, the role of mentors, the dreaded creative block, the myth of genius, and the ever-changing role of the publishing world. We will also engage in writing and active imagination exercises as tools for finding our true voice and deepening our work. The workshop is designed for all those who are fascinated by the possibility of lifelong creative writing including poets, novelists, memoirists, screenwriters, travel writers, journalists, and thesis writers.
Saturday, September 26, 2020–10:15 to 11:15 am
The Writer’s Odyssey: Bringing your Work Home
Have you ever felt as if you were wandering aimlessly with your writing, lost in the labyrinth of storytelling without a clue how to finish — to get home again? Take heart! This workshop explores the uncanny parallels between the writing life and Homer’s Odyssey by helping you visualize your work as a mythic journey. This intensive but entertaining approach will help you identify which stage of the writing journey you are on now, and through a series of exercises, will provide a map to guide you home with your completed manuscript.
The virtual bookstore will have the following for sale:
