Does making great art require great suffering?

Sure – suffering can nudge us toward making art, begging us to transform it into something else. This is a fantastic impulse. But the impulse to make the process of writing feel like suffering? That’s only going to prevent you from creating the art you dream of making.

Enter: curiosity, experimentation, and play.

At Close Reading Studio, my desire is to help you develop a writing practice that feels playful, fun, and irresistible. Here, you will develop close reading skills, learn how to discuss literature in technical and theoretical terms, and most importantly, you’ll cultivate a spirit of experimentation, playfulness, and curiosity towards your own writing process. You’re going to read new work, write new work, and have really fun conversations with the kind of people you want to be in your creative corner.

An important note. I believe all people should have access to creative community. All offerings at Close Reading Studio are NOTAFLOF (no one turned away for lack of funds).

See for yourself! Take a class, change your life.

We're So Back

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We're So Back 〰️

July Workshop: Keeping the Chanel Open

Where does art come from? Is inspiration something you have to wait to strike? Or can you coax it out of hiding and into your lap? Martha Graham, visionary dancer and choreographer, would encourage us all to start coaxing: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.”

In this one day workshop, we’ll explore the long history of witchcraft (or symbolic ritual) as a catalyst for creating new work. And, we’ll learn how magical practices like color magic, spell jars, sigils, tarot, and moon rituals can help us keep the channel open. At the end of class, you’ll leave with an understanding of how you fit into the tradition of witchcraft and writing, four strategies for getting unblocked creatively, and a new writer friends :)

IRL: Thursday, July 31st from 7-10pm. Food, Wine, and Magical Supplies Included. $88.88 NOTAFLOF.

Enroll: Email Me!

Oh but wait there’s more…

Writing Coaching

Hello from your Writing Dominatrix! Weekly one-on-one writing coaching to help you bring your dream project to life. I set the deadlines, design a custom syllabus, and craft custom writing prompts to get you closer to reaching your goal. All you have to do is – get to work.

Step on Me

I also throw parties, follow Ash on Instagram xx

What our Students Have to Say about Close Reading Studio

“Ash pulls you into the literary world by slicing and dicing themes so gracefully. The reading lists are always so well thought out. They connect magically during our workshops in our discussions. The prompts inspire and gently push your creative boundaries to show you, you all have it in you, all along. She holds space for that creative spark turn into a fire.”

“I’m currently in an MFA program and took this course for something fun and challenging over the summer, and it was more rewarding and generative than a few of my MFA courses. I highly recommend taking Ash's course not only for her skills as a teacher, but her care in gathering texts, prompts, questions, and people.”

“Ash teaches by stealth. Coaxes you along the riverbank with easy-seeming prompts then drops in one last lure and you're out of your depth and scrambling - like any serious writer should be.”

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

No one is turned away for lack of funds. We believe that the study and practice of writing should be divorced from means.
If you don't have the means to pay for class, no worries. We're open to reduced rates, payment plans, and trades.
Generative writing workshops are centered around generating new writing. We'll read deeply and allow the work to inspire our writing.
In each workshop, you'll receive questions to guide your reading experience and two take home writing prompts.
You will also be encouraged to approach your writing with levity, curiosity, and joy.
Primarily Ash, along with guest artists, and some visiting faculty (yay!)
Want to teach with CRS? We'd love to hear from you. Email Ash 💌

Both! Generally every workshop has a session that meets online to complement those that meet in NYC.
We've had students from Amsterdam, Rome, Los Angeles, and more 🌍
I also provide one-on-one writing coaching for those working on longer projects. It’s a lot of fun.
Need support in another way? Ask for what you need <3
Email me!

Ash Pattison-Scott is a writer from California, now based in Brooklyn. She holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from the University of California, Berkeley and an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College where she was a Randall Jarrell Fellow.

She’s taught writing at at UC Berkeley, San Quentin State Prison, and SUNY Purchase. Her writing has appeared in The Plentitudes, Cleavland Review of Books, and Roxanne Gay’s Emerging Writer’s series The Audacity.

She loves: Being awake at 2am and also being asleep at 2am, Von Dutch the song, integrity, honesty, and authenticity, bringing people together, yapping.

She does not love: hierarchies, microplastics, missing a party.