The Manassas campus of Northern Virginia Community College will host its third annual writing conference later this month, and it will focus on writing’s intersection with mental health and visual arts.
The conference will take place Friday, April 28, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Colgan Theatre. The day will be split into two sessions highlighting how writing can play a role in positively shaping mental health and how to combine writing and visual arts while journaling.
The first session, Writing in the Time of Pain, Stress and Anxiety, will be helmed by Katie Clare from 10 a.m.-noon. Clare, the assistant dean of English at George Mason University and a certified mental health instructor, will speak about how writing can contribute to better mental health. Clare has a master’s in creative writing and is currently pursuing a doctorate in writing and rhetoric with an emphasis on mindfulness, well-being and contemplative pedagogies.
From 1-3 p.m., Cheryl Miehl will lead the second session, Visual Art Journaling. Supplies will offered on-site, and participants will learn how to journal using graphite, colored pencils, paint, mixed media and printmaking to see how writing and visual arts and writing work together in the medium. Attendees will be able to take home their projects. Miehl has a bachelor’s in art education and a master’s in mixed media painting and bookmaking. She currently teaches visual arts to grades 9-12 at Brentsville District High School and serves as the northern region president of the Virginia Art Education Association.
The writing conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required. You can register online here. Lunch is provided between the two sessions.
