I’ve been hard at work the past few days trying to focus my ongoing study of alternative story structure into something that looks like a Creative Writing Workshop that other people can use to kickstart a new project or maybe just taste-test as an inspiring exercise for the evening.

It’s all about taking risks and having the courage to take a route that hasn’t been proven yet.

So, as part of the workshop, I’m going to attempt to share passages from my unproduced full-length play Pepper Canyon Blues. It’s been in a state of hibernation

since 2019

since I ran out of desire to court continued rejection from strangers

since I took on too many paying jobs and continue to cycle in a burnout spiral

since the pandemic tried to kill theatre, too

etc.

I do believe in this play and time away has not killed my passion for it. If anything, I am more determined not to let this world I have created atrophy in the back of my mind, unseen by everyone except a handful of Point Park MFA students who saw something of value in it as well.

In honor of not giving up or in at least learning from my mistakes, I’d like to reserve time in my future to make sure this “Concept Play in 11 Tracks” – memories in the life of a tribute band from Scranton – is the best work I can shape. It may never please those readers who can’t comprehend the worth of a pleasure shaped unlike from the patriarchal orgasmic arc, but… I am for now, still very in love with this play.

Oh, and join us for the workshop if you can and see this post by Oct. 20, 2021. It’s a Zoomer so you can do it from home in your pajamas. It’s also gonna be a little weird, but it won’t be boring. xo-ali