Speaker

Laura Deal tells traditional, original, and personal tales to children and adults. You can hear her stories on YouTube, the Story Story Podcast, the Apple Seed on BYU Radio, and her CDs, The Diffendaffer Taffy Cafe and Other Stories and Simple, Clever, & Wise. Laura is a 2022 Chautauqua Scholar through a grant from Humanities North Dakota. She has appeared on festival stages (in person and online) across the U.S., and has taught writing classes for over a decade. She’s the author of The Newcomer’s Guide to the Invisible Realm: A Journey through Dreams, Metaphor, and Imagination, and Marbles: New and Collected Poems.

Laura offers the following presentations:

Splinter, Swivel, Synthesize: Reimagining Folk and Fairy Tales with Juxtaprise

Juxtaprise is a creative prompt Laura Deal developed over years of teaching writing classes. It involves putting diverse ideas together, then witnessing the surprising results as we see where our minds take us. Human minds are wired to seek connections between things. The more diverse the things are the more our minds try creative ideas we wouldn’t have found otherwise.

In this workshop, we’ll play with tropes, characters, and other elements of traditional folk and fairy tales to take those stories in new directions. The emphasis will be on process, rather than product, with the end goal of planting some seeds of ideas that might grow into full stories over time. As always in Laura’s classes, the rules are set in play dough, so come prepared to have fun!

In the Dreamtime Lost and Found: What Your Dreams (and Nightmares) Want You to Know

Do you ever wake up from a dream feeling comforted? Terrified? Confused? Our dreams, whether sublime or revolting, offer us insights through the symbols they represent. This talk offers an introduction to the basic themes present in every dream, no matter how fragmentary the images. You’ll also learn some simple tips for exploring the deeper meanings of your dreams, both on your own and with others. You’ll discover the touchstones for knowing when an interpretation is true for you. When you pay attention to your dreams, they will reward you with ever-unfolding meaning.

Dreams and Daydreams: Simple Ways to Boost Your Creativity

In this hectic, confusing world, it’s easy to get caught up in to-do lists and lose sight of the meaning behind it all. Yet meaning hides in plain sight, in the symbols our dreams offer us nightly, and in the longings we have for something “more.” This talk offers simple ways to shift your view point and tap into the creative energy that wants to be expressed. Listen to your dreams and daydreams to expand your creativity!

Laura K. Deal is certified as a Dream Work Facilitator through the Marin Institute for Projective Dream Work and has taught writing classes for more than ten years. She speaks about creativity, dreams, and metaphor. She’s the author of Marbles: New and Collected Poems and The Newcomer’s Guide to the Invisible Realm: A Journey through Dreams, Metaphor, and Imagination. Her stories have appeared in Cricket Magazine, WolfSongs Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, and in Space Sirens (Full-Throttle Space-Tales #2). Her poetry has appeared in Collective Dream Arts Magazine, and online. The critique group she helped start has been meeting for 25 years. You can find her at www.FirstChurchofMetaphor.com, www.LauraKDeal.com.

To book Laura:

720 891 3469