Join me for 2 1/2 hours on Sunday, June 23 via video to PLAY AND WRITE. It will be light. It will be magical. It will be fun. We’ll use our six senses – that’s right, your intuition and gut as well – to write one or more characters who want to come to life for you.

You can register by sending an email with your name to rebeccainspiresnow@gmail.com and sending $44 payment via PayPal or Venmo.

Watch a short video I made about the doors opening for my workshop:

Here are the details:

WHAT: Magical Fictional Characters Workshop – Your characters don’t have to be influenced by magic, but our experience together will tap into the everyday magic that all of us can access. It’s a chance to use any senses available to you: sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing and intuition to craft characters who leap off of the page and meet you at the dinner table. You may choose one character based on a grandmother or someone you just met or on your imagination. You may walk away with a rough idea for a short story or even a book. Or you may have a project that just needs some focused love or a character who needs more dimension. All of these situations, and more, are reason enough to join me.

WHEN: Sunday, June 23 from 10am-12:30pm ET/1:00pm-3:30pm PT — check out this time zone converter to find the time from anywhere in the world.

HOW: Via zoom.us  If you haven’t used Zoom before, it’s free. You can check out tutorials here.

COST: $44 sent to me via PayPal or Venmo – If you prefer Zelle or another way to pay, email me at rebeccainspiresnow@gmail.com

REGISTER: Send an email to me at rebeccainspiresnow@gmail.com and send $44 payment via Venmo or PayPal

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Class size is being kept to under 20 people so if you’re thinking about it, go for it. You will get a recording of the workshop sent to you via email for future reference.

WHO: Rebecca Villarreal is Author of The Amazing Adventures of Selma Calderon, A Globetrotting Magical Mystery of Courage, Food and Friendship. With more than 30 years of writing experience, she is published in literary outlets around the world including the Paterson Literary Review and Gargoyle, among others. In addition, she’s been featured in the Huffington Post, Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. Rebecca has taught writing workshops to public school teachers and students. She has also performed on stage, TV and radio. Check out her author site at rebeccavillarreal.com.

Here’s what people who work with me and read my writing say:

“You are such a natural…so engaging. I loved it! You never cease to inspire me. Your voice is so needed in this world. I’m so glad you’re not afraid to use it!”

–Stacey Aaronson

“You will be swept away in a magical tale about the curious Selma Calderon and her adventures with her best friend Hurley, her guardian Guadey, and household pet Uli. Selma will inspire you to dream and believe in magic. Rebecca Villarreal creates a world where anything is possible-both good and bad-and how patience, understanding, love, and belief in oneself can truly be transformative. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. Selma is a good role model for young people and not so young people- she teaches us to approach life with an open mind and with gusto. You’ll experience life in Chicago as if you are actually there plus visit exotic locations. Truly a character driven story that will make you wait in anticipation to turn the next page for Selma’s next adventure.”

–John C. Kazmierczak

Read more amazon reviews here or the Huffington Post piece here.

Listen to my radio interview or check out my documentary from my time at Drop Out on Orcas, a writer’s residency.

Please join me or share with a friend!

#cucalacas

I have been writing to you all morning — through discomfort and grace. I made it to church and I often don’t make it to church.

I love being in community.

I do not like being squished shoulder to shoulder with people like on airplanes.

I love the choral music.

I can never keep track of where we are in the service.

I feel unabashedly loved by God and I am finally starting to understand Christ love in my heart.

I still believe in other paths to faith and love learning about and asking for support from Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, learning and wisdom as well as Ganesh, remover of obstacles.

I believe in human rights which include trans rights and gay marriage as well as a women’s right to choose and control her own body.

I am friends with people who disagree with me on all of the above.

I feel pretty out of place sometimes sitting at church with mostly older wealthy white people.

I fail at listening to the readings and the gospel and forget what they are about immediately after they are shared.

I’m good at finding that sweet spot in the sermon which gives me something to hold as I exit.

I always need to use the bathroom partway through the service.

I get super bored, even during the good parts.

I stand up and sit down at the wrong times, every time.

I question why I go at all if I can’t be consistent.

I love, love, love getting down on my knees to pray after communion.

I almost always want to cry from joy and sorrow.

I am overwhelmed by the love of the Holy Spirit which I feel in community, in the music, in the readings that I can never remember.

I try to go to fellowship coffee hour and talk to people and then feel awkward and uncomfortable and pull an Irish goodbye.

And still, I love this church community. It is welcoming, well-organized and steeped in love and service.

I am sharing this because of the “yes, and” of life.

People will disappoint and hurt you. People will abandon you.

People will love you unconditionally.

Do you need people? Is it worth risking your heart?

Yes and….

Faith is messy.

Prayers are not guaranteed or warrantied.

The unseen is not visible and tangible and it is open to a level of doubt that belies its magic.

Community can be uncomfortable.

It is easier to believe.

It is easier not to believe.

You have nothing in common with the people who disagree with you.

You have everything in common with the people who disagree with you.

Do you need people? It is worth risking your heart?

Yes and…

Rage is holy.

Forgiveness is holy and hard.

Love is easy and impossibly difficult.

Hearts break.

Hearts mend.

I am very close to NOT hitting publish on this blog post.

Do we need people? It is worth risking our hearts?

Yes and…

If you feel like giving up and giving in today, remember this:

I love you.

You have everything you need inside of you.

EVERYTHING.

And that is divine.

You don’t have to believe what I believe. I don’t have to believe what you believe. And when in doubt, you can also call on Alvin or nature or whatever brings you comfort. Just, again, know that you are loved.