A first-time HippoCamp speaker, Karen Carnabucci will lead a breakout session that will address writer’s block. And, as a Lancaster resident, she’s also sure to be a good resource for local reccs! Thanks to Karen for participating in our Q&A!
Tell us a little about your involvement this year at HippoCamp.
Every writer, me included, has moments of no words. My session will focus on ways to get the words flowing again.
This session is not a writing workshop – we presume you know how to write!— but a workshop that teaches active tools that you can use again and again to refresh yourself, rearrange your brain and rediscover your inner wisdom.
Standing in the perspective that writing is a whole-person activity, I’ll be offering a variety of activities to jumpstart your inner writer, such as imaginative play, oracle cards, improvisational imagery and more. We’ll have fun and make new connections — both with other people and within our own brain’s neural pathways and body.
The session is designed for all writers, both new and accomplished, who have experienced writers’ block at some point. I hope to give everyone a variety of tools to express their brilliant selves.
Our motto is “memorable creative nonfiction.” Tell us about one of the more recent memoirs, essay collections, or individual essays you’ve read and why it was memorable.
How much time do I have and how much space do you have? I love non-fiction and I love personal stories. A recent read is “Modern Love,” a collection of essays originally published in The New York Times. Each essay was sweet and thoughtful and made me think about the meaning and experience of love.
Two days ago I finished “Dr. Frau,” a older memoir of a woman doctor who spent years delivering babies for Amish women right here in Lancaster County. Because we have Amish friends, and I’ve driven the same country roads that she drove, I loved imagining this doctor’s travels and adventures. Next up in “Slow Medicine: The Way to Healing,” by Dr. Victoria Sweet, who is passionate in calling for more humane ways of healing.
I also had the opportunity to assist Regina Moreno, the daughter of Dr. J.L. Moreno, the psychiatrist who was internationally known as the developer of psychodrama, with her memoir, published earlier this year. It’s titled “Words of the Daughter: A Memoir” and she tells about growing up next door to the mental hospital her father operated. The mental patients were her childhood friends.
What made you decide to participate in HippoCamp this year as a speaker?
My friends and colleagues Jeanette Hurt and Damon Brown presented at the last HippoCamp conference and raved about its wonderful-ness. Jeanette, who knows the unusual work that I do with improvisational drama, suggested this topic would be excellent for writers who want to move past creative blocks.
What’s going to keep you busy between now and HippoCamp?
I’m keeping busy with my online teaching for my Lancaster School of Psychodrama and Experiential Psychotherapies. Otherwise, I’m loving gardening — my squash, basil and tomato plans are huge! — and I’m the steward-librarian for the Little Free Library in our neighborhood.
Since you’ll also be attending the conference, when you’re not wearing your “speaker hat,” what are you most looking forward to learning or doing?
I love networking, meeting new people and finding out what people are doing, writing, and thinking about.
We love introducing Lancaster to attendees. Since you live here, what would you recommend to other attendees?
I’ve lived in Lancaster for a long time — minus 16 years in Wisconsin. I love Lancaster. You must check out Central Market, along with Radiance, one of my fave shops outside the back door of market.
If you’re looking for a walk, the 300 block of North Queen Street has wonderful shops selling art, vintage goods, clothing, quirky stuff and more. Favorites are Telltale Dress, My Aunt Debbie, Madcap and Co., The Scarlett Willow, Sophie Stargazer Boutique and more.
What are YOU writing?
I’m outlining two books that I’m planning to write — one about creative teletherapy for helping professionals, and the other about how food and diet impact our mental and emotional health which will have the flavor of a teeny memoir.
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To learn more about HippoCamp: A Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers and see our full list of speakers and sessions, visit the official conference website.
