Diana Raab, PhD - Events

For Inquiries:
Please send general inquiries to diana@dianaraab.com

Workshop Topics

NOTE:  Upon request Diana will customize her workshops to meet the individual needs of your group or organization.

Writing for Bliss: Telling Your Story and Transforming Your Life

Writing for bliss is about being mindful of the messages of your heart, and tapping into your authentic voice. In this workshop, you’ll experiment with different forms of writing—journaling, memoir, and poetry.  In the process, you’ll be guided down a path of self-discovery that cultivates your path to bliss. Appropriate for emerging and advanced writers, this workshop will inspire you to express yourself through the written word in a profound and meaningful way. 

Personal Writing for Well-Being and Empowerment

Transformation can result in a dramatic change to your physical or psychological well-being. Telling your story can help in the process. Everyone has a story that needs to be told—whether it’s the result of a life-changing event or a transcendental experience.  This workshop will help you access your story, and will provide you with a wealth of ideas and methods on how to tell it. You will be nurtured through the writing process via meditation, mindfulness, and other techniques to help access the writer within, resulting in a new sense of empowerment and an overall sense of well-being.

Writing as a Spiritual Practice: A Path to an Enlightened Perspective 

Spirituality is the search for truth. Writing as a spiritual practice can connect you to a state of authenticity—and ultimately your reason for being. This knowing can lead to a sense of joy and peace, personally and professionally. This workshop will give you an enlightened perspective on the spiritual power of the written word. You will be invited to create a sacred space, cultivate your imagination, share your stories, and experience the power of writing to heal and grow.

Writing and Lust: Bringing Your Inner Passion to the Page

Lust is one of the most natural human feelings, expressing itself as a sense of wonder that feeds the soul, as a physical craving for another person, or as a desire to pursue creative endeavors.  It can be experienced as two bodies speaking lovingly to one another, or as a solo journey into the world of imagination. Through discussion and writing prompts, you will embark on a fun and illuminating journey that will leave you breathless for more. All participants will receive a free, autographed copy of Diana’s latest poetry collection, Lust.

The Writing Labyrinth: Managing the Twists and Turns of Creative Writing

A labyrinth is a wonderful metaphor for life through which we follow a path inward, then make our way to the other side, using a circular, repeating pattern. Inside the labyrinth, there are times when you might feel lost, and other times when your path flows more freely. But no matter which journey you take, it will be one of self-discovery.This workshop will explore what happens when your path during the writing process takes you in a completely unexpected direction. You will gain an understanding of the nonlinear process of creativity, and how it beats to its own drum and occurs in its own time.

The Writer’s Notebook—
A Springboard for Effectively
Using a Journal

Keeping a notebook is an important part of a writer’s toolkit. It is a place to work out creative ideas, practice writing styles, and tap into your inner muse. Your notebook’s contents may serve as a springboard for poems, stories, essays, and full-length books.Through discussion and writing prompts, this inspiring workshop will show you how to effectively use a journal. It will also offer ideas on how to transform notebook entries into publishable and compelling work. This program is open to both emerging and published writers.

Writing a Riveting Memoir:
A Roadmap for Crafting a Compelling Story

This workshop will offer you tips on how to write a compelling memoir, focusing on the elements that hold a reader’s interest. It will help you understand what compels someone to pick up your book instead of someone else’s—and inspire you to just get down to it and write. The program will include lectures, discussions, and writing prompts; and is open to those who have been contemplating writing a memoir, as well as writers who have already begun doing so.

Finding Your Voice and Discovering Your Story

You might feel as if you’re at a place in your life when you want to begin writing—whether it is poetry, fiction, or nonfiction—but you aren’t clear about how to embark on that process. This workshop will help you navigate where and how to begin.Tips will also be provided on how you can tap into your inner voice and nurture the dormant writer inside of you through self-expression, discussion, and writing prompts.

WORKSHOPS

2024

January 23, 2024
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
“Writing Rituals for The New Year”
Santa Barbara Public Library
40 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA
For more information, click here

January 25, 2024
“Journaling for Healing and Transformation”
Private Event
Seattle Study Club
National Symposium
The Ritz-Carlton Bacara Resort

January 27, 2024
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
“Connecting with Your Ancestors in 2024: Book Launch and Writing Workshop”
NEW BOOK: Hummingbird: Messages from My Ancestors
Sacred Space
2594 Lillie Avenue
Summerland, CA


2023

February 3, 2023
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
“Writing Love Letters”
Casa Dumetz Wines
Tasting Room
388 Bell Street
Los Alamos, CA  93440
RSVP: diana@dianaraab.com

April 18, 2023
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
“Writing for Bliss: What’s Your Story?”
Yoga Soup
Santa Barbara, CA

June 18-23, 2023
9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m
“Writing a Compelling Memoir”
Santa Barbara Writers Conference
Santa Barbara, CA
To register: Click here 

July 29th, 2023
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
“A One-Day Writing Retreat: Crafting Your Memoir”
Limited to 10 participants
Santa Barbara, CA
For more information, email: assistant@dianaraab.com

August 4, 2023
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
“Write. Heal. Transform.”
The Sacred Space
Summerland, CA

September 19 – 23, 2023
“Writing For Bliss: What’s Your Story?”
Miraval Resort and Spas
Austin, TX

October 7, 2023
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
“Write. Heal. Transform.”
— Cancelled —
Mystic Journey
2923 Main Street.
Santa Monica, CA 90405

December 5, 2023
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
“Let’s Write: Creating Harmony During the Holidays”
Santa Barbara Public Library
40 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA
To register: Click here

2022

June 20, 2022
6 p.m. – 7 p.m. CST
See Jane Write
“Writing for Bliss: Pop-Up Writing Workshop”
Via Zoom
To register: Click here

December 2, 2022
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. PST
“Personal Writing for Well-Being: Workshop”
The University Club of Santa Barbara
(Members Only)
Santa Barbara, CA

Archived

READINGS & SIGNINGS

2024

January 13, 2024
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 c
HUMMINGBIRD: MESSAGES FROM MY ANCESTORS
Book Launch Party + Reading
Tecolote Bookshop
1470 East Valley Road
Montecito, CA

February 10, 2024
6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
“Hummingbird Book Launch, Party and Signing”
Ikat and Pearls
28 S. California Street
Ventura, CA

2023

February 11, 2023
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Reading and Signing
An Imaginary Affair: Poems Whispered to Neruda
Paradise Found
17 E. Anapamu St.
Santa Barbara, CA

February 13, 2023
6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
“Valentine Celebration & Love Poetry with Diana Raab”
Ikat and Pearls
28 S. California Street
Ventura, CA

April 19, 2023
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
“Spirits in the Air: Potent Potable Poetry”
The Good Lion
Santa Barbara, CA

November 9, 2023
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Community Environmental Council’s Environmental Hub
1219 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA

December 2, 2023
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
“Local Author Book Fair”
Book sales and signing
Santa Barbara Public Library
40 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA


2022

April 26, 2022
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
“Spirits in the Air: Poetry Reading”
The Good Lion
Santa Barbara, CA

July 26, 2022
6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
“An Imaginary Affair”
Chaucers Books
Santa Barbara, CA

October 29, 2022
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
“An Imaginary Affair”
Tecolote Books
Montecito, CA

November 3, 2022
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
“An Imaginary Affair”
Ventura County Poetry Project
Ventura, CA

Archived

PRESENTATIONS

2022

March 2, 2022
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. E.S.T.
“Writing Your Memoir: How to Get Started”
Richmond Community Library
Richmond, MI
via Zoom

June 28, 2022
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. E.S.T.
“Writing for Bliss: Telling Your Story and Transforming Your Life”
Bridgman Public Library
Bridgman, MI
via Zoom

June 30, 2022
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. E.S.T
“Writing Your Memoir: How To Get Started”
Cass District Library
Edwardsburg, MI
via Zoom

August 13, 2022
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PST
“Memoir Writing for Healing, Transformation and Empowerment”
ATP Forum
via Zoom

Archived