Writing a Self-Portrait,” touches on different journaling styles and how each can help strengthen self-expression and self-discovery skills, wrote Jill Harry, a local writer who will be teaching a free four-week class on journaling this fall in Franklin.

The class is made possible through an Erie Arts and Culture grant through the National Endowment for the Arts.

Classes will run from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturdays, Oct. 14, 21 and 28, and Nov. 4 in the Barrow-Civic Little Theatre, in Franklin.
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Earlier this year, Harry presented the topic as a guest speaker in the Community Conversation series at the Franklin Public Library. The expanded class offers a more in-depth look at four different styles of journaling and offers students a chance to try each. Students will also be given opportunities to share their writings with the class as they feel comfortable and receive verbal and written feedback as time allows.

Tuition to attend the class as well as the workbook written by Harry will be provided for free. The class size will be limited to ensure students have ample time to ask questions and share journal entries. The class is appropriate for those wanting to write for self-discovery (private journaling) as well as those wanting to write for self-expression (public or semi-public writing).
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Harry designed the class and the workbook around her experiences journaling through life-changing experiences in 2021 and periodically throughout her lifetime.

Many of the 2021 entries were posted in a blog-style Facebook group called Love and Family Beyond DNA: My Journey as a Birthmother. The workbook includes several entries from that blog and examines how the voice or style of the writing helps convey a feeling, event or problem. 

Along with the blog, Harry has more than 20 years of professional writing experience but leans predominantly on the time she spends writing when discussing the positive effects of journaling.
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To register for the class, email [email protected].

“One of the unique aspects of this honor is that it came to us by way of the festival vendors,” Lewis said. “We work hard each year to balance the type and number of offerings at the festival to maximize the experience for visitors, food vendors, crafts, and other participants. This ranking lets us know we are doing something right.”

​As part of the nomination process, Sunshine Artist asks respondents to list the 10 most profitable art and/or craft shows they exhibited at during the previous year, indicate their level of gross sales at each event, and note whether they considered themselves fine artists or craftspeople for each event.

The results were tabulated using a weighted scale based on four sales levels to ensure all events competed against each other fairly, according to the magazine. Sunshine Artist’s 200 Best focuses solely on artists’ show revenue, because that is the most objective indicator of a show’s future success. Subjective attributes, such as artist treatment, amenities, attendance levels, management, and overall quality, can impact sales but are harder to gauge and therefore have no direct bearing on the rankings.

“We are headed into the busiest time of the year for Applefest preparations, and have some wonderful things planned to mark our 40th festival. We hope everyone marks their calendar for October 6, 7, and 8 and comes to Franklin for the ‘Best Three Days!’ There is so much to celebrate this year,” Lewis said.​