Digging for Gold: Author and retired University Schreiner Professor Kathleen Hudson shares creative writing strategies in first of several library workshops

By Jennifer Dean, The Kerr County Lead

A mix of published and aspiring writers gathered Saturday morning at the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library in Kerrville for the first session of “Digging for Gold: Creative Writing.” Led by author and longtime Schreiner University Professor Kathleen Hudson, the 90-minute workshop aimed to unlock new ideas and perspectives through thoughtful writing prompts and exercises.

The first expert partnership series workshop of this nature to be hosted by the library, the “Digging for Gold” series is scheduled to continue on the fourth Saturdays of May and June. Registration is required for the free events which are open to anyone 18 and older. Sessions may extend beyond June depending on the availability of Hudson or other workshop leaders.

Hudson, who began teaching at Schreiner in 1985, brought the tools and insights of her extensive teaching background in rhetoric, creative writing, drama, mythology, and technical writing to more than 30 participants.

As the workshop began, Hudson encouraged participants to select an item from a table covered in various artifacts that ranged from painted stones and small ceramic figures to pocket-sized poetry books and crocheted crafts. The items would later be used in creative thinking exercises.

“Start with picking up an item but don’t think about it,” she said. “Choose something that calls to you. Try to shut off your analytical brain.”

Hudsen shared her personal story, recounting her move to Kerrville in 1984 with a half-formed plan to work with Rod Kennedy on his Kerrville Folk Festival foundation, only to discover there would be no salary for the work. A single mother of three, she would go on to find a way to be involved in the foundation and earn a salary through an unexpected opening into teaching at Schreiner University.

Throughout the workshop, Hudson emphasized the power of stories and metaphors, citing the sources of her inspiration as neuroscientist David Eagleman, known for the CBS series The Brain With David Eagleman, and American writer and professor Joseph Campbell, known for his theory of the hero’s journey.

Participants engaged in several activities designed to foster self-discovery and creativity. One exercise involved noticing and writing down 10 descriptive words about their chosen item, followed by writing a message to the item and then from the item back to themselves. This activity aimed to move beyond analytical thinking and tap into other ways of understanding.

Hudson also introduced the concept of “what is” versus “your story about it,” highlighting the idea that context shapes the perceptions of individual realities.

The workshop incorporated mindfulness, encouraging participants to notice their thoughts. Hudson explained that practicing mindfulness could eventually change the context of one’s life and encouraged participants to set an intention to leave the workshop with “gold,” emphasizing that the power to do so lay within themselves.

The concept of “digging for gold” itself served as a central metaphor for the workshop, representing the process of uncovering new insights and possibilities. Hudson encouraged participants to engage in internal reflection and share their responses to the activities.

“There’s no right way to be and I love the variety here” she said, providing encouragement for attendees who may have felt uncomfortable speaking to the group.

Throughout the workshop, Hudson shared aspects of her personal journey, including her experience founding the Texas Heritage Music Foundation in 1987 and raising money for scholarships for 30 years. She spoke candidly about her health challenges, including multiple surgeries and chemotherapy, highlighting how these experiences could become “doorways into discovering gold.”

Grouped in tables, participants regularly engaged in small group discussions, beginning with introductions and later sharing insights gained from workshop exercises.

“You’ve created a community,” she said. “The act of sharing does that.”

Toward the end of the session, Hudson introduced the diamante, a seven-line poetic structure with a specific word count per line (one, two, three, two, one). Participants were instructed to draw from the words and feelings they had noted during the workshop to create their own diamantes. Hudson suggested that the first and last words of the diamante could be seen as a personal message to carry away.

Several participants volunteered to share their diamantes, showing increased levels of comfort and confidence as the workshop progressed.

Hudson’s books Telling Stories, Writing Songs: An Album of Texas Songwriters, Women in Texas Music: Stories and Songs” and Corazón Abierto: Mexican American Voices in Texas Music were on display, and a new co-authored book, We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For was for sale.

As the workshop concluded, Hudson encouraged attendees to stay in touch and to return for the subsequent sessions in May and June. May’s session will be taught by another experienced writer, and Hudson will return in June.

Hudson emphasized the importance of observation, examination, awareness, and listening as tools for enriching life and uncovering personal “gold.” Quoting Mary Oliver’s poem “When Death Comes,” she encouraged a perspective of curiosity and connection.

The first “Digging for Gold” workshop concluded with a sense of shared experience and individual discovery, leaving participants with new tools and perspectives to explore their own creative potential.