Cynthia Alessandra Briano

About Spitfire Lit.                                               
Productive Self-Reflection

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    Spitfire Literary Productions, Org. is a Literary Arts Organization that offers Creative Writing Workshops to young adults and adults at absolute Intro, Experienced, and Advanced levels aiming at publication or purely, purely for inspiration. Small, intimate workshops, Private Tutorials and Public School Curriculum Enrichment workshops are offered with an aim at developing the writer’s distinctive style and creating individualized, polished work ready for publication and presentation, or simply for satisfaction in productive self-reflection. A large component of Spitfire Lit. is collaboration in and initiation of Literary Events in the city-wide Literary Arts Community.
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    Writing is a compulsive, pleasurable, intangible, unnatural and very natural act. It can make us experience ourselves as inventive, genial, worthless, inarticulate and contradictory beings. Whether you are an astute observer of people, a closet (love?) poetry writer, a lifelong journal keeper, an insatiable reader, a family scribe, a published author, or simply someone who suspects there is the seed of worthwhile thoughts in them, we all need motivation and guidance to propel our suspicions and thoughts onto the written page. That is where Spitfire Lit. comes in.
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    All Spitfire students have a chance to participate in Cynthia’s poetry project, Love On Demand, a booth set up on Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade where anyone can custom-order a love poem, written on location, typed up and ready for pick up in an hour! Recently, Al Borde Magazine completed documentary on the project, and Alicia Monsalve, the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Al Borde was the film-maker for this mini documentary, as well as the author of an article in the September 2005 issue: "Amor por encargo/Love On Demand" (pg. 16). The future for Love On Demand holds a screening of the short documentary recently completed on the project, the expansion of the project via Professors, students and fellow poets at Universities and Literary Centers in L.A. and N.Y.C., and a published collection of the works created from this project.  Gift certificates and orders by e/mail also available.

Since the onset of it, Love On Demand has produced over 200 customized love poems by request!
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Please contact Cynthia for inquiries on collaboration:
alessandraxz@yahoo.com

Spitfire Lit. Courses Offered
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Public School Curriculum Enrichment:
Please see supplemental Spitfire Lit. brochure/contact Cynthia for further details on Spifire Poets-In-The-Schools. 
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Intro Creative Writing:
Learn how to begin to say what you mean through writing. No experience necessary! In a small, intimate group, you can learn how to sound as less corny as possible! You’ll learn how to eek, vomit, and choke things out of you and onto the page! You’ll learn how to make the process as painless and as productive as possible, and most importantly, you’ll learn how to let others see what you wrote so you can solidify it even further. Field trips to poetry slams and local Literary Centers will be taken. I’ll introduce and you’ll try:     *Poetry     *Fiction     *Bilingual Writing      *(Love?) Letter Writing     *Experimental Writing     *Journal/Diary Writing *Inventing Words     *Creating your own dictionary…and more…

Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. -Goethe
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Advanced Poetry Writing:
Designed to broaden our supportive literary networks, stimulate us out of our accustomed writing habits and prompt us into new, inventive modes. For those with some previous training in poetry, an intensive and supportive workshop with a focus on refining your particular voice through formal and inventive elements. Our goal is to create material ready for submission, and ready to be shared at local poetry venues, which we will frequent. Manuscript production and Chapbook design is also integrated into our curriculum. We also explore bilingual writing, try our hand at inventing words, and set up a Love-On-Demand (impromptu poetry) booth on 3rd Street Promenade, where anyone can custom-order a Love Poem, written on location, typed up and ready for pick up in an hour.

I am free to write the worst junk in the world. -Natalie Goldberg.
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Private Tutorials:
One on One Instruction, Editorship, and Flexibility.  Personally designed syllabus and weekly agenda. Weekly reading material/books provided, 24-hour availability via phone for editing/writer’s block emergencies, flexibility in scheduling, the opportunity to participate and be a featured writer on Spitfire Lit.’s Love On Demand project, manuscript compilation and revision as well as integration in the Spitfire Literary Arts Community via Literary Events and other readings.         

Nothing exists unless it is on paper. -Anaïs Nin
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For Instructor Literary Biography Scroll Down to previous post.
For Inquiries Contact: Cynthia Alessandra Briano at: alessandraxz@yahoo.com

Cynthia Alessandra Briano                                
Founder and Instructor

LITERARY BIOGRAPHY:
Cynthia Alessandra Briano is a recipient of the Lois Morrell & J. Russell Hayes Poetry Prize, a finalist in the national James Hearst Poetry Prize, and has been published in the North American Review, Small Craft Warnings, and Scarlet Letters. She is co-founder of Spanish Literary Journal, enie, and has served as Editor-in-Chief of Ourstory, a diversity publication. Cynthia is founder of the annual Night of Shamelessness, and has initiated Multi-Lingual Poetry Slams at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where she completed a Directed Creative Writing Project, facilitated poetry and creative writing workshops for alumni and students, and where she earned her B.A. in English Literature, Creative Writing, and Studio Art. She has been a Featured Poet at Pasadena and L.A. County Libraries and has read her work at various L.A. venues, including The Natural History Museum of L.A, The Sunland-Tujunga Library of L.A., which was co-sponsored by Poets & Writers, Inc., and the On-Air Inspiration House, on KPFK. Cynthia has served as Co-Curator of the city-wide World Beyond Poetry Festival on behalf of Self-Help Graphics & Art, where she has served as Literary Programs Director and Poet-In-Residence.
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Currently, Cynthia is a Creative Writing Instructor and the Founder of Spitfire Literary Productions, Org. Spitfire Lit. is a Literary Arts Organization that offers Creative Writing Workshops to young adults and adults at all levels. Small, intimate workshops, private tutorials and Public School Curriculum Enrichment Workshops are offered. A large component of Spitfire Lit. is collaboration in and initiation of Literary Events in the city-wide Literary Arts Community.
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For special occasions and/or purely for inspiration, Cynthia runs Love-On-Demand, a poetry booth on Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade, where anyone can custom-order a love poem, written on location, typed up and ready for pick up in an hour. Collaboration with other writers welcomed. Gift Certificates and orders by e/mail also available.
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http://cynthiabriano.blogs.friendster.com/cynthia_alessandra_briano/             
Email: alessandraxz@yahoo.com

Spitfire Lit.’s Love On Demand Poetry Booth, up, running, April 29, Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade. Noon - 6pm.

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*Also:
…NEW Spitfire Lit. WEBSITE under construction…TBA
…Printed Brochures, Info Pamphlets and Flyers on Spitfire Lit. Workshops, Public School Curriculum Enrichment/Poet In The schools, Private Tutorials and Upcoming Literary Events now available. Please email for inquiries.
…Love On Demand Gift Certificates and Orders via email/mail/phone now available.
…Manuscript Compilation, Revision and Editing now available too.
…Please email Cynthia at: alessandraxz@yahoo.com if you would like to be added to Spitfire Lit.’s mailing list, or would like to collaborate.

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For more info on Love On Demand, scroll down to previous posts.