The Writing Program By Simon Van Booy

2. v Ming Dynasty, built during the reign of the Emperor Yongle (1403-1424) in the Ming Dynasty (1388-1644), today's temple was started as an imperial printing house for Buddhist sutras. Located just outside the northeast walls of the Forbidden City, the workshop produced the imperial texts that were used by the religious teachers of the Chinese Emperor. Later a temple was built around the workshop to house the teachers themselves and became known as Songzhusi Qing Dynasty, by the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the Songzhusi complex was expanded to include two new temples: Zhizhusi and Fayansi. While all three temples were associated with important lamas, Songzhusi became the residence of one of the most important religious authorities for the Qing emperors. Known as a ‘living Buddha', the Jangjia Qututgtu resided in this temple, which he also used for ceremonial rituals that were part of the Qing Dynasty court. In 1949, on the eve of the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the Sixth Living Buddha still had his residence in the temple Buddhism, over the centuries, dignitaries and lamas provided a constant stream of visitors to the Songzhusi, which had become a prominent center for religious thought and continued to produce sutras in Mongolian and Tibetan languages TheWriting Program By Simon Van Booy This 15 hour writing course is for people seriously interested in writing and publishing fiction in all its forms. Simon Van Booy will address techniques to help writers find stories, maintain narrative thread, build characterization, plot, explore metaphor, language, tone, and fine-tune dialogue.  Van Booy will also address the business of getting an agent, editing, publishing, and the importance of writing practice under commercial pressures.  The goal is for each participant to complete the workshop with greater confidence in his/her own writing voice, and with fresh ideas on how to develop story, characters, tone, dialogue, and also with a good idea of how the business of writing works—should they wish to publish work in the future.  Writers of published works are welcome to participate, as workshops will cover ideas that can be used at various levels.

3. v Ming Dynasty, built during the reign of the Emperor Yongle (1403-1424) in the Ming Dynasty (1388-1644), today's temple was started as an imperial printing house for Buddhist sutras. Located just outside the northeast walls of the Forbidden City, the workshop produced the imperial texts that were used by the religious teachers of the Chinese Emperor. Later a temple was built around the workshop to house the teachers themselves and became known as Songzhusi Qing Dynasty, by the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the Songzhusi complex was expanded to include two new temples: Zhizhusi and Fayansi. While all three temples were associated with important lamas, Songzhusi became the residence of one of the most important religious authorities for the Qing emperors. Known as a ‘living Buddha', the Jangjia Qututgtu resided in this temple, which he also used for ceremonial rituals that were part of the Qing Dynasty court. In 1949, on the eve of the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the Sixth Living Buddha still had his residence in the temple Buddhism, over the centuries, dignitaries and lamas provided a constant stream of visitors to the Songzhusi, which had become a prominent center for religious thought and continued to produce sutras in Mongolian and Tibetan languages The Spaces At The Temple Hotel The Lectures @ INK The Afternoons @ the LOUNGE The Chats @ the MAIN HALL

4. v Ming Dynasty, built during the reign of the Emperor Yongle (1403-1424) in the Ming Dynasty (1388-1644), today's temple was started as an imperial printing house for Buddhist sutras. Located just outside the northeast walls of the Forbidden City, the workshop produced the imperial texts that were used by the religious teachers of the Chinese Emperor. Later a temple was built around the workshop to house the teachers themselves and became known as Songzhusi Qing Dynasty, by the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the Songzhusi complex was expanded to include two new temples: Zhizhusi and Fayansi. While all three temples were associated with important lamas, Songzhusi became the residence of one of the most important religious authorities for the Qing emperors. Known as a ‘living Buddha', the Jangjia Qututgtu resided in this temple, which he also used for ceremonial rituals that were part of the Qing Dynasty court. In 1949, on the eve of the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the Sixth Living Buddha still had his residence in the temple Buddhism, over the centuries, dignitaries and lamas provided a constant stream of visitors to the Songzhusi, which had become a prominent center for religious thought and continued to produce sutras in Mongolian and Tibetan languages The Lectures with Simon Van Booy 16 November – 20 November 2012 Day one – Friday 16 November – 9am – 12 noon @ INK The Basics of Story/Why Write/Emotional Writing Space/Physical Writing Space/Life afrs Legacy/Deciding to Write/Maintaining Practice/Goals/Avoiding Distraction/Mediums of Storytelling & Choosing the one for you. Day two – Saturday 17 November – 9am – 12 noon @ INK Finding Stories/Staying Inspired/Looking for Story in the Everyday/Finding the Pulse of the Story and Building/Losing the Self/Banishing Self-Criticism to Allow Cultivation/Using Nonsense to find Truth/Beginning the Story/Successfully Getting Through First Attempts at story/Maintaining Inspiration/The Importance of First Pages/Turning First Pages into the Beginnings of Something Permanent Day three – Sunday 18 November – 9am – 12 noon @ INK Finding Characters/Bringing Characters to Life and Keeping them Alive/Techniques of Fantasy to make Characters seem Wholly Alive/Listening to Characters/Keys to Solid Dialogue/Techniques for Writing Seamless Dialogue/Flat Versus Round Characters/1st/2nd/3rd Person and the Advantages/Disadvantages of a Particular Voice/Place & Objects as Characters. Day four – Monday 19 November – 9am – 12 noon @ INK Plot and Tenses/Natural Progression/Plotting the Story/10,20,30% Technique of Revelation/Rotating the Story on a Central Axis/Conflict/Growth/Character Consistency in Plotting/Flashbacks/Tenses/Time/Resolution/Tone/The Importance & Usefulness of Chapters. Day five – Tuesday 20 November – 10am – 12 noon @ INK The Future/Timelines/The Finishing Touches to a Story/Manuscript. Afternoons will be spent @ the Lounge of the Temple for writing, reading and conversation with the author.

5. v Ming Dynasty, built during the reign of the Emperor Yongle (1403-1424) in the Ming Dynasty (1388-1644), today's temple was started as an imperial printing house for Buddhist sutras. Located just outside the northeast walls of the Forbidden City, the workshop produced the imperial texts that were used by the religious teachers of the Chinese Emperor. Later a temple was built around the workshop to house the teachers themselves and became known as Songzhusi Qing Dynasty, by the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the Songzhusi complex was expanded to include two new temples: Zhizhusi and Fayansi. While all three temples were associated with important lamas, Songzhusi became the residence of one of the most important religious authorities for the Qing emperors. Known as a ‘living Buddha', the Jangjia Qututgtu resided in this temple, which he also used for ceremonial rituals that were part of the Qing Dynasty court. In 1949, on the eve of the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the Sixth Living Buddha still had his residence in the temple Buddhism, over the centuries, dignitaries and lamas provided a constant stream of visitors to the Songzhusi, which had become a prominent center for religious thought and continued to produce sutras in Mongolian and Tibetan languages The Chats with Simon Van Booy 17 and 19 November 2012 Saturday 17 November - 7:30pm @ MAIN HALL The Importance of Daydreaming. Business environments that allow for daydreaming and for creativity often produce better results and a more pleasant environment for everybody. Daydreaming is not only having the freedom to think creatively, but also about staying inspired. With more scheduling and more stress in our lives, living creatively has never been more important to our happiness. This discussion will raise many interesting ideas about how the most brilliant business minds are often the most creative too. Suggestions will also be given on how to integrate creativity into one's daily life. Monday 19 November - 7:30pm @ MAIN HALL The Nature of Self-Perception. How do we become ourselves? How do we see ourselves? How do we develop notions of who we are? This is an evening dedicated to the idea of self, and how we formulate ideas about who we are. The discussion will incorporate ideas from anthropology, anatomy, sociology, psychology, and economic theory, looking at what these subjects can tell us about how we came to find a sense of self. The Chats with Simon Van Booy are open to the general public and are paying events. RSVP recommended.

6. v Ming Dynasty, built during the reign of the Emperor Yongle (1403-1424) in the Ming Dynasty (1388-1644), today's temple was started as an imperial printing house for Buddhist sutras. Located just outside the northeast walls of the Forbidden City, the workshop produced the imperial texts that were used by the religious teachers of the Chinese Emperor. Later a temple was built around the workshop to house the teachers themselves and became known as Songzhusi Qing Dynasty, by the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the Songzhusi complex was expanded to include two new temples: Zhizhusi and Fayansi. While all three temples were associated with important lamas, Songzhusi became the residence of one of the most important religious authorities for the Qing emperors. Known as a ‘living Buddha', the Jangjia Qututgtu resided in this temple, which he also used for ceremonial rituals that were part of the Qing Dynasty court. In 1949, on the eve of the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the Sixth Living Buddha still had his residence in the temple Buddhism, over the centuries, dignitaries and lamas provided a constant stream of visitors to the Songzhusi, which had become a prominent center for religious thought and continued to produce sutras in Mongolian and Tibetan languages A bit of background about Simon Van Booy Simon Van Booy was born in Great Britain and grew up in rural Wales. He is the author of The Secret Lives of People in Love, Love Begins in Winter (winner of the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award) and the novel, Everything Beautiful Began After. He is the editor of three philosophy books, titled Why We Fight, Why We Need Love, and Why Our Decisions Don’t Matter. His essays have appeared in the New York Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian. He has been a columnist for Elle Men for 12 months, and writes about men's interior lives. He has also written for National Public Radio, the BBC, and for the New York stage. His first play, HINDSIGHT was about a young woman sitting in a park, who meets a very old woman who claims to be the younger woman's older self. He teaches at SVA in Manhattan, and is involved in the Rutgers Early College Humanities program for young adults living in under-served communities. He also sits on the Advisory Board for PARTNERS, an organization aimed at helping children heal after trauma. He was a finalist for the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise, and his work has been translated into fifteen languages. His latest novel The Illusion of Separateness will be released in May of 2013. This novel is based on the idea that, "We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness." Simon grew up in a very rural part of Wales, in a community that was not centered around the arts or literature, but farming. His great-grandfather was Chinese, but Simon has been unable to trace his ancestry, even though he possess a rare photograph of this ancestor and knows the area where he was from. Many of Simon's literary influences come from early Chinese history and include Lao tzu, Confucius, and The Book of Songs (Shijing). Visit www.simonvanbooy.com to learn more about him!

7. v Ming Dynasty, built during the reign of the Emperor Yongle (1403-1424) in the Ming Dynasty (1388-1644), today's temple was started as an imperial printing house for Buddhist sutras. Located just outside the northeast walls of the Forbidden City, the workshop produced the imperial texts that were used by the religious teachers of the Chinese Emperor. Later a temple was built around the workshop to house the teachers themselves and became known as Songzhusi Qing Dynasty, by the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the Songzhusi complex was expanded to include two new temples: Zhizhusi and Fayansi. While all three temples were associated with important lamas, Songzhusi became the residence of one of the most important religious authorities for the Qing emperors. Known as a ‘living Buddha', the Jangjia Qututgtu resided in this temple, which he also used for ceremonial rituals that were part of the Qing Dynasty court. In 1949, on the eve of the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the Sixth Living Buddha still had his residence in the temple Buddhism, over the centuries, dignitaries and lamas provided a constant stream of visitors to the Songzhusi, which had become a prominent center for religious thought and continued to produce sutras in Mongolian and Tibetan languages About The Temple Hotel The Temple Hotel was the site of imperial printing workshops under the Ming dynasty, residence of the Living Buddha until 1949, converted into a television factory in modern times, a warehouse, and today, a fully renovated magnificent architectural gem in the heart of Beijing. The Temple Hotel is dedicated to hosting cultural events throughout the year. Theater performances, art exhibitions, music recitals, documentary and silent movie screenings have already been staged for the general public. As an homage to its origins as a printing house, great emphasis is given to the promotion of literary exchanges, book launches and literary in-residences.

8. To request information about the Writing Program by Simon Van Booy E: erica.destales@gmail.com Deadline for submission of applications for the Writing Program Sunday 11 November 2012 To RSVP for Chats with Simon Van Booy E: yinghsuyibin@gmail.com M: +86 15510173028 www.thetemplehotel.com