Promotional graphic for “Masks of the Self: Creative Visualization & Writing Workshop.” The image features ten stylized theatrical and cultural mask illustrations in yellow and cream on a teal background, framed by a decorative hand-drawn border. Large white text reads “MASKS OF THE SELF,” with smaller text below reading “Creative Visualization & Writing Workshop.”

Masks of the Self: Creative Visualization and Writing workshop

Name: Masks of the Self: Creative Visualization and Writing workshop
Start: 2026-06-24T08:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-06-24
Location: Decorah Public Library Mezzanine

On Wednesday, June 24, celebrated author Thomas Maltman will lead “Masks of the Self: Creative Visualization and Writing”, a hands-on craft workshop for all ages that explores imagination and storytelling. The workshop will take place in Decorah Public Library’s mezzanine at 1 PM.

In this one-hour craft workshop, participants will go on a visioning meditation, create masks using paper and crayons, imagine a new character, and complete a short writing exercise followed by a full discussion. The crafting exercise promises fun for all ages, from six to ninety-six. Many writers are “visualizers.” Charles Dickens declared that he simply “saw” his stories. Tennessee Williams said A Streetcar Named Desire originated from a single image: “I simply had the vision of a woman in her late youth. She was sitting in a chair by the window with the moonlight streaming in on her desolate face, and she’d been stood up by the man she’d planned to marry.” Join us for this one-hour session to practice visualizing and writing for your own stories!

Thomas Maltman’s first novel, The Night Birds, won an Alex Award, a Spur Award, and the Friends of American Writers Literary Award. In 2009, the American Library Association chose The Night Birds as an “Outstanding Book for the College Bound.” Little Wolves, his second novel, was the All Iowa Reads selection in 2014. His third novel, The Land, was published in 2020. Last year, Soho Press published his fourth novel, Ashes to Ashes, which won a Minnesota Book Award in 2026. He teaches at Normandale Community College and lives in the Twin Cities area with his wife, a Lutheran pastor, and his three daughters.

This program is open to the public and free to attend. Maltman’s books can be purchased from Dragonfly Books or any online bookseller prior to the event.