Lit on Lit: Cannabis-Inspired Creative Writing Workshops Are Finally Here

Anyone who has ever taken a writing workshop or attempted any form of creative writing—and if you’re reading this—probably already knows that a tiny toke can help the process along.

And wouldn’t it be great to take a workshop in which participants were invited to light up in class and share their buzz along with their inspired ideas?

If you live in Colorado, you’re in luck!

The first ever, that we know of, writing workshop that encourages participants to smoke legal weed is underway, according to Westword.

The goal of the workshop, Lit on Lit, is to explore the THC-induced writer within.

Workshop leaders present quick story prompts in a “relaxed, cannabis-friendly atmosphere,” in which students are encouraged to BYOC—bring your own cannabis—in compliance with local laws, of course.

Founding editor of Suspect Press, Daniel Landes, editor-in-chief Josiah Hesse, who also writes for the Guardian, and managing editor Amanda Eike Koehler are leading the workshop.

As we all know, the effects of weed can vary from mellowing you out to inducing paranoia and crazy munchies, or, when used properly, give you a buzz that can help you get a million chores accomplished in a perfectly organized fashion.

We also know that, in some cases, being stoned can lower inhibitions.

For those pursuing creative endeavors, pot can stimulate creativity and help spark abstract thinking, according to Psychology Today.

It’s not to say smoking weed will necessarily make you a better writer—it is a craft that needs to be honed and practiced like any other skill. But, many agree that the unique ideas, which spring to mind when one is stoned, are often inspired and meaningful, even brilliant, so why not write them down? If the end product makes sense or is beautiful, you might be on to something.

There are many famous, pot-smoking wordsmiths who offer compelling proof that being stoned helps creativity.

First of all, the master himself, William Shakespeare, whose pipe fragments found in his Stratford-upon-Avon garden had cannabis residue in them.

The list—from Norman Mailer and Carl Sagan to Stephen King and Maya Angelou—is long.

As of this week, spots were still available to join Lit on Lit’s cannabis-inspired classes.

And, if you’re not in Colorado, how about starting your own stoned poets’ society?