WRITING WORKSHOPS

The following workshops are offered online and in Asheville, NC. Contact Jennifer to register for a workshop or to discuss scheduling a workshop in your area.

Writing As Pilgrimage

Writing is an act of pilgrimage, a journey inward toward listening to the stories that live within us. The sacred journey of writing our inner thoughts can teach us about deep listening. It can lead us on an inward spiritual journey toward understanding the very nature of our souls. Our spirits are hungry for meaning. Writing our inner thoughts, makes meaning of what we experience, and this can utterly transform us.

When we listen deeply to ourselves, we hear our own unique authentic voice. This is the voice of the soul. When we listen to the soul, our stories come forth freely. Our job as writers is to be quiet, listen, and transcribe the stories that are already inside of us. In doing so, we allow the stories of our past to be told without judgment, and we make room for the creation of the stories of our future.

Writing From Life

Writing From Life explores the richness of our stories from everyday life and works toward shaping them into narrative. The course investigates creative methods for exploring memory, finding one's authentic writing voice, and creating narrative from life experience. The course is designed for those who are interested in writing for publication, writing for personal enjoyment, writing stories to leave as legacy for family, writing for publication, or writing toward self-discovery or healing. Writers in this course may work with material from life to create memoir or fiction. The course is for beginning to experienced writers.

Creative Writing As Reflective Practice for Psychotherapists and Healthcare Professionals

Psychotherapists and healthcare professionals are by nature story-listeners who bear witness to a great deal of suffering, and at times that suffering seems inconsolable. This act of bearing witness is often a solitary experience. Reflective writing practice allows the professional to reflect upon his/her own experience in applying knowledge to the practice of providing care for another. It can facilitate deep listening, empathy, and burnout prevention. Through writing, we bear witness to ourselves, and in sharing our writing with others, we bear witness to one another.

This workshop provides opportunity to engage in creative writing as a tool for facilitating deep listening, empathy, self-awareness, and self-care. It affords professionals a new perspective on providing care for others, which may result in a renewed sense of passion for healthcare practice and may therefore prevent burnout. Participants will increase their narrative competence by learning to identify the narrative themes in the stories of the patient. Learning to identify narrative themes in the story told by the patient can enable the professional to better understand both the universality and the uniqueness of the individual circumstances of the patient.

For writing tips and musings, see Jennifer's blog at http://writingaspilgrimage.blogspot.com