writing ourselves whole

Once again, we’ve got a full group schedule coming up this fall:

• Write Whole: Survivors Write – open to all women survivors of sexual trauma
• Meridian Writers – a morning writing group open to all writers
• Writing the Flood – our monthly writing meet-up!
• Day-long Meridian Writing Retreat – Give yourself a day to fall into your words
• Online: Embodied Writing – honoring the stories of our bodies
• Dive Deep – a manuscript working group

More information about each group is below. Contact me if you have questions about any of our offerings, or if you’d like to register!

Write Whole: Survivors Write
For women survivors of sexual trauma
Wednesday evenings, 6:30-9:00
November 7 – December 19 (7 week session)
Fee: $375
Where: Writing Ourselves Whole workshop space, 1 block from 12th St./City Center BART station in Oakland

Many of us who are survivors of trauma feel fragmented or disjointed and have come to believe we must always live our lives this way.
In Write Whole groups, we learn that we can live and feel whole in our experiences and desires — we create new art through writing, transforming our pains and fears into power and love. Transforming and expanding our language has the effect of changing who we know ourselves to be. In a Write Whole writing group, you’ll write in response to exercises chosen to elicit deep-heart writing, engaging with such subjects as: body image, family/community, sexuality, dreams, love, faith, and more. Though we come together as survivors, we are never required to write any particular version of “our abuse story.” In this space, you have the opportunity to write as you feel called to write, no matter what the subject. Although the setting is a supportive one, this workshop is different from a “support group,” as the focus of the workshop itself is on each person’s writing. We create beauty out of the sometimes extraordinarily difficult stuff of our lives. (Each writer will also meet with Jen for a one-hour private consultation.)

Meridian Writers:
Find your center & write your story.
Wednesday mornings, 9:30am-12 pm
November 7 – December 19 (7 week session)
Fee: $425
Where: Writing Ourselves Whole workshop space, 1 block from 12th St./City Center BART station in Oakland

Are you ready to release the stories at your core? Meridian Writers is seeking writers who prefer a fun, generous and supportive atmosphere in which to write together and celebrate one another’s creative efforts.

All genres and all experience levels are welcome — give yourself the structure you need to let your writing flow. Writers at this workshop create work in many different genres: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, memoir, science fiction, and more. Whether you are working on a longer project or ready to let a new voice emerge, you are invited to join this community of writers who are connecting more deeply with their writing practice. Find a strong new creative community, and create a beautiful body of new writing. (Each writer will also meet with Jen for a one-hour private consultation.)

Writing the Flood
General-topic monthly writing workshop
Fee for this workshop is $50 (with a sliding scale)
Meets the third Saturday of each month, 1:00-4:30 pm (except when otherwise noted!)
Fall groups: October 13, November 17, December 15
Where: Writing Ourselves Whole workshop space, 1 block from 12th St./City Center BART station in Oakland

For anyone looking to prime the writing pump or learn more about the Writing Ourselves Whole writing group format: using the Amherst Writers and Artists method, we write in response to exercises designed to get those pens moving, so that you can get onto the page the stories that have been stuck inside for too long.

Continue working on an ongoing project, or get started on something that’s been percolating for awhile. We have time for three different writing exercises, so you’ll leave with fresh material. No previous writing experience required — open to folks of all writing abilities!

Dive Deep – A manuscript working group
Next cohort opens January 2019
Where: Writing Ourselves Whole workshop space, 1 block from 12th St./City Center BART station in Oakland

This workgroup is designed for those who have delved into (or are ready to commit to) the deep dive of a large* writing project:

• a novel;
• poetry, story or essay collection;
• play or screenplay;
• daily blogging;
• preparing work for publication;
• or any other long-term writing project.

Though writing is a solitary pursuit, no writer has ever completed a long work alone!

Divers meet three times per month for writing exercises, project check-in and accountability, manuscript feedback, coaching and peer support. This group can help you meet your writing goal, and provides community and encouragement as you go deep into your writing projects. This is necessary work you’re doing: give yourself all the tools and support you need.

* “large” is relative — whatever your writing project is, if you want support and accountability and regular connection around that work, we would love to have you!

Workshop fees: This is an ongoing group; the fee is $250/month, with a three-month initial commitment required; the group will remain closed for three-month cycles, then will open at the end of those cycles for the possible addition of new members. Dive Deep is limited to 6 members per cohort.

Meridian Retreat
a haven for your words
Saturday, November 3, 10:30am-5:30pm.
Fee: The fee for day-long retreats is $200; a $100 non-refundable deposit will secure your registration.
Where: Private home in the East Bay

Open to all writers, regardless of writing experience or previous participation in Meridian Writers.

Treat yourself to a day of good writing, good food, and good community! For this day-long writing retreat, we gather for coffee or tea and some home-baked breakfast, and then write through the rest of the morning. After a break for lunch (provided), we dive back into our work through the afternoon, and we close by 5:30pm.

You’ll leave the retreat with: a rich body of new creative writing; feedback about what’s already strong and powerful in your new writing; and inspiration to keep on writing.

Give yourself a day to write in a beautiful, quiet space with views overlooking the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Online writing group:

Embodied Writing:
Honoring our bodies’ stories
November 11 – December 22, 2018
Fee: $250

For those not in the Bay Area and therefore unable to attend in-person workshops, or for those uncomfortable with joining us in person.

Participation in the writing groups is both in-person and asynchronous: join us for weekly writing sessions and access exercises and readings, write and post your writing, and respond to others’ writing as works best for your schedule.

No special software required–just a web browser, Internet connection, and desire to write into your deepest stories.

Visit our Groups page to learn more about our writing groups, and contact Jen with questions or to register!