Join a writing group to stretch and strengthen your creative muscles.
Creative Writing Workshops
Sometimes you just need space to write & someone to listen.
Retrieve & revitalize the artist within.
Using the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method as our foundation, we focus on generative, process-oriented writing without the pressure to produce, polish, or publish. Rather than critique just-written work, the group’s attentive listening and affirmative feedback guide our practice.
We only reflect what is strong — never “wrong” — in fresh writing. By mirroring back what is memorable, our responses help to support the development of each writer and bolster our creative practice. This unique approach — developed by Pat Schneider and described in her book, Writing Alone and With Others (Oxford University Press, 2003) — allows for uninhibited experimentation without causing damage to a writer’s distinct voice and artistic self-esteem.
Whether you’re a newcomer or well-acquainted with the AWA method, you’ll discover a nurturing community with an experienced facilitator who honors each writer’s authentic voice and style. You don't even need to consider yourself a writer to sign up!
Writing workshops currently open for registration:
Workshop FAQs
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Writers with any experience (or writing in any genre) are welcome, including newcomers. If you’re unfamiliar with the AWA method, please read the AWA philosophies and practices that guide our workshops.
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We write for brief periods (from 3 to 20 minutes) to several prompts. I typically allot 30–45 minutes of a 2-hour session for generative writing and the rest of the time for responding to just-written work. We may read aloud and listen without responses, or share lines that create a group piece or poem. We may write to several prompts in a row before sharing, or intersperse writing and sharing. I use breakout rooms on occasion.
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Prompts are open to interpretation rather than prescriptive: a color, an image, a sound, a scent, an object, a phrase, a poem — something to spark memory, imagination, or observation. Writing to a prompt is always optional: an invitation, not an assignment. The point is to start, and keep, writing.
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In a generative workshop we don’t offer to “fix” anything in the writing. No questions, suggestions, or critical comments are offered. Instead, we respond to just-written work by noticing what is strong and memorable.
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No refunds will be issued for cancellations within two weeks of the start date. Participants assume the risk for any missed sessions due to illness, travel, or other scheduling conflicts. There are no partial refunds for missed sessions.
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A minimum number of attendees is required for each series. (Typically I ask for a min. of 6 and max. at 10, depending on the workshop.) In the event that not enough people have registered, I will cancel (or postpone) the series and issue a refund or credit.
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Sessions are not recorded due to confidentiality reasons. However, I email the prompts after any missed session.
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Confidentiality in each writing workshop is a priority. Make sure you’re in a space where others aren’t nearby. Try to wear headphones/earbuds so that you’re the only one who can hear what others are saying or reading.
Wednesdays: August 19–October 7, 2026
1pm–3pm Pacific