We called him Dr. Love, the man about the streets, always a smile on his scarred face, his comedic side of life, did not hide his addiction. “Crack was my wife I married her; alimony was steep,” he wrote. Writing helped him stop paying the price. He wrote his last words in our workshop, a happy memory of his long-lost daughter. He died a short time later but said that day, as participants listened and gave positive feedback, he was a happy writer.
A WCC workshop is unlike any other. It inspires and reflects an individual’s authentic voice back to them. We discover magnificent writing not by focusing on technique but by illuminating the innate strength of authentic voice and empowering it to grow.
This is what happens in a WCC workshop:
- INSPIRATION: We write to prompts chosen to ignite deep creative expression and exploration.
- WRITING IN COMMUNITY: We share a space for private exploration.
- BRAVERY: We share what we have written (writers are welcome to pass if they choose).
- DEEP LISTENING: We respond to each others’ work by reflecting back what is strong and memorable about the writing.
This what does not happen in a WCC workshop:
- CRITIQUE: Instead, WCC workshops provide empowering feedback on each writer’s first-draft writing.
- TECHNIQUE: WCC workshops focus on exploring each writer’s authentic voice, regardless of form or technique.
- TRAINING: Rather than “teaching”, WCC workshops illuminate the innate creative genius in all of us.
We base our work on the Amherst Writers and Artists Method (AWA), created by Pat Schneider.