Women’s Writing

All writing groups are based on the Amherst Writer’s and Artist’s method (AWA).

A description of this method can be found at the bottom of the page.

Make time in your life for creativity and self-discovery through writing

These workshops make dedicated time and space for you to write in a warm-spirited, supportive space. Participants are encouraged to “come as you are” and write what arises, whether fiction, creative non-fiction, reflections on life, poetry, or something else. In the AWA writing workshops, clear guidelines are established to create a space for authenticity and creativity, while also developing the skills and craft of writing. No writing experience is needed.

I loved the class.  It was a wonderful, easy, welcoming way to make space and time in my life to write, which I love to do.  Your prompts were absolutely powerful and magical.

What you will receive:

  • Time to write with freedom
  • Connection with other women and their stories
  • Time to share your writing and receive strengths-based feedback (optional)
  • The bolstering strength of spirit that comes from hearing each others stories and being creative in a caring group

What to expect:

You can expect a group of 4-8 participants who show up with an attitude of care and creativity. The writing groups have a clear structure that allows for both freedom and predictability. You are always able write what you want to write. The general flow of the writing groups look like this:

  • Welcome
  • Warm-up write
  • Two 20-minute writing blocks that each open with a prompt (poem or writing exercise)
  • Time to share and receive positive feedback about your writing (sharing is optional).

Benefits of writing with others:

  • Writing in a group creates camaraderie and connection, reducing the isolation that often accompanies solo writing.
  • Regular writing times with others create time in your schedule for consistency.
  • Hearing the writing of others sparks new ideas, insights, and perspectives that you might not have considered on your own.
  • Encouragement and positive feedback, making the writing process more rewarding.
  • Scheduled time to write with others. Your writing practice grows and your skills develop.

2026 Writing Groups

Ink for the Heart

Sunday Mornings

9:00-11:00am PST

January 4 & 18, Feb 1 & 15, March 1 & 15

Allow stories to come to the surface that delight, surprise, and express “the river beneath the river.” Trust the flow of your pen without editing or controlling. Connect with with other writers in creative play and heart.

Prompts will be offered as doorways into the writing. There will be time to share and receive strengths-based feedback. All forms of writing are welcome.

  • Get down “first thoughts,” the fresh, raw initial thoughts, rather than the second and third thoughts about thoughts;
  • Write sensory and concrete details;
  • Play with craft techniques, such as perspective, dialogue, metaphor, and how different doorways access surprising new angles in our stories;
  • Give and share strengths-based feedback.

Make space for writing in your schedule, expand your creativity, build your skills, and a become part of a supportive group.

SIGN UP NOW: INK FOR THE HEART

Cost for 6 sessions: $235

Meets on Zoom

Limited to 8 participants (minimum of 4)

Ink and Ribbon: Typewriter Group

Tuesday Mornings

9:00-10:30am PST

April – May

At Type Space, 2409 SE 49th Ave, Portland, OR

For men and women

The clickity-clack of many typewriters all at once, the feel of punching the keys with your index fingers, the satisfying ding at the end of each line. Enjoy the sensory experience of typing. See what happens as your creativity mixes with the timeless charm of the typewriter.

Prompts will be provided, but you are also free to write what you want, whether that is a letter, poetry, journal writing or the next chapter of your book. Bring your own typewriter or use one provided. Typing on a typewriter is fun to do!

SIGN UP NOW: TYPEWRITER GROUP

Cost: $225 for 6 sessions

Limited to 8 participants (minimum of 4)

About the Amherst Writer’s and Artist’s Method:

We hold the following 5 essential affirmations in our writing groups:

  1. Everyone has a strong, unique voice.
  2. Everyone is born with creative genius.
  3. Writing as an art form belongs to all people, regardless of economic class or educational level.
  4. The teaching of craft can be done without damage to a writer’s original voice or self-esteem.
  5. A writer is someone who writes.

“Whether your purpose for writing is artistic expression, communication with friends and family, the healing of the inner life, or achieving public recognition for your art – the foundation is the same: the claiming of yourself as an artist/writer and the strengthening of your writing voice through practice, study, and helpful response from other writers.”


– Pat Schneider, founder of AWA, from “Writing Alone and With Others”

The Amherst Writers & Artists’ philosophy is a simple one: Every person is a writer, and every writer deserves a safe environment in which to experiment, learn, and develop craft. The AWA method provides just such an environment. Unique to the AWA method are these two revolutionary practices:

  • Everything in the writing workshop is treated as fiction, to keep the focus on the writing rather than the personal and to minimize the vulnerability of the writer. 
  • The teacher or leader writes with the participants, and reads aloud along with the other writers.

These practices, along with keeping all writing confidential, responding to just-written work with positive attention on what is strong in the writing, create an environment that is non-hierarchical, honest, and safe.  Accomplished and beginning writers learn from one another in a generous atmosphere that works seriously to develop craft and holds personal respect for the value of every voice.

The AWA method has been used successfully with experienced writers as well as beginners, writers who have confidence as well as those who are uncertain. It has been equally effective in helping those whose voices have traditionally been silenced by poverty, discrimination, illness, age or other obstacles to achieving the powerful combination of language and confidence needed to overcome social barriers.

While the AWA method is not therapy, it has great healing potential for writers from all backgrounds. Writers who have used the AWA method have published major works and taken top prizes and awards in the U.S. and Ireland, and over a thousand have completed the AWA training program in workshop leadership.

Peter Elbow, author of Writing Without Teachers, brought the writing process movement into classrooms across the U.S. In his the introduction to Writing Alone and With Others, he called Pat Schneider “the best teacher of writing I know.”  The practices outlined in the book have proven effective in graduate school classrooms and in work with the homeless, in children’s schoolrooms, with nursing students, in bereavement groups and in living rooms among friends.