Write Around the World May 2021

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Pat Schneider, the founder of Amherst Writers and Artists, stated that a writer is someone who writes. Although often a writer will come to an AWA workshop saying that they are not a real writer, it takes only a prompt or two before they realize the truth of Pat's statement.

Would you like to write in a community that can show you where your writer’s voice is strong and developed?

I'm writing to let you know about an opportunity to nurture the part of you that loves to write. Or the part of you that dreams of writing but is anxious about the best way to start. Or perhaps the part of you that used to love to write, but got beaten down in a critiquing workshop.

This is a chance to write in a guided writing workshop held in the Amherst Writers Method – a way of holding creative space that encourages and keeps writers safe, fosters the discovery and nurturing of their authentic voice, and that offers tools to develop craft without damaging artistic self-esteem.

I’ve been leading workshops with this method for some time now, and I am so grateful to be able to witness writers surprise themselves with their own brilliance as they take creative risks in the safety of these groups.

In the month of May, Amherst Writers offers “Write Around the World” where trained workshop leaders from all over the world give online writing workshops in the Amherst Writers Method on a donation basis (for $20, $10., or even just $5). The funds raised support the social justice programs of Amherst Writers.

You can go to this link to see the times and dates these workshops are available. I urge you to give yourself the gift of writing in one of these spaces and experiencing the strengths-based feedback of AWA. You’ll appreciate your own writer’s voice in a way you never have before.

With enthusiasm,

Deepam

AWA Testimonials
Here's what some have said about the Amherst Writers & Artists method of writing workshop facilitation.
Deepam's wonderful workshops, delivered using the AWA method, have transformed my writing practice and profoundly informed my teaching strategies. By directing attention to what is strong in a piece of writing, the AWA method cultivates both skill and confidence. Rather than aggravate students' anxieties through premature criticism, the AWA method allows them to encourage each other’s strengths. This generous approach builds trust and strengthens bonds in the writing cohort. The AWA method is a good way to write and a great way to get feedback, but its strongest gift may be the way it encourages us as fellow writers to receive each other's voices with generous attention, deepening our own listening.
~ Julian Gunn, Instructor, Department of English and Creative Writing,
Camosun College, British Columbia, Canada

Creativity is a process and it’s important to have the support of a workshop leader who has created a safe space. Having had criticism as a child about my writing, I can tell you the effects are damaging and long-lasting – but with kindness and encouragement, one can soar. AWA method helps us plant words as seeds that can grow into poems, novels, short stories, or anything else. I would highly recommend a AWA method to anyone wanting to write.

~ Dolly Reisman, Toronto, ON

As soon as I started taking workshops with Deepam, I knew I had to change how I taught creative writing. I was demoralized by seeing my students struggle to figure out how to support each other as writers, and the critiquing methods I was using often left both writer and critiquer deflated. The AWA method as practiced in Deepam’s workshops provided me with an understanding of how to reshape my own instruction to be more supportive while also providing valuable critique to the students. I now ask my students to tell their classmates what is working in their writing and what they can learn from those parts to strengthen the parts that may need more work. There is rigour in their critique that starts with appreciation.
~ Kari Jones, Author & Instructor, Department of English and Creative Writing, Camosun College, British Columbia, Canada

This method provides a safe and nurturing environment, especially for writers beginning to explore their relationship to language and to their particular stories. We write in our group meetings and read first drafts of what we have written to one another. The feedback directs the writer to what works rather than what doesn’t work. This promotes the development of confidence in one’s own voice and story. I have witnessed the blossoming a number of writers in these workshops.

~ Timothy Brennan, New Paltz, NY
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