Holding Space for the Now: Making Sense of Our Lives Through Writing

Sometimes, the most important thing we can do on the page is make space for our lives as they are—to listen closely, to write honestly, and allow ourselves to be witnessed by present and compassionate listeners.

Holding Space for the Now is a 10-week writing workshop grounded in the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method. The writing that comes out of this process is often a blend of journalling and memoir.

Writing in the company of others often allows us to discover what we didn’t know we knew, and to uncover the stories, questions, and insights waiting just beneath the surface. Whether you’re navigating change, celebrating growth, grieving loss, or simply wanting to pay closer attention to the life you’re living, this workshop invites you to explore what is happening through writing it.

Each session will offer simple practices and invitations designed to help you become more present with what’s going on for you. Through guided, generative writing prompts, you’ll be invited to write immediately—no need to arrive with ideas, an agenda, or polished work.

You’ll write alongside others and–if you choose–share your work within the group. Using the AWA method, all responses focus on what is strong, memorable, and alive in the writing, creating an atmosphere where writers can take creative risks with confidence. Here, stories are not critiqued, analyzed, or interpreted. They are respectfully received and witnessed.

Between sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to deepen your exploration by expanding or revising one or more pieces of writing. Submitted work will receive thoughtful written feedback from the facilitators to support your ongoing process of reflection, discovery, and growth.

Over the course of our time together, you’ll create a meaningful body of personal writing while experiencing the quiet power of writing in community.

Workshop Format
• 10 weekly sessions
• Gentle practices for cultivating presence and reflection
• Generative writing exercises in every session
• Optional sharing and feedback in a confidential, supportive group
• Written facilitator feedback on submitted writing (up to 3,000 words in total over the course of the program)
• Based on the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method
• Suitable for writers of all experience levels

Date:Tuesdays, beginning September 29 for 10 weeks; 1:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern Time
Time:Limited to 12 writers.
Registration fee: $295 Canadian (plus 13% HST)
2 sliding scale spots for those who currently have financial challenges.

 

Facilitators
Sue Reynolds	Kate Marshall Flaherty
is an award-winning writer, a Hakomi practitioner and therapeutic counsellor, and an Amherst Writers & Artists method writing facilitator. Certified in the AWA Method since 2002 and trained directly by Pat Schneider, Sue has led workshops for almost three decades in community, educational, and social-service settings. She facilitates creative and compassionate spaces where writers discover what wants to be written, share their work, and are witnessed. Her counselling practice draws on Narrative Therapy, Hakomi, and a longstanding interest in the healing power of writing. A novelist, poet, and memoirist herself, she appreciates both the craft of writing and its capacity to foster insight, connection, and transformation.	Kate has over 30 years experience in animating and facilitating interactive and inspirational workshops in writing, editing, and poetry writing, fiction and memoir. She has worked with every age group and community, from Grade Two Classrooms to Seniors’ communities and been a “Poet in the Schools” throughout Ontario and all of Canada. She works with musicians as well, and has created a fundraiser music and poetry workshop that has been around Canada, from Cobalt out to Jasper, raising over $1600 for the Alzheimer Society of Canada.
Both Kate and Sue are facilitators in AWA’s Power of Story program for working with affinity populations: Caregivers, those who are grieving, those with Chronic Illness, and aging writers.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be an experienced writer?

Not at all. This workshop welcomes people of all writing experience, including those who have never taken a writing workshop before. You don’t need to arrive with ideas or polished work—only a willingness to write and explore whatever emerges.

Is this a memoir course?

No. While you may choose to write about your own life, this is not a memoir class or a course in writing craft. The focus is on using writing as a way to reflect, make meaning, and connect more deeply with your own experience. You are free to write nonfiction, fiction, poetry, or anything in between.

Is sharing my writing required?

No. Sharing is always an invitation, never an expectation. Many participants find that reading their work aloud deepens the experience, but you are always free to keep your writing private.

What kind of feedback will I receive?

This workshop follows the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method. Responses focus on what is strong, memorable, and alive in the writing. There is no critique, interpretation, or advice-giving. Between sessions, you’ll also receive thoughtful written feedback from the facilitator on your submitted writing.

What happens between sessions?

Between each gathering, you’ll have the opportunity to continue writing or to expand something you began during the workshop. You may submit writing for written feedback according to the program guidelines, giving you the chance to deepen your reflection between meetings.

Is this workshop therapeutic?

Writing can be deeply meaningful and personally transformative, but this is not therapy or a therapy group. Rather, it is a creative writing workshop that offers a respectful, supportive space to explore your experiences through writing. Participants are encouraged to write only about what feels appropriate for them to share and explore.

What if I’m writing through grief or a difficult life transition?

Many people come to reflective writing during times of change, loss, uncertainty, or renewal. Whatever season of life you’re in, your experience is welcome here. The workshop provides a compassionate community where your writing can be received with care and respect.

What should I bring?

You don’t need to arrive with an idea, an outline, or a story to tell. Each session begins with invitations designed to help you discover what wants to be written. Many participants are surprised by what appears on the page when they simply begin.

How much writing will I be expected to do?

That is entirely up to you. Some participants write only during the sessions, while others continue writing throughout the week. The workshop is designed to support your own pace and process.