Tamara Miller (she/her) is celebrating a personal Write Around Portland milestone this month: She’s facilitating her first writing group! Tamara is a longtime volunteer who is stepping into her dream role as a facilitator.
Tamara first connected with us back in 2010, not long after moving to Portland. At the time, she was a stay-at-home mom eager to reconnect with her professional skills, and said she was drawn to the organization’s mission of amplifying voices that often go unheard. Tamara had tutored and mentored youth in Colorado and seeing Write Around Portland’s commitment to inclusivity inspired her.
For years, Tamara hoped to facilitate a writing group, and this winter she had the chance to start that journey with our intensive 27-hour volunteer facilitator training. During training she learned not just our curriculum but also the ethos of respectful, community-based writing.
Now, as Tamara prepares for her first writing group at LifeWorks NW, she’s focusing on creating a welcoming and creative environment for her writers. She’s looking forward to meeting everyone, finding out what prompts they enjoy, and encouraging experimentation and exploration. Her approach is both prepared and flexible, aiming to foster creativity and connection within the group. Tamara said she values learning from others and is genuinely excited to help group participants discover their own voices.
Tamara’s passion for supporting her community extends beyond writing, and she’s deeply concerned about the mental health crisis in the United States and Oregon. She advocates for improved access to mental health care. Through her volunteerism with Write Around Portland, Tamara sees a way to validate individual human experiences and hopes to lessen social isolation, contributing to a healthier, more supportive community.
We look forward to hearing more from Tamara as she begins her work with the writers at LifeWorks and we’ll be celebrating everything that they accomplish together at our summer reading on Sunday, June 7!