This is it… you’ve joined one of Write Around Portland’s writing groups! What happens next? Your only responsibility is to show up with an open mind and a desire to write.
On Day One, a volunteer facilitator trained by Write Around Portland will meet you in a location that’s convenient for you, like a community room in your housing building or a common area in an organization where you access services. The facilitator will bring everything that everyone needs to get started right away. Journals and pens are provided, but feel free to bring your favorite pen if you have one! The journal will be yours to keep forever and you will bring it back to every session of your writing group.
Additionally, the facilitator will bring snacks to fuel your creativity. Brains need fuel to function properly! Transit tickets, accessibility aids, scribes, and childcare are also offered upon request.
After everyone arrives, the facilitator will introduce themselves and explain that their role is to provide prompts and activities, keep track of time, and establish a safe and comfortable environment.
Next up is a warm-up writing exercise. Generally about 1 to 3 minutes long, the warm-up write helps you get a feel for freewriting and helps ease first-day jitters.
After the warm-up write, you participate in establishing group guidelines to set expectations for the writing group. Your facilitator will guide the group in discussing what each person needs to feel comfortable and safe. Each set of guidelines looks somewhat different, but every Write Around Portland community group includes these foundational guidelines:
- We will respect confidentiality.
- We will refrain from sharing hate speech.
- We will respond to the writing as if it’s fiction.
The group guidelines are a living document and can be amended at any point to better suit the needs of the group.
The remainder of the first session will be dedicated to writing and getting to know one another. This is the start of a transformational journey that your group is taking together!
The purpose of our writing groups is to offer individuals the chance to discover a deeper enjoyment of writing, build confidence, and form meaningful connections within a supportive community. By embracing the belief that everyone is a writer and harnessing the healing power of storytelling, these groups foster inclusion, self-expression, and personal growth. Through experiential learning and a participant-centered approach, Write Around Portland continues to demonstrate that writing can be a catalyst for both individual and collective change.