Tools to For Writing About Trauma

Come write with me! Join author Emily Gillespie in the aptly named quirky & cozy True Love Café, for an afternoon of writing. Learn how to craft stories around your experiences of trauma or emotional upheavals using creative writing tools.

This workshop is for all experience levels, but especially folks who are new to writing and want to start telling their story, be it for themselves or a larger audience. PWYC (in person) & treats (and so much tea) available for purchase in the café.

Bring your own writing supplies & feel free to stay and keep writing after the workshop. See below for full description and bio.

Can’t make it, but interested? Send me a message & I’ll add you to my newsletter list.

Safety and access:

Unfortunately, this venue is not accessible. This workshop will be held multiple times and future venues will be accessible.

This workshop will be held during regular café hours; therefore, other folks will be in the space. The workshop will mainly focus on small discussions and solo writing. We will mainly be focusing on fictional exercises, and for the group process I encourage people to only write about events that they are comfortable reflecting on, and won’t find too triggering. The work will not be shared with the larger group.

You are welcome to leave the workshop at any time if you aren’t comfortable, and if you feel up to it you are free to rejoin. If you have any safety needs or questions, feel free to contact me prior to the workshop or at the workshop.

Reclaiming your Story, Tools for Writing About Trauma

What do personal experiences of trauma and emotional upheaval have to do with creating art? What does it mean to feel like your story is taken from you? This interactive two hour workshop explores creative approaches to writing about trauma, by offering tools to help participants develop customized trauma writing practices. Whether you are an experienced writer, or are new to this practice, this workshop can help you tell your story.

We will discuss the importance of understanding personal experiences as significant and powerful stories worth telling. Drawing from psychological theories, the healing benefits of writing about trauma are discussed. Participants consider how to create safe containers to explore traumatic experiences in words.

The strengths and weaknesses of using both non-fiction, and fictional approaches to writing about trauma are explored, with a focus on fictional approaches. Participants are given tools to use fiction to write about their trauma, essentially distancing themselves from it using techniques such as re-purposing triggers, and developing personas to create cohesive narratives.

Participants will leave this workshop with an understanding of how to use writing to heal, what the practice of writing about trauma means for them, and what tools they can use to start telling their story, in whatever way they choose.

Note: if there is interest, I will be hosting a part two which focuses on non-fiction writing tools, please let me know if you’d like to be included in my mailing list.