Life is particularly hard right now, but expressive writing can help process trauma and adversity. In Writing to Heal courses, writers will develop their healing narratives through examples, writing prompts, and feedback, and identify how elements of expressive writing like detail, scene, and emotion can make your writing even stronger. You’ll read, write, and share as a community, and leave with a better understanding of the theory and practice of expressive writing and, if applicable, how to pursue publication of your work.
As an award-winning writer and writing instructor, Laurie Edwards believes in the power of storytelling to empower. Edwards has taught undergraduate Writing to Heal courses as part of Northeastern University’s Health, Humanities, and Society minor since 2016. Grounded in the research surrounding trauma writing and improved health outcomes, writing and resilience, and narrative agency, these courses examine the transformative nature of the personal healing narrative and how expressive writing can serve as a healing tool for physical or emotional adversity. She currently has an ongoing public writing collaboration with Health Story Collaborative to publish student healing narratives.
Over the past several years, Edwards has partnered with literary nonprofit 826 Boston to develop a series of Writing to Heal workshops for high school students at John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury, MA; has facilitated Writing to Heal and trauma writing workshops at academic conferences and professional development workshops; has built open-access public trauma writing courses; and has had her work in this area published in scholarly journals.
Interested in joining a Writing to Heal course or bringing a program to your organization? Whether a stand-alone workshop, workshop series, short or longer-term writing course, Zoom or in-person program, or one-on-one collaboration, Edwards has the experience, versatility, and knowledge to tailor her expressive writing program to meet writers where they are at and help them achieve their goals.
Contact her at laurieDOTedwardsATgmail.com to discuss details and pricing.