The photo is of me with my muse, Elijah. I was seventeen and had recently read, A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor’s book of Southern Gothic short stories.

Reading O’Connor, Faulkner and Eudora Welty taught me that excruciating oddness could be a resource as useful as tubes of paint, brushes, a canvas. Too shy to use this potential, I kept it hidden for years. Fortunately, creativity remains alive in us and never stops sending its signal.

I discovered Amherst Writers and Artists in 2004.

AWA gave me the safety and inspiration I needed to embrace myself as a writer.

• We write twice for 15 to 20 minutes. You never have to read what you wrote but if you do you’ll receive only positive feedback. After all, you haven’t even had a chance to edit it yet.

• If you read aloud, you’ll receive honest, positive feedback.

• Positive feedback improves our writer’s ear and helps us see the potential in the piece.

• We treat everything as fiction so we can experiment with content and style.

• No questions are asked about the writing. This is a generative group, not a critique group.

I received my AWA training with Pat Schneider in 2009 and began leading in-person writing groups in the Sierra Foothills of California.

During the height of the pandemic, I moved to the panhandle of Texas to assist my mother in her passing. I stayed and my groups continued writing on Zoom.

AWA groups allow professional and avocational writers alike to access fresh, original language, metaphor, imagery and musical flow. Strong writing is discovered through the mystery of the heart, engagement with the senses and acceptance of strangeness. 

This doesn’t happen in the rational brain. It happens in flurries and flows of letting go and telling the truth that wants to come through, regardless of genre. Hence, we have Wildass Writing. You can do the fine carpentry later.

Each class is two hours long. I provide prompts and facilitate using the AWA method which creates a safe, fun atmosphere. You’ll catch on in no time and fit right in. Write to my prompts or bring your own percolating ideas with you.

My groups meet on-line in four-week sessions followed by a week off. A four-week session is $100.00.

Contact me at jjwriter7@gmail.com to sign up or for more information.