Meet Julie

writer | pastor 

workshop leader

I never thought I was a writer.

Not a “real” writer, anyway. I thought real writers had a published book with their name on it. (As an eight year-old I had written and illustrated Jan and the Jump Rope and Jan’s Bad Day but no one else ever saw their brilliance.)

I scribbled off and on in journals, but shelved even that kind of writing to read theology as a seminary student. As a Presbyterian minister, I learned to write for work: sermons, devotions, curriculum, and articles for church publications. Still, I never called myself a writer. I was a pastor, a daughter, a sister, a wife, and after years of hoping—I was about to be a mother.

Then my world stopped when one of our twins died shortly after birth. Something froze inside me. I had no words for my grief, and no idea how to move forward. I kept busy, working and parenting, as five years passed in a blur.

Then I took a chance.

I read a newspaper ad for a one-day writing workshop for bereaved mothers. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I stepped into a freezing cold conference room, and gathered around a table with a quiet group of women. I picked up a pen, opened a blank composition notebook, and something inside began to thaw. 

Following our leader’s gentle prompts, we wrote about our grief, and shared some of our words aloud. I wrote about Jack’s little hat. Someone else wrote about her daughter’s shoes. The words started slowly, then poured out. What had been locked up inside me—too big to bear—was now in front of me on a page where I could begin to learn how to live with it.

Six months later, our group met again—just a random group of grieving mothers. We have continued to meet for almost 20 years. We’ve published a book, Farther Along: The Writing Journey of Thirteen Bereaved Mothers, and are working on a second book. We have a blog, and many of the mothers now help others write to heal. 

One writing workshop changed my life.

The transformative experience that first day, and twenty years of writing days since with that group and others, led me to be certified as a workshop facilitator using the Amherst Writers & Artists method. It’s an incredibly supportive way to find your voice, dig deep, and grow as a writer and a human being.

Writing woke me up, and gave me a way to listen to my life. And it keeps on giving. I’ve written my way through big deals like cancer, and small everyday moments with my family. My words teach me something every time I open my notebook.

Today I teach people how to use their own words to pay attention to what matters most to them. I lead online and in-person Writing in Company workshops for people living with loss, for faith groups, and for anyone who wants to experiment and play with words. 

Today I know I am a writer. And you are too. I’d love to show you how to use your words to pay attention to your life.

Let's write together.

You can begin right now when you join my free email list. 

I’ll send you a writing prompt to get you started today, then a weekly prompt to help you continue to write, reflect, and grow.  

You can also join me for an upcoming workshop, or a custom writing event for you or your group.