Writing Workshop for Stress Management

In a time when every day brings countless sources of stress, this workshop will provide a break from it all. It includes writing prompts and sharing opportunities to be present, process, and dig into the joys of creative expression and community connection. This is a generative writing workshop using the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method, where you'll write new pieces based on prompts (or whatever you feel like writing), followed by reading and responses that only identify what's working or what resonates with readers in your writing (no critique!).

This workshop is for all levels of writers, including beginners who might not yet identify as writers. It's also open to all genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc.). Attendees will leave with 2-3 new pieces of new writing, along with encouraging feedback to inspire them to continue with their writing practice.

The goal is for everyone to leave the workshop with less stress than they brought into it.

While this is a free workshop, we ask that you RSVP to reserve your spot since space is limited. 

Lauren Oertel is a writer, community organizer, and a passionate supporter of authors, books, writing communities, and local bookstores. Her work has been published in Lark and Owl'sKindred Characters, The Ravens Perch, Evening Street Review, Steam Ticket, The Bluebird Word, The Sun Magazine, and more. She won first prize in the 2021 MONO. poetry competition, she was a winner of the 2022 Writer's Digest short story contest, the 2022-2025 Mendocino Coast Writers' Conference poetry and nonfiction contests, and a finalist for the 2023 Prime Number Magazine Award for Short Fiction. Lauren is an Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) Affiliate, certified to lead workshops in the AWA method. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her partner Orlando and their tuxedo cat Apollonia.