“Writing Alone Together is a triumph of collective
composition, the creation of three authors blended
into a unified voice, at once lucid,
wise and inspiring.”
—TRISTINE RAINER, AUTHOR OF THE NEW DIARY
Experience Journal Writing as a Communal Practice…
Are you a woman who writes in a journal for the joy, pleasure or sanity of it?- Have you ever wished you could share your insights and creative dreaming with others?
- Do you crave connection with other creative and supportive women?
- Would you like to have more tools for deeper reflection in your life?
If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, then you will love Writing Alone Together: Journalling in a Circle of Women for Creativity, Compassion and Connection.
In this book, you will learn:
- How your practice of journal writing and your curiosity about what other women write in their journals can lead to a creative collaboration
- How your solitary journalling can be transformed into a powerful communal practice for creativity, compassion and connection
- How journalling in a circle of women can deepen and clarify your own writing process and support you to commit to sharing your writing in the world
Writing Alone Together will transform your writing into a catalyst for meaningful conversation, storytelling, mindfulness, personal growth, creative self-expression and mutual support.
Journalling in a circle of women will help you live more authentically, cope with life’s challenges, celebrate your gifts and connect more deeply with yourself and others.
Part memoir, part writing practice, part inspiration, Writing Alone Together is a multi-voiced creation of three passionate and committed journal writers who discovered the depth and complexity that emerges from going to the blank page together.
This book is filled with journal writing prompts to support
you to go to the page, alone and with others.
“The authors’ pure love of writing for creative self-expression, and for the power of writing in community, shines through on every page.”
—Kathleen Adams, LPC, CEO, Center for Journal Therapy, Inc., author of
Journal to the Self and editor of Expressive Writing: Foundations of Practice
“Writing Alone Together is both a culmination and a beginning. Through seven years of collaboration, Wendy, Lynda and Ahava have generously and joyfully produced a book to spark and support other women who seek to create journalling circles—to write their lives together.”
—Judith Arcana, author of several books, including a biography of Grace Paley,
and a member of “Jane” an abortion service in the seventies in Chicago
“Through their shared experiences, prompts, and wisdom, Lynda, Wendy, and Ahava show that writing is far from a solitary act—rather, it’s one that we can use not only to learn more about ourselves but also to deepen our connection to others.”
—Hannah Braime, coach and founder of Becoming Who You Are
“I wholeheartedly recommend Writing Alone Together. It not only guides the reader in how to organize and structure a group using powerful journal prompts, but reveals the texture, sound and feeling of real women working and growing together, telling their stories. Brava! A much needed book.”
—Lucia Capacchione, Ph.D., A.T.R., R.E.A.T., art therapist and author of
The Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself and The Power of Your Other Hand
“Writing Alone Together is both inspirational and practical, offering a wealth of advice for any woman who wants to journal or be part of a journal writing group. The book will serve the growing need of women who wish to express themselves and create a new culture of open communication during these transformative times.”
—Lorraine Gane, author of The Way the Light Enters, The Blue Halo and other books of poetry and prose
“These writers know–instinctively and from much experience–what scientists are just now discovering: That no matter the public reach of a work, the act of expressive writing is both healing and invigorating. In its most vital form, our storytelling becomes a practice at once personal, political, and communal. Take this book’s invitation.”
—Ariel Gore, founding editor of Hip Mama and author of The End of Eve
“Writing Alone Together is fired in the heart’s sacred and wild wisdom. Based on their long life practices of journal writing, they offer us rare gifts of testimony, insight, courage, and encouragement. This book bears witness to the compelling possibilities of nurturing wellness and sustainability in individual and communal lives by learning to communicate with ourselves and with one another.”
—Carl Leggo, poet and professor at The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
and editor of A Heart of Wisdom: Life Writing as Empathic Inquiry
“It’s rare to be taken inside the experience of what is required of us as writers. In Writing Alone Together, Wendy Judith Cutler, Lynda Monk and Ahava Shira track how devotion and collaboration combust with alone and together to fuel us.”
—Betsy Warland, author of Breathing the Page: Reading the Act of Writing
To your creativity, compassion and connection,
 Wendy Judith Cutler, M.A. Wendy Judith Cutler, M.A., is a teacher, writer and lesbian-feminist who has taught Women’s Studies and Writing for more than thirty years. She has been involved in feminist, leftist, social justice and queer politics, community-building and culture for many decades. She was a contributor to The Coming Out Stories, is noted in Feminists Who Changed America: 1963-1975 and has had writings in numerous publications. Through WomenWriting, she facilitates journal writing and memoir workshops and circles. She relishes the opportunity to inspire women to honour the wisdom and power of their own words. Her memoir-in-progress is about lesbian feminism in the 1970s entitled Memoir of an Undutiful Daughter. |
 Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC, is a Registered Social Worker, Certified Life Coach and the founder of Creative Wellness—a journal coaching business where writing, well-being and transformation meet. Through her online Writing for Wellness coaching programs, retreats, keynote speaking and guided journalling products, Lynda regularly inspires helpers, healers, leaders and others to the page for self- care, stress relief, healing, growth and renewal. Lynda is the author of Life Source Writing™: A Reflective Journaling Practice for Self-Discovery, Self-Care, Wellness & Creativity. Her memoir-in-progress is currently called Wild Abandon: An Adoptee’s Memoir. |
 Ahava Shira, PhD Ahava Shira, PhD, is a writer, performer, creative mentor and founder of the Centre for Loving Inquiry. Her transformational retreats and mentorship programs support women to develop confidence, cultivate self- compassion and access their authentic creative expression. Author of Weaving of My Being, a poetry book and Love is Like This, a spoken word CD, Ahava has been courageously exploring her own artistic expression for two decades through poetry, spoken word, improvisational storytelling and dance performance. Her memoir-in-progress about overcoming the limitations of a surgically fused spine is called Curve. |
