Good morning, friends! I wanted to share the welcome poem from my first book, The Halfway House for Writers. I included this poem in my book, but I wrote it for myself-- to name and assuage the fear, dread, pressure, anxiety and horror I felt about writing--the one thing in the world I most passionately wanted to do! Can you relate? What would you add? Are you ready to start the exquisite lifetime journey of trusting yourself?? Welcome to the Halfway House You know everything you need to know. You have everything you need to have. Nothing has been wasted: none of your writing and none of your time. Even lost years and lost manuscripts were necessary to bring you where you are now. All that’s lost can be salvaged. You bring with you the most sacred and the most profane. You bring wisdom and humor and a broken, healing heart. You bring your living body and your limitless soul and enough stories, thoughts and dreams to fill a thousand books. There is no hurry, there is no pressure, there is no wrong way to do this. There is no rule book, there is no map save for what’s inside of you. You know now which voices to trust and which to lay gently aside. There is nothing you have to prove or solve or figure out. There is no timeline or deadline. You can trust the words that come. You can trust yourself. You were brought here for this. You were led to this. This is why you are here. Welcome home. (Here are 3 friends I've found over the last few days at the river....they want to welcome you, too!)

Hello, brave writer. I'm so happy you've found your way here. Writing Fire was born from a deep belief that writing is far more than a creative practice — it is a transformational one. Writing helps us hear ourselves. It helps us tell the truth. It helps us remember who we are. It helps us make meaning from the wild, beautiful, heartbreaking, astonishing experience of being alive. For many years, I have gathered people in circles — online, in classrooms, in living rooms, around retreat tables, beside rivers, and around literal fire — to write, reflect, witness one another, and transform. This community is an extension of that sacred circle. A place for writers, seekers, storytellers, recovering perfectionists, deep feelers, creative explorers, and anyone longing for a truer relationship with their own voice. You do not need to call yourself a writer to belong here. You do not need to be polished. You do not need to be productive. You do not need to know what your "big project" is. You only need willingness, curiosity, and courage. Some people will come here to work on memoir. Some to process change. Some to reconnect with creativity. Some to listen for what their deeper self has been trying to say. Some to experience the alchemical transformation of turning pain into art. All of that belongs. A few things matter deeply here: 🔥 We practice strength-based witnessing and feedback. 🔥 We honor confidentiality and emotional safety. 🔥 We value truth over performance. 🔥 We encourage brave honesty, while honoring intuition, boundaries, and self-care. 🔥 We believe creativity can be both playful and profound. This is not a place to be perfect. This is a place to be real. If you've just arrived, here's how to begin 🌿 1. Watch this quick 'How To' video from Lauren She'll walk you through the space and show you how to find your way around. https://www.loom.com/share/8778b4b1c6d145e481c12b3f88cbdd92 2. Read the Community Agreements This helps us create a space that feels warm, brave, supportive, and creatively alive. 👉 Community Agreements

A big warm fire welcome to all of our new members! @Mina Smith, @Mitzi Averette, @Michelle Macgillivary @Whitney Tymas @Joanne Jensen @Sharon Comunale @Lauren McDonald @Karol Grankers @Kristina Collazo @Emma Marie Hanna @Jennyfur Yane! Wether you've been on a writing path for a long time or you're brand new, whether you're excited about writing or dread it, whether it terrifies or excites you, f you are ready to heal your relationship with writing you are ready to heal your relationship with yourself! Share a word or sentence below that names how you feel about writing--whether it's nervous, shy, vulnerable, ready, curious, scared, eager....every feeling we have is fuel for the writing fire!

Welcome to the fire! This is a space for truth-telling, creative courage, sacred witnessing, and human transformation through writing. We gather not to perform perfection—but to practice presence, spellcasting, storytelling, creativity, catharsis and authentic expression.. These agreements help protect the warmth, trust, and integrity of this community . 1. Come as you are. You do not need to be polished, articulate, wise, healed, or “ready.” Messy is welcome. Tender is welcome. Joy is welcome. Confusion is welcome. We honor the truth of where you are right now. Every emotion you have is fuel for the writing fire. 2. Offer strength-based feedback. When responding to someone’s writing, begin with what is alive, strong, vivid, moving, honest, surprising, beautiful, or resonant. Examples: - What stayed with me... - I felt... - I saw... - I was curious about... - This line landed in my body... We are not here to fix each other. We are here to witness, reflect, and encourage. Unless explicit editorial feedback is requested, assume the offering is meant to be received—not improved. 3. Speak from your own experience. Use language like: “I felt…” “I related to…” “This reminded me…” Rather than: “You should…” “What you need to do is…” No diagnosing. No debating someone’s emotional truth. No unsolicited advice. We practice deep listening, honoring and receiving. 4. Respect sacred confidentiality. Stories shared here stay here, so that we all feel safe Please respect the sacred confidentiality of the stories shared here.. You are welcome to share your own stories widely, but please honor and respect the confidentiality of others. 5. Participate at your own rhythm and pace. You do not need to keep up. Visit. Read. Write privately. Share occasionally. Come close when called. This is a living fire, not a pressure cooker of comparison or expectation. 6. Protect the sacred from promotion. Please do not use this community primarily to sell, recruit, market, or redirect members elsewhere unless explicitly invited.