Saturday, October 19 from 9:30am-6:00pm (includes half an hour lunch break)

$149

Writing can be healing. But writing can also re-traumatize, making it difficult to tell the stories that shape us. In this one-day intensive, writers gain an understanding of how the physiological processes of trauma and shame interact with a writing practice. Together, we’ll sidestep trauma writing stumbling blocks by using activities adapted from clinical practice to safely consider the structure of traumatic events. Drawing on two published essays about sexual and domestic violence, we’ll dive into the ways we might frame, order, and nuance our experiences of trauma, elevating a personal story into a universal inquiry and owning on the page our complicated, contradictory selves. 

This class is not a support group. Nor is it intended to take the place of mental healthcare. But for those who have already begun to resolve physiological traumas, it will offer a stable, supportive environment to study the craft of writing these stories that, well told, have so much to offer society.

This class is hosted through Lifelong Learning at University of Utah.