At the Greenfield Public Library, FreeWrite co-facilitators Gretchen Krull and Amie Hyson began a Tuesday evening session by sounding a Tibetan singing bowl and distributing inspirational quotes. Following introductions, 10 women wrote for 20 minutes and then read their work aloud. Writers receive only positive feedback — no critical comments. Each writer is told which words or phrases caught her peers’ attention, and it’s immediately apparent that the women gather in a strong sisterhood.
FreeWrite is for women in recovery, and the word “recovery” is interpreted broadly. Some are healing from addictions or experiences of violence; others are strengthening and seeking peace following a health challenge or the loss of a loved one.
FreeWrite also holds meetings on Friday mornings at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Re-entry Center on Greenfield’s Main Street, where co-facilitator Judith Roberts is the third facilitator.
Hyson and Krull met in 2016 at the Recover Project when Hyson attended a session Krull facilitated for Voices from Inside, a group for women currently or formerly incarcerated, in recovery, or with mental health needs. Although it was Hyson’s first experience in a writing workshop, before long, she was facilitating workshops herself.
FreeWrite is not a writing class; spelling isn’t checked, and there are no pointers about sentence construction. What follows are excerpts from recent sessions, attributed using first names.
“(Writing) gives my daydreaming self a place to land,” said Belinda. “It’s my spiritual lift, my voice, my place, my church.”
Referring to her FreeWrite chums, Belinda wrote, “They’ve become my sisters in soulful sharing. I’d get myself here even if I had to crawl.” Her pals erupted in laughter and nod their heads.
Emma described her fellow writers as “powerhouses in their own lives. We’re from different walks of life and different ages, but we’re like-minded. We’re family. We stand with one another with a listening ear and warm embrace, free of judgment.” Emma added, “Everyone is a writer, has a story and deserves to be heard.”
The next writer to share, Mindy, referred to “the pain or pleasure inside” and “trying to sort it out.” The Friday morning group was brought to tears when Frances shared that “FreeWrite gives peace to the noise inside of me.” Frances also noted, “When no sound existed, the silence was loud.” Many participants write of conflicting feelings; Frances credits the group for providing “grace and release from so many things.”
In the Tuesday group, Duston shared that she “went to art school in defiance of my mother’s proclamation that I should write. I believed to be a writer, you had to have grown up reading, chewing books like sandwiches on the way home from the library.”
Duston now makes up for lost time: “In this group, I can write more like I paint. Start, stop and start again.” For her part, a participant named Gail appreciates that “the careful listeners are real, human and raw. Here, I can express myself instead of having my thoughts running around in the squirrel cage of my mind. We have a unified purpose.”
In the Friday group, a participant named LE (pronounced with a long E) shared, “Writing is the most accurate way to understand what I’m feeling.” LE shared that, early in life, “I was a person in a female body with no right to it. I was a woman, but not woman enough.”
LE noted that experiencing “a religious upbringing where women were undervalued” felt like being “born disabled.” FreeWrite and other healing paths helped LE discover “personal magic, my own frequency. I have self-validation and no longer feel the need to earn my identity. Being in this group helps me be seen.”
Karen celebrates the ability to “share from the heart. Silence becomes our friend. Magic happens in this room. We walk away feeling like we’ve won.” Kim referred to the “freedom and lightness, the release of energy” that comes from writing in the group. “Years ago, writing professionally took away the joy; I began to hate writing. Honestly, I didn’t feel well this morning and almost didn’t come, but I didn’t want to miss it.”
In the Tuesday group, Becky shared that she “never had the confidence to try writing, but this has become a big part of my recovery. Early recovery can be so lonely.”
Maggie called the group “a pleasant place to put pen to paper.” Casey appreciates “being accepted for who I am.” The petite woman with delicate features seemed grounded and strong as she added, “I have grown as a writer, finding my inner voice and letting it out without judgment. There’s unspoken camaraderie here. I have sat, and now I will soar.” Casey’s obvious strength despite her pain brings tears to the eyes of many fellow participants.
Rachel, who’s recovering from a head injury, said that FreeWrite allows her to “release fear and uncertainty, if only for two hours. I’m navigating a new world, verbally blind. I got my voice back. My voice. Me. I can dance again with my pen.”
Newcomer Marilyn admitted that there was a lot of risk involved in joining the group: “There are parts of myself I wanted to avoid. But I’ve come to understand that this is a caring circle.” Marilyn said FreeWrite helped her develop emotional safety. “The compassion I feel for others, I’m learning to feel for myself.”
The facilitators shared their experiences, too.
Krull said, “I’ve learned more about the power of gratitude. I’m inspired to see the beauty around me. That gives me hope.”
Hyson appreciates being exposed to “rich lives with myriad tales.” FreeWrite helps Hyson feel “empowered to write poetry in my own voice despite what the experts might say. The world needs to hear from women like me.”
Roberts treasures knowing that women can be “having a hard week, but still showing up here, feeling together, being together, writing together, creating endless possibilities.”
Mindy sums up FreeWrite culture: “If I run into these women outside of group sessions, there’s a warm bond.”
Eveline MacDougall is the author of “Fiery Hope” and can be contacted at evelinemacdougall@gmail.com.