ADOPTEE VOICES WRITING GROUPS

online writing groups for adult adoptees who have stories to share

Facilitated by Sara Easterly (Searching for Mom, Adoption Unfiltered), Jennifer Dyan Ghoston (The Truth So Far, Once Upon a Time…In Adopteeland), Kate Murphy, LCSW (The Couch blog), and Alice Stephens (Famous Adopted People). Open to 32 adult adoptees interested in exploring adoption through writing (16 adoptees in each track).

NEXT SESSION:

  • SPRING 2024: Meets weekly on Tuesdays, April 23, 2024 through June 4, 2024 (no meeting 5/28/24), 4:00-7:00 pm Pacific Time.
    Registration opens Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 12:00 pm Pacific Time.

Please consider subscribing to our mailing list to stay informed about future sessions.

Facilitated by Sara Easterly (Searching for Mom, Adoption Unfiltered) and Susan Devan Harness (Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption). Open to 12 adult adoptees who have published at least one book/screenplay/script (or similar longer work) OR 5 or more adoption-related articles/essays/blog posts.

CURRENT SESSION (FULL):
Meets on the third Thursday of each month
September 21, 2023 through May 16, 2024 (no meeting in December)
8:00-9:30 am Pacific Time

WRITING GROUP GROUND RULES

  • We respect one another’s writing and messaging. If you’re inspired by a colleague, then cite their influence on your writing in some way.
  • We’re all adoptees, but have had different experiences and may have varying perspectives. Please give one another grace where you disagree. We respect where we are each at in understanding the impact of adoption, recognizing a range of experiences and feelings.
  • We’re likely to talk about private and sensitive issues, so what we talk about in group should stay within the group.
  • We endeavor to keep all material private and confidential, but cannot guarantee all participants in the cohort will always do the same.
  • Sharing your writing and receiving feedback is optional. You can always decline to share if it gets too difficult.
  • These are facilitated peer writing groups, not therapy sessions. If you are experiencing a serious mental health event, such as suicidal thoughts, please contact a licensed professional or the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.
  • These groups are intended to serve a community of adoptees. Consequently, all participants assert they are adoptees. Further, facilitators reserve the right to limit access to anyone deemed inappropriate, threatening, or otherwise disruptive to the group and its intended purpose.
  • We do not record discussion and sharing sessions. However, we reserve the right to record presentations by members or guest speakers, subject to mutual agreement.

SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING

All experiences, emotions, and perspectives on adoption are welcome, which means that some of the content encountered within the writing group could be upsetting. If this is your first time participating in a group of adoptees or looking up-close at adoption, you may wish to first, or concurrently, consider working with an adoption-competent therapist and/or seeking an adoptee support group.