Women Writing: The Art of Spiritual Memoir

In partnership with Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. 

Come and write, reflect and rest to shift your own narrative and make peace with your story. This workshop teaches writing as a practice for shifting our narratives to make peace with our stories. When viewed through the lens of judgment or over identification, the stories we tell about who we are and what shapes us, can keep us stuck. In this week, we will use discussion, writing exercises and centering prayer to break open our personal narratives so that we may begin to externalize our stories and experience a deeper compassion for ourselves and those who have loved and failed us.

This writing workshop will offer women ministers, teachers, and healers a space for renewal. Each day holds time for you to give yourself what you need as only you know it—whether it be prayer, walking, studying, writing, being with others or simply sleep. Each day also holds time for structured and intentional learning and growth in your capacities for your work. And, of course, each day holds time for communion with other women who are also ministers, teachers and healers.

Each day will include an hour and half teaching session to include writing prompts, an hour and half workshop session, and unstructured time.

Donna M. Johnson is the author of Holy Ghost Girl, a memoir critically acclaimed by the New York Times, O Magazine, Texas Monthly, Beliefnet, NPR’s Interfaith Voices, People and many other publications and blogs. The book was named twice to the Oprah.com Memoirs We Love list and was chosen by Publishers Weekly and The Nervous Breakdown as a Top 10 pick. Holy Ghost Girl took top honors in the Spirituality category at the New York Books for a Better Life Awards and won the Mayborn Creative Nonfiction prize.

Donna’s work has been collected in several anthologies including Beyond Belief. She has written about religion, family and culture for Psychology Today, Shambhala Sun, Huffington Post, The Rumpus, the Dallas Morning News, the Austin American Statesman and other publications. She lives in Austin where she teaches writing workshops and is at work on another memoir.

Donna Johnson spent years writing about the mysterious workings of technology, most of which she took on faith. She created, wrote, and produced a radio show called Tech Ranch which said everything that could be said about technology and culture in one minute, five days a week, for too many years.

Through the writing of Holy Ghost Girl Donna found a way to connect the disparate parts of herself. The sight of a gospel tent stretched against an evening sky leaves an ache in her heart, but she no longer flees at the sound of a tambourine. She has been known to tell people she’ll pray for them. And she does.

The big questions posed by religion continue to occupy Donna. She has written about matters of faith for the Dallas Morning News and the Austin American Statesman. Donna lives and writes in Austin Texas, where with the help of family and friends, she works at becoming a regular person.

Application Process:

The application deadline for this workshop has passed.