By Isa Halle, Franklin High School’s The Franklin Post
“I’m really big about creating a sense of community,” says Chris Nelson, the Life Enrichment Director at Whitewood Gardens, a residential care facility in SE Portland. “You have to be around your neighbors in order to get that sense of community. For the past decade, one of the most meaningful ways the residents have been able to connect with one another is through a writing workshop hosted by Write Around Portland.
Founded in 1999, Write Around Portland partners with various agencies—including hospitals, schools and prisons—to conduct writing groups that last between six and 10 weeks. “[It’s] all about building community through writing,” says Lilly Do, program manager for Write Around Portland. At Whitewood Gardens, the workshops last eight to 10 weeks, with 90-minute sessions once a week.
“[Write Around Portland] is not an organization that’s going to teach you about character or teach you about plot. It really is about bringing people together in community,” says Pamela Fiehn, a volunteer writing facilitator for Write Around Portland, who has been involved with the organization for over a decade, serving as a board member and facilitator for the past two years. Fiehn volunteered at Whitewood Gardens and shares, “These are folks who’ve lived really long lives, and they have so many rich experiences and fascinating memories to share.”
The workshops are supported by volunteer facilitators and scribes. The scribes play a crucial role for residents for whom the manual task of writing is challenging. Nelson comments, “A lot of our residents are able to reminisce and be creative, but they don’t have the manual capacity to do so.” He continues, “They’re amazed that someone would be interested in their thoughts or their memories.”
For the residents of Whitewood Gardens, the impact of the workshop is both immediate and lasting. “People get to know one another at a level that just doesn’t happen when you’re just sitting at a table having breakfast,” observes Nelson. Larry, a Whitewood Gardens resident, said, “The writing workshop has given me the opportunity to get to know my fellow residents much better, seeing a different side of them, which is really fantastic.”
The workshop aims to address some of the deeper challenges seniors often face. “Helping folks leave a legacy and helping their words get out [are goals of the workshop],” says Do. “Especially with seniors, there is this sense of loneliness, and also a lot of grappling with mortality.” The creative experience of writing, especially alongside peers, can help process emotions. As Fiehn puts it, “Writing is a form of expression, a form of empowerment.”
Over the course of the sessions, participants select pieces of their work to edit into a final draft. When the workshop draws to a close, participants have the opportunity to read their piece aloud as part of a closing celebration, which the facilitators and scribes return to watch. The writings are compiled into an anthology, and each participant receives a copy. The anthologies can even be purchased at Powell’s Books, making each participant a published writer. “It was an excellent experience filled with imagination, fun and expertise from the facilitator,” says Esther, a workshop participant at Whitewood Gardens. “I can’t wait to do it again!”
While the workshops eventually come to an end, their impact remains. “The time we spend together is amazing,” Nelson reflects. “It has a ripple effect, a resonant effect. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. People have relationships at a deeper level after these workshops are completed.”
For Do, this kind of lasting connection is the heart of Write Around Portland. “I see just humanity in people, and the connections that are being built through writing,” she says. Write Around Portland can be found online at writearound.org.
A Write Around Portland workshop underway at Whitewood Gardens. Photo by Chris Nelson.
