Wild Writing Groups

Writing Circles get to the bottom of things, to release, to heal and to ultimately find buoyancy and freedom in mind and soul.

Curious but want to lean more? Here are some FAQ’s about Wild Writing:

  • You don’t have to be a writer to write. In fact, our goal is to just be more human together, to not try so hard, maybe try easy and get the pen flowing on th. page. What a relief, huh? We think so. So, in that sense, this class is for anyone of any age, of any writing experience, who is curious about writing as a means to explore new territory inside of themselves within a supportive, safe circle.

  • This style of writing is simple, direct, and powerful. We are practicing what is called “automatic” writing, which is the art of letting our pens move on the page without stopping. We keep our pens moving right along, even if all we are writing is: “My hand hurts! I don’t know what to write next”. When we keep the pen moving, we bypass the voice that is telling us our writing is “good” or “bad,” and in doing so, we reach a depth that is more intuitive, more authentic, and true.

  • We’ve found that when we really give ourselves over to this practice, the outcomes have been life changing. Almost everyone walks away with something new and important. This may include and not be limited to: growing your voice, intuition, creativity, and living into a more vulnerable and authentic lifestyle, as well as dropping the handcuffs of performative and perfectionist tendencies. In short, we write in this way because it helps us become more in touch with our real selves and this makes a difference in our lives, in our communities, in the world. We think that’s pretty yummy and pretty darn essential, now more than ever.

  • use lines from poetry as our prompts and away we go with our pens…we write and we write and we write, for a set period of time. Then we take turns reading what we wrote. No comments or cross talk. We simply listen, acknowledge, and then move on. We find that getting words on a page is powerful, and it’s in the reading when our writing “grows a heartbeat.”

  • Yes, although this is not the goal of the class. In this class we are letting go of the editing voice and curating our work. Many writers begin with this freeform style of writing and go back later to edit their work. This is a process you’re more than welcome to do on your own time.

  • Great question. At the beginning of each series of classes we make a few agreements together. Those agreements ensure the safety of the circle, protect confidentiality, and give us freedom and permission to throw our lives onto the page without hesitation. The agreements are as follows:

    • Everything that is shared in this circle stays in this circle.

    • We don’t talk about other people’s writing, not in the circle or out of the circle.

    • If you would like to talk with someone about something they wrote, we ask: May I reference your writing? We then allow that person to freely choose yes or no.

Ready to jump in and give it a try?

Kevin Schmidt

Men’s Group

May 8, 15, 22, 29, June 5, 12

Wednesdays, 6 -7:30pm at BYH

Max 6 Students

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I have been a restaurant general manager, and a wine salesperson, and I was awarded a Gold record as a promotion executive at a record company. I spent a decade as a radio DJ, and I like to paint landscapes on larges canvases. I have lived on Bainbridge Island for 30 years and I bring songwriting and poetry writing to my work with Wild Writing, which I consider to be more about listening than writing.

McKenzie Zajonc

Women’s Group

May 6, 13, 20, June 3, 10, 17

Mondays, 4:30pm-5:45pm

Max 6 participants

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May 8, 15, 22, 29, June 5, 12

Wednesdays, 9am-10:15am

Max 6 participants

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Most of my life I’ve looked to a variety of modalities and disciplines to help me better know myself and my humanness. It wasn’t until I landed on this writing practice that I found the missing link.

I’ve spent decades in a performative complex – you can throw perfectionism and pleasing tendencies in there too while we are at it. That’s what I love most about this practice, it asks us again and again to let go of the need to be “good.” It insists we go head-to-head with any inauthentic versions of ourselves, and instead, write our way, line after line, into our more real, raw, and true nature. I like that, and I think a lot of us, whether we realize it or not, hunger for this. I also like how this practice begs of us to participate in community as an expressed individual, which I believe not only heals our person and our voice, but our families and communities as well.

I’ve been writing with the founder of Wild Writing, Laurie Wagner since 2020 and completed her teacher training in 2023. I am a psychotherapist, nutritionist, mother of two young children, a former Division I athlete, and have successfully recovered from an eating disorder. I sleep with an eye mask, a knee pillow, ear plugs, and often, a pillow on my face.

McKenzie is a deeply intuitive, kind, and fearless teacher who guides others to access their true inner voice. She creates a warm and loving space for her students to safely examine the stories of their lives. She is endlessly curious about the human experience -- nothing is too taboo or hard to write about, and her great gift is leading by example.

- Dayna Macy, Author of Ravenous: A Food Lovers Journey from Obsession to Freedom