But free creative writing workshops offered to people from some of the city’s most marginalized communities have helped the Toronto woman find her voice. “By writing and sharing stories in a safe and supportive environment, people heal themselves,” says the collective’s part-time program manager Jesse Cohoon. “It provides convincing evidence of the magic of the writing workshops.”She believes it is the first Canadian study to measure the benefits of a no-barrier, community-based creative writing program for people from marginalized groups. When asked to rate how much they had changed as a result of the program, writers reported major improvements in their feelings of hope, well-being, resilience, empowerment and connectedness. They also noted positive changes in their self expression, creativity and writing skills, McShane says.

Source: thestar February 11, 2018 23:03 UTC