WRITE AROUND PORTLAND

WRITING WORKSHOPS: IN 2025, WRITE AROUND PORTLAND WORKED ON SUSTAINING OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES AND IN OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM. WE HELD 26 WRITING GROUPS FOR ADULTS AND YOUTH IN HOSPITALS, SCHOOLS, SHELTERS, TREATMENT CENTERS, LOW-INCOME HOUSING BUILDINGS, SENIOR CENTERS AND OTHER HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL SERVICE SETTINGS. WRITING GROUPS MET FOR UP TO 10 WEEKS, AND WE OFFERED THESE GENERATIVE WRITING GROUPS FREE OF CHARGE TO MORE THAN 217 ADULTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE EXPERIENCING FINANCIAL INSECURITY OR ISOLATION. WE ALSO HELD 11 ONE-TIME WRITING CIRCLES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER NON-PROFITS AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO SUPPORT THEIR PROGRAMMING AND IN THOSE WORKSHOPS WROTE WITH 73 PARTICIPANTS. IN TOTAL WE HELD WORKSHOPS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 25 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS TO BRING WRITING TO PLACES WHERE PEOPLE LIVE, STUDY AND RECEIVE SERVICES. WE PROVIDED JOURNALS, PENS, SNACKS, BUS TICKETS AND ACCOMMODATIONS TO REMOVE OBSTACLES TO PARTICIPATION. 92% OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN WRITING AND LISTENING SKILLS AND 87% OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A DECREASE IN ISOLATION. WE ALSO HELD 14 SLIDING SCALE AND MARKET RATE WRITING CIRCLES OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND 16 FREE RESONATE WRITING CIRCLES THAT OFFERED A SUPPORTIVE SPACE FOR BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR TO WRITE AND SHARE, 14 OF WHICH WERE ONLINE AND 2 THAT WERE OFFERED IN-PERSON. WE HELD 2 VOLUNTEER FACILITATOR TRAININGS AND TRAINED 22 NEW FACILITATORS TO HELP LEAD THE WRITING GROUPS. WE HELD OUR ANNUAL RESONATE FACILITATOR TRAINING AND TRAINED 3 NEW FACILITATORS FOR THE RESONATE BIPOC PROGRAM. WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT MICHELE STRONG SHARED, "I WRITE BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE EXPERIENCES WE CAN SHARE WITH OTHERS. OFTEN, WE HELP OTHERS THROUGH OUR WRITING AND SHARING THINGS THAT INFLUENCE OUR LIVES." PUBLICATIONS: WE PUBLISHED TWO PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED BOOKS OF PARTICIPANTS' UNIQUE AND POWERFUL WRITING. WE PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED 700 COPIES: "HOW WE ARE TOGETHER" (SPRING) AND "I WAS ALWAYS THERE" (FALL). THESE PUBLICATIONS WERE TRULY COMMUNITY ENDEAVORS, WITH MORE THAN 40 VOLUNTEERS HELPING TO PRODUCE EACH BOOK. WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS EACH RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK IN WHICH THEIR WRITING WAS PUBLISHED. BOOKS WERE ALSO MADE AVAILABLE AT LOCAL BOOKSTORES, PUBLIC LIBRARIES, CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES AND AT SCHOOLS. WE FEATURED WRITERS AND THEIR WORK ON OUR WEBSITE AND THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, AND WE ALSO CREATED COMMUNITY CHAPBOOKS OF WRITING BY PARTICIPANTS IN OUR PROMPT WRITING GROUPS. IN HER INTRODUCTION TO OUR 63RD ANTHOLOGY, "HOW WE ARE TOGETHER", FACILITATOR JESSICA YEN WROTE, "IT'S THE MOMENT WHERE SOMEONE WORKS UP THE COURAGE TO SHARE WHAT THEY HAVE WRITTEN MAYBE THEY ARE SHARING FOR THE FIRST TIME, MAYBE IT'S THEIR FIRST TIME SHARING A PIECE THAT MOVES IN A NEW DIRECTION AND FINDS THAT THE GROUP HAS TRULY LISTENED." COMMUNITY READINGS: WE HELD 2 LARGE AND 3 SMALLER READINGS WITH MORE THAN 242 AUDIENCE MEMBERS. OUR LARGE COMMUNITY READINGS WERE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND WERE FREE OF CHARGE. THESE READINGS BROUGHT PARTICIPANTS FROM ALL OF OUR WRITING GROUPS TOGETHER AND WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO SHARE THEIR WORK. THESE EVENTS PROMOTED RESPECT FOR DIVERSE VOICES AND PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE STORIES OF INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING ISOLATION BECAUSE OF ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, PHYSICAL, SOCIAL OR OTHER BARRIERS. THE RANGE OF STORIES AT EACH READING WAS VAST. A SPIRIT OF SUPPORT, COMPASSION, RESPECT AND ENTHUSIASM FOR THE WRITERS AND THE WRITTEN WORD PERMEATED EACH READING. OUR WRITERS AND AUDIENCES ARE AMONG THE MOST DIVERSE IN PORTLAND. PAST PROJECT COORDINATOR FOR THE HOPE PARTNERSHIP AT MACLAREN YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, KATHLEEN FULLERTON WROTE THIS ABOUT THE YEARS WRITE AROUND PORTLAND HAS WRITTEN WITH THE YOUTH PARTICIPANTS AT MACLAREN: "WRITE AROUND PORTLAND HAS BEEN A STABILIZING WORKSHOP, THE HISTORY SHARED AND RENEWED. THE YOUTH POPULATION MIGHT CHANGE, YET THE STEADFAST AURA OF CREATIVITY PULSES ONWARD, MEETING THE VARIETY OF NEEDS FOR THOSE WHO TOOK THE CHANCE." ALL OF THIS WORK WAS SUPPORTED BY 133 VOLUNTEERS WHO CONTRIBUTED 3303 VOLUNTEER HOURS.