finding words for the things we were taught not to say

creative writing has opened universes to explore that otherwise would have never existed. i’ve talked to my deceased papi, written letters from my estranged mother’s point of view, and come to revelations on the page so earth shattering i step away. all of them have brought me closer to my truest Self.

and creative writing tends to do that–especially in community.

studies have shown that by engaging in creative writing and sharing with others who are providing peer support, many experience an improvement in quality of life, a maximization of resilience, and a promotion of self-empowerment and social connection. this exchange can also be healing for those who resonate and are on their own healing journeys in community. 

one of the first times i publicly shared my work, i was terrified. it was the last show of my senior year. i stood on the stage of Newburgh Free Academy’s black box theater as i wrung my hands. someone shouted my name in support to ease my nerves. 

and then i started. it was a two minute long spoken word about my experience growing up. losing my father, living in poverty, surviving violence. i was in honors classes with white students for four years who never knew that i lived in the projects or why i didn’t have a sweet sixteen. since we were all graduating though, and i had gotten a full ride to NYU, i said fuck it.

i don’t remember the actual performance. just the moments after. the arms wrapping around me over and over and over. my friend’s dad telling me he wants to be like me when he grew up. going to the local diner after to celebrate.

i felt so relieved. i ripped off the mask and no one feared my face. the validation and sharing of experiences pushed me to start journaling daily. it was beautiful how much love the community gave me, but ultimately, i needed to give it to myself, too. 

through journaling, writing poetry, and exploring creative non-fiction (my favorite style!), i’ve experienced a significant decrease in anxiety, depression and PTSD flashbacks. writing as a form of healing has also been proven to be effective for other conditions including obsessive compulsive disorder, grief and loss, chronic illness issues, substance abuse, eating disorders, interpersonal relationship issues, communication skill issues and low self-esteem.

after high school, i went on to self publish an eBook that was met with similar responses. a recurring sentiment i received was “you put words to things i was taught not to say.” 

and now, all these years later, i am in the position to show people how to say them. 

i’ll be leading Avril Heals’ Creative Writing Community Interest Group that meets Mondays from 6-7:30pm PST. 

there is ZERO previous writing experience needed for this group. we’ll explore gentle intro exercises like black out poetry and short vignettes of our favorite memories. from there, we’ll explore asemic writing, creating portraits of those we love, dream writing, and more! there’s also no requirement to share any of the work you write in the group, so if you just want to join to write in  community– that’s welcome too! 

writing has uncovered so many pieces of me i never realized needed healing. it gives us the ability to create new narratives for ourselves in ways we were often told we never could. i hope you’ll join me in uncovering new terrain.