A shout out to Scott Iwasaki of The Park Record for writing an article about my upcoming Writing Through Grief workshop in Park City.
“Someone in the throes of loss, whether it’s the death of a loved one, a sickness or a divorce, may feel a jumble of emotions,” says writing instructor Debbie Leaman.
To help people deal with these feelings, Leaman created Writing Through Grief, a six-week workshop that she will lead every Wednesday from Feb. 26 through April 1 at Jewish Family Services Park City Offices, 1960 Sidewinder Dr.
The nondenominational class is open to all writing levels, Leaman said.
Participants should attend the sessions with their writing tool of choice — journal, notebook or laptop.
There’s some perceived notion of how much time you need to grieve and get over what you need to grieve…” Debbie Leaman, writing coach
“My intention is to create a safe space to write out their complicated emotions that are swirling around their heads,” Leaman said. “I do want people to know that sharing is optional. No one has to read what they wrote, but there is something powerful about writing something and reading it out loud.”
Leaman emphasized that grief isn’t limited to death and illness.
“People come to these workshops for many different reasons,” she said. “Many are grieving the environment, and what is going on in the world and our country.”
Regardless of what people grieve, the emotions they experience are universal, according to Leaman.
I’m always on the lookout for essays on aging. Do you have a personal essay or a poem on aging you'd like to share? If so, I'd love to read it. Send it my way!
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