“When we neglect the artist in ourselves, there is a kind of mourning that goes on under the surface of our busy lives.” Pat Schneider

In 2008, I trained in the Amherst Method, described by Pat Schneider in her book Writing Alone & With Others. My writing workshops have been hosted by the Dock Arts Centre in Carrick on Shannon; the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny; the Glens Centre and Across the Lines in Manorhamilton; DVAS and the Yeats Society in Sligo; Bounce in Belfast; and Irish Aid and Comhlámh in Dublin. I have led writing workshops with community groups, women’s groups, transition year students, disabled writers, survivors of domestic violence, active age groups and returned development workers. With my partner Tom Sigafoos, I co-founded and facilitated the Donegal branch of Fighting Words, a creative writing programme for primary school children.

I offer both generative Creative Writing workshops, and publication-focussed Craft and Critique workshops. You can read a selection of testimonials here.

Amherst Method Creative Writing Workshops

Do you want to write, but don’t know where to start? Have you ever held back from joining a writers’ group because you felt you weren’t a “real” writer? Or perhaps you’ve been writing for years, but now your words feel stale, or you’re low on inspiration?

These workshops are guaranteed to set the ink and the imagination flowing: if you’re afraid of the blank page, your fear will dissolve; if you’re an experienced writer, you will come away from these workshops refreshed.

Craft and Critique

In these workshops, the emphasis is on the development of writing skills through constructive critique and tailored craft exercises.

These workshops may be multi-genre, or focused primarily on poetry, fiction or memoir, depending on the interests of participants