The Core Stories Collective:
a community for writers & other humans with stories to tell
Writing group registration is currently closed. If you want to put your name on the waitlist for the next round (launch date TBD, but likely JANUARY 2024) and/or receive updates on one-off co-writing meetings and events planned for this summer, please fill out this form. For more info, just keep reading below!
The Core Stories Collective is an ecosystem for writers, “writers,” and other humans with stories they’re itching to write down.
It’s a virtual community and collaborative support structure where we tend to the narratives that rattle around in our hearts and plant our stories on the page.
The Collective is designed to nurture…
- ACCOUNTABILITY to writing
- STRUCTURE and ROUTINE to support your practice
- SACRED SPACE to create — AND to share your work
- CREATIVE INSPIRATION
- CONNECTION with other creative folks
✍️ How it works — structure, meetings, etc. ✍️
The Collective runs seasonally, for three months at a time. Here’s what to expect from each round, repeatable as many times as you’d like:
We meet twice a week for 90-minute Zoom sessions. Each session includes...
- A gentle group check-in…
- A meditation or visualization to get us grounded in our bodies…
- An offering of unique prompts (three fresh ones each week!) for those who want them…
- And then, 75ish minutes of silent, focused writing time.
- The Zoom room remains open until the last person puts their pen (or computer) down.
The Collective also has its own Mighty Networks community where members can...
- chat with other writers and form one-on-one relationships with writing buddies
- exchange work with each other for feedback
- celebrate writing wins
- ask for support with writer’s block
- share reading recommendations
- access prompt ideas and other bits of motivation and inspiration
✨ Plus, fun bonuses!!! ✨
Each three-month round kicks off with a group meet-and-greet. You’ll get to introduce yourself, set a writing goal or intention, and connect with your new crew of creative buds via fun conversational prompts (and maybe even a game or two).
There’s also a show-and-tell at the end of each month (three show-and-tells total), where you’ll get to share your work out loud in a safe, supportive space. (If enough folks are wanting critical feedback, we’ll integrate some workshopping, too.)
Interested in joining the next cohort?
💬 Words from past participants 💬
“A community to encourage you to find or remember your own courage for writing…It’s accountability, it’s creativity, it’s love, it’s human…A space to believe in yourself again and to write even when it’s the last thing you want to do and the only thing you must do.”
– J.C. (spring 2022 member)
“Really helps me focus and feel inspired to sit with great writers and get into my flow. Leah holds amazing space, always cheering us on and helping us ground and center so we can find a flow.”
– R.F. (spring 2022 member)
“A sacred space for unraveling the soul.”
– C.G. (spring 2022 member)
💘💘💘💘
✍️ More logistical details ✍️
📝 What it costs.
The next round of Collective membership will cost $60/month ($180 total). That gives you access to everything listed above — 24 writing meetings, 3 show-and-tell/workshopping sessions, and 1 initial community-building call, with ample other opportunities for connection and support via the Mighty Networks platform.
Scholarships are available, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
📝 Okay, but why is this worth it?
Stories matter. That is the fundamental premise beneath all of my work: your stories need to be told, and they need to be read, because those stories liberate all of us — tellers and readers — to live truer, more beautiful lives.
But writing can be scary and lonely and just really damn hard. The Collective is intended to provide the community and the consistency that are essential to developing confidence in your writing practice, so you can get those stories down.
📝 Other FAQ
Q: What kind of writers is this for?
A: All sorts of writers are welcome — even (especially?) those who aren’t sure they’re really writers. Our members write all kinds of things, like…
- Fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, memoir
- Journaling, stream-of-conscious channeling, morning pages
- Recipes, blogposts, newsletters
- Plays, scripts
- Copywriting, brand writing
- Prayers, meditations
Q: How big is each group?
A: For now, each round of the Collective is capped at 10 members total.
Q: What happens if I can’t make all the meetings, or if they don’t suit my schedule?
A: I’ll do my best to set a meeting schedule that matches as many members’ availability as possible. You’re allowed to miss meetings as needed, of course — no capitalist productivity norms allowed here, thankyouverymuch. But I’ll encourage you to show up for as many as possible, even (or especially) when you don’t feel like it, because that’s what it takes to build and sustain a writing practice. You just show up.