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In a recent interview with the Colorado Review, Susan Cheever, a Writers Without Margins workshop facilitator since 2017, talks about the enlightening experience(s) that resulted from her time as a lead facilitator in the many creative writing workshops that take place all over the city of Boston.

“I’ve met so many amazing people through these workshops—people who have struggled for years with addiction, people who have spent decades in prison, people for whom English is not their native language, and people who have experienced more hardship than most of us could ever imagine. Yet, in spite of these experiences, these individuals feel an impulse to write, to share their ideas, to be heard. I have been struck by those who—even as they endure so many challenges—write with love, tenderness, and even humor. While there is much that divides us, these writers express a desire to find that which brings us together. They leave me both inspired and humbled.”

To read Susan Cheever’s full interview, please click the link below
https://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/an-interview-with-colorado-reviews-prose-book-review-editor-susan-donnelly-cheever/

Jabari Asim, a friend and advisor to Writers Without Margins, as well as a Emerson College professor, says, ” The Teach-In is just part of the College’s efforts to improve conditions on campus, particularly with regard to how we interact with one another and with the world beyond our campus.”

A major theme being explored at this year’s Teach-in on Race is Mass Incarceration, which is why Writers Without Margins joined the conversation and shared their newly debuted documentary, In Their Shoes: Unheard Stories of Reentry & Recovery.

Writers Without Margins teams up with the Dr. Joe Show, to talk about the power of influence and change with Harvard Medical School instructor, psychiatrist, and author, Dr. Joseph Shrand.

Click on the link below to listen to Zachary and Stephen speak about their experience creating the documentary, In Their Shoes, which is centered around a Writers Without Margins creative writing workshop in Boston, MA.

Two students from the Emerson College journalism program, Maya Huter and Carly D’eon, sat down and interviewed participants from a Writers Without Margins creative writing workshop as part of their end of year thesis, titled – The Value of a Second Chance.

Excerpt from thesis…. “Writers Without Margins is a nonprofit organization aiming to help heal people through the process of reading and writing poetry. Cheryl Buchanan, the founder of Writers Without Margins, founded the program because she saw a need for a creative outlet for inmates. Their mission is to expand access to the literary arts for under-resourced communities in Greater Boston, including people experiencing addiction recovery, trauma, poverty, disability, and mental illness. Buchanan left her job as a lawyer to start this non-profit. Every Tuesday, she brings Writers Without Margins to Wyman re-entry center, where she conducts a writing workshop with returning citizens who have recently been released from prison. Every year, Cheryl and her students create a journal comprised of all of the pieces they have written to share their stories.”

To read more about The Value of a Second Chance and to watch the videos associated with their thesis, The Value of a Second Chance, click the link below.

The Value of a Second Chance

This collaboration between expressive arts therapists and creative writing facilitators, located at a residential and family supported organization, aims to engage participants through the healing powers of art. Through guided exercises, guest speakers and discussion, this workshop will explore the ways in which language, poetry, literature, storytelling, and other expressive modalities can promote healing, recovery, and authority.

Tuesdays, 4:00 – 5:00pm