Testimonials
Through my participation in The Art of Prose Workshop I have been able to cultivate my writing process in a manner that involves deep listening. I have developed the ability to listen to the stories, characters, and the environments that want to be written. I have discovered the voices of my writing and have learned to trust their direction. Though I have surrendered to the task of multiple revisions, I have gained the insight to attend to those stories that seek my attention.
Do you want to write? Write well? Better than you dreamed possible?
I did. I am. You bet!
Terry Wolverton is more experienced than any writing teacher I have ever had. She responds to your work and questions brilliantly and with great care. She is focused and present and seems as invested as you are in your writing (where else can you get that?). She certainly has the skills and knowledge to go with you to the most advanced places as a writer and she is familiar with all kinds of writing and styles too. What more could you ask for?
Terry Wolverton was instrumental in helping to make both my poetry collections, Air Kissing on Mars and Slice of Moon, the best books they could possibly be. She helped edit the poems, guided me on which to include (and which to delete!), and her strong, intuitive, and perfect sense of ordering the poems gave each collection a vibrant, imaginative and intelligent story line I never would have come up with. She is the poem whisperer.
As the longest continuing student (and unofficial president) of WAW it is my honor and delight to share with others about this workshop.
As a voracious reader I am often inspired by what I read. hearing new work brought in by my classmates is another way of staying inspired, of keeping my poetry edge sharpened. The consistently high caliber writing that comes out of WAW is something I am proud to be a part of. Terry's insight and experience challenge and elevate us. Whatever genre a person chooses to work in at WAW, there is only foward motion once you begin. I am always amazed at the brilliance that comes through the doors of WAW.
I have been a member of the writers at work community for over fifteen years— the support and structure of an ongoing group of writers has been a great benefit to my maturing as a poet. As well learning to be a recipient of feedback about my work I have learned the art of giving feedback which in and of itself has improved my writing tenfold. My practice and craft continues to unfold thanks to Terry Wolverton and the members of Poets at Work.
Writers at Work provided me with encouragement and exposure for my fiction. Terry provided multiple opportunities to read my work at public spaces in front of interested and supportive audiences. She also trained and prepared me to give an interesting and successful public reading, holding practice sessions and guidance on selecting the right excerpt to read. With WAW's support, I have been able to confidently share my work and get very positive feedback from audience members.
I feel so lucky that I found Writer’s at Work. Terry’s Meditate/Create class has become my magic potion for clearing my head and refocusing on my writing. It’s so easy to lose that focus, to procrastinate, and just get lost in my own writerly insecurities. Making the time to breathe, meditate, and then write, brings me back to the place I need to be, to actually move forward with my writing. Having a warm community of writers doing the same never hurts either, and for all these reasons, I keep coming back.
Terry Wolverton brings insight, skill, technique, talent, humor, experience, wisdom, compassion and empathy to her writing consultations both one on one and in group settings. Her measured, astute observances of each writer’s strengths make her the ideal candidate to help inspire us to transform our weaknesses. Or, as she would put it in her infinite wisdom, “there is no bad writing, just work that hasn’t fulfilled its potential yet.” Terry can help you get there!
People always ask me, "How did you become a book writer?" and I say, "I found Writers at Work." It was there that a few random essays about my childhood began to coalesce into what would become my first memoir. Without the inspiration, guidance, feedback and support I got - and continue to get - from this group and its outrageously insightful leader, Terry Wolverton, I would not have one book, much less two. If I ever have to write a book without WAW, pray for me.
— Eric Poole, author of Where's My Wand? One Boy's Magical Triumph Over Alienation and Shag Carpeting
Thank God for this workshop. When I first began at Writers at Work, I thought I knew what writing fiction was all about. Once the education commenced, I realized just how much I had to learn. Without Crafting the Story, I would still be struggling with plot, with stakes, and with completing a project. I've written three novels under the guidance of Terry Wolverton, the instructor, and I am proud of each one of them.
Thank goodness for Terry’s wonderful Kundalini Yoga classes. She is a truly great teacher. Attending her classes each week makes a huge difference in my life and stress level and has even allowed me to return to my novel, which I stopped working on in 2011. I had felt really blocked for a long time. Kundalini Yoga and writing go hand in hand for me. The classes relieve my stress, clear my head, and have allowed me to feel creative again. I know I wouldn’t be working on my manuscript again if I hadn’t started taking Terry’s Kundalini Yoga classes.
If not for having met Ms. Terry Wolverton, I would likely have never known I could write. Because of her expertise and gentile guidance, I now have three popular books, and just landed a major publisher.
A writing workshop can be the difference between talking about writing and regularly getting words down on the page. Finding the right workshop is not easy, however. I poked around through a few meet-up writing groups but ultimately settled on Terry Wolverton's Writers at Work. Why? I wanted a focused, high-level discussion of writing, with clear, useful feedback. Terry Wolverton's workshops offer all those things (and some things I didn't know I needed).
Writers At Work rocks and Terry Wolverton is a top notch instructor. I look back at the rather large body of poems I wrote in her classes and I am overcome with gratitude.
Learning how to give a good critique has been invaluable in deepening and adding dimensions to my own writing.
For me Mediate/Create became a sacred space where I could tap into deeper knowledge. Starting our writing sessions with meditation felt like a clearing of constructed barriers that allowed me to realign my mind, body, spirit. The free write component was very important, as it gave me space to not take myself so serious and instead be free flowing with my words. Spending the majority of the session on quiet focused writing within a community space consistently felt like a gift. I left the Meditate/Create sessions feeling like I had made breakthroughs in my writing.
I am so grateful for Terry Wolverton’s Kundalini Yoga classes! I consistently felt uplifted during and after the class. I learned about my physical capabilities while growing my spiritual connection. It was in Terry’s Kundalini Yoga classes that I explored deep breathing, connecting to the source, and embarked on a transformative journey through the practice of yoga and meditation.
