Generative Writing: An Alchemical Process for Self-Healing

In this 2024 conversation with Justine Willis Toms, Meredith Heller shares her journey of leaving home when she was thirteen years old and living on the streets, later to guide others to use generative writing for self-discovery. Heller writes: “Writing has saved my life and woven me back into belonging more times and I can tell you.” She encourages and inspires us to experience the power of writing as a lifeline and companion to personal discovery. She says it’s an alchemical process that takes the raw material of our lives and transforms it into something vital and luminous.

Meredith Heller is a poet, singer-songwriter, avid nature lover, and educator with degrees in writing and education. She leads writing workshops online and in person. She also teaches in schools, juvenile detention centers, women’s prisons, and wellness retreats. She is the author of:

• Write a Poem, Save Your Life: A Guide for Teens, Teachers, and Writers of All Ages (New World Publishers 2021)
• Writing by Heart: A Poetry Path to Healing and Self-Discovery (New World Library 2024)

Interview Date: 6/14/2024 Tags: Meredith Heller, homelessness, poetry, generative writing, radical honesty, ancestors, prayer, the Moon, Health & Healing, Personal Transformation, Writing