In their workshop, “Writing the Caregiving Road,” Pauletta Hansel and Linda Parsons will explore your stories of caregiving, your struggles, and realizations about your loved ones and yourselves through the writing process. As former caregivers for parents with vascular dementia, they will use writing samples and prompts to create community and sharing along the rough road of caregiving, whether you’re navigating Alzheimer’s, dementia, or another chronic condition.

This nurturing and inspiring writing session is an opportunity to use writing to reflect on your own journey and to share as much or as little as you choose in a supportive, safe circle of other caregivers. No previous writing experience is necessary.

Linda Parsons coordinates WordStream, WDVX-FM’s weekly reading series, with Stellasue Lee. She is the reviews editor at Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel and a widely published poet. Her fifth poetry collection is Candescent (Iris Press, 2019), in which she writes of her father’s nearly fifteen-year journey with vascular dementia. Parsons is also playwright-in-residence for The Hammer Ensemble, the social justice wing of Flying Anvil Theatre.

Pauletta Hansel is author of seven poetry collections, including Palindrome (Dos Madres Press, 2017), winner of the 2017 Weatherford Award for best Appalachian poetry book, which Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate Emeritus, said “completely and artfully sums up the emotions associated” with dementia. Pauletta was Cincinnati’s first Poet Laureate (2016-2018). She is artist-in-residence at Thomas More University and managing editor of Pine Moun­tain Sand & Gravel, the literary publication of Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative. Pauletta blogs about the writing of Palindrome and other matters at https://paulettahansel.wordpress.com/.

Early registration pricing for this workshop is $30 for members. Early non-member registration pricing for this workshop co-sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association: only $30! That’s a savings of $20. Hurry, only 15 places at this price!

Walk-in price: $40