This is for women writers who wish to drop-in at The Well and are not monthly subscribers via my Substack community. If you wish to be a subscriber ($9/month, which includes the Gathering and other perks), please go here. Otherwise, you’re in the right place.

Once you check out, you’ll receive this month’s Zoom link within 24 hours to 15 minutes before the meeting (registration closes 15 minutes prior to the Gathering). These change each month.

About The Well💦

Women have been gathering at wells since ancient times to support one another, share information, inspire each other, help as they can, and encourage their sisters amidst the ups and downs of lives filled with joy and sorrow.

Here at The Well, we fill our creative wells and prepare for new words and stories to flow from the inkwells of our hearts, minds, and spirits. This is a space for growth and support, for nourishment and inspiration.

When a well awakens in the mind, new possibilities begin to flow, and you find within yourself a depth and excitement that you never knew you had.

- John O’Donohue

The Gathering

When: 1st Sunday of the month

90 minutes via Zoom (recorded for those who can’t make it)

I will lead a meditation, we’ll do some writing (prompts provided), I’ll have a short talk around a theme, and there will be time for Q/A and discussion. Lots of good resources!

Time: 11:00 - 12:30 EST

Bring paper, a pen, and be sure to be cozy and in a room where you are alone. 💗

The Gathering space is only for female-identifying writers.

Let me tell you why.

I work with a lot of women who have experienced gender-based violence. Their writing often involves trauma in the writer’s seat and I have found through my group and 1:1 work, as well as in my role as program director of Rebecca Dykes Writers, that it’s best practice to keep this a female-only space.

++++ I have been thinking so much lately about the Julian of Norwich quote: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” In the cosmic sense, of course. It’s been something I say to myself every morning when my feet hit the floor.

I am reclaiming this word WELL. Not “wellness” and the wellness industrial complex. As someone with chronic illness, the word “well” annoys me. It feels shabby and, frankly, like spiritual bypassing.

When I think about what we will do in The Well as writers in terms of our mental health is really about starting at Ground Zero of our experience, working with the raw material of what we’ve got, being realistic about where we are, and being honest about what we have to give right now. And celebrating that. Honoring it.

I’ve got lots of tools in my toolbox. Lots of love (and a bit of tough love if you need it). This is a place to rest and recharge and know that you are not alone. The writing path has never been easy, but all weirdos are welcome.

Join us, if you dare!

💦 2025 Well Gathering Themes (Subject to Change If the World Blows Up!) 💦

August 2025

Creating a Morning Creative Ritual That Sticks (and works for YOU). I’ve got some ideas and we’re going to do some visualizations, too. And we’re going to be HONEST with ourselves. Let’s do this.

September

In honor of Labor Day, we’re taking the work out of writing. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite ways to play with words that generate moments, ideas, and images that can help spark something larger for your project. We also dip into our relationship to “work” vs. “play” in the writer’s seat and unearth our relationship to each and how these concepts might be holding us back creatively or could free us up.

October

Your Creative Ghosts: What is haunting you from your past? Let’s exorcise it. For real this time. We’re also going to play a bit with how to write spooky on the page.

November

Rest is resistance! We’re taking a nap together! Seriously! From the Nap Bishop herself, Tricia Hersey, we’ll be exploring what it’s like to nap in community, journaling before and processing after. What comes up for you when you rest? How good or guilty did you feel? We’re going to go deep with this one.

December

We’re going to do something wild. We’re actually going to celebrate all we’ve accomplished this year. Rather than dump on ourselves for everything we didn’t do, we’ll be practicing mindful self-compassion and learning how to - gasp! - really appreciate what we’ve done. Plus: a gentle look ahead to 2026.

Helping one another is part of the religion of our sisterhood.

Louisa May Alcott

As you can see, we’ve got lots of delicious exploring to do. Each gathering begins with a meditation that is meant to support you that whole month. The recording I give you is something you can listen to throughout the month, but the way I teach it, you should be able to do it on your own after a few tries. So the goal is that you’re building an internal support system as the months go on.

The work we do with the writing prompts is always an invitation. You can always use that time for any writing you want to do. And the prompts can be something to build on as you go throughout the month, too. I’ll also be able to refer to our Gatherings in the paid posts, which is fun.

Bonus: I really want to build community and my hope is that, as time goes on, you will be able to connect with one another, maybe find a critique partner. Perhaps we can actually have an in-person retreat at some point!

A Little History

The Well was originally born during COVID and was called the Dandywood Circle. It then became The Well and we tried different iterations of it. Every now and then I would bring it back and could never find a way to do it sustainably. Now that I’ve been on Substack, I feel like this is a platform where it will work. My Mini Cozy retreats have kind of taken the place of the well over the past year, so it feels like a good time to move back into this. I’m excited to be in more regular community again. I’ve really missed this.

On things costing money

Y’all, it pains me to charge. I love writing the newsletter, I adore teaching and leading and just being with writers. But in order to do this work, I need to have some kind of exchange. It’s just too hard for me otherwise. UGH, CAPITALISM. (This post breaks down my thoughts on it all, which always makes me feel shitty for having to be part of the system, but there you have it - we are, we don’t really have a choice).

I know it’s rough out there. I believe we all should be paid for our work AND I also wouldn’t want anyone to have to make tough choices to have to access my work. The reality is that my situation compels me to need to charge. I’ve tried to make as much free as possible and all subscribers, free and paid, have access to my resource portal, which I do update. I hope it nourishes you!

Please reach out if you have any questions. I hope to see you in The Well!