Jacksonville has a new creative writing studio! Writers’ Room, located at 240 S. Oregon Street, was established by Jacksonville resident Marion Denard. Writers’ Room offers writing groups for adults and teens, with plans to expand into programming for children. Weekly groups and themed workshops are designed to inspire new writing and help writers develop their craft.
“Writers’ Room is for people who write and for people who want to write,” Marion Denard says. Workshops are facilitated in a way that works for all experience levels and genres. The writing time begins with a prompt, which may be an image, a question, a provocative set of words, an object, a scent, or some other surprise. Each participant has the opportunity to read their writing aloud and the group responds with feedback on what is strong and memorable. Marion says, “Listening for the strengths in other people’s writing teaches us what effective writing sounds like. Hearing what works in our own writing helps us build on our strengths. And we have fun in the process!”
Marion studied creative writing at Dartmouth College, where she earned a master’s degree. She has published her poetry in multiple literary journals and has been facilitating writing workshops since 2009. She is currently at work on a novel set in a small town called Daisy Creek that, she says, may sound familiar to fans of Jacksonville. Marion and her husband, Patrick, fell in love with Jacksonville after driving through on a trip to Ashland. They moved here in 2011 to raise their children and for Patrick to begin his shoulder surgery practice at Southern Oregon Orthopedics. “Jacksonville has a charm that makes it a character in its own right,” Marion said.
Writers’ Room opened in its current location, formerly Steve and Sue Bennett’s art studio, in February 2019. The cozy cottage, located behind the main house, is designed to inspire; even the stairs have been painted to look like a stack of books. The main house, formerly the Bennett’s art gallery, is now a bed and breakfast. Offering a perfect downtown Jacksonville location, it is being run by Jen Gerrard through her business Life in Southern Oregon (lifeinsouthernoregon.com).
“Many people want to write but find it hard to get started or sustain a writing practice. I created Writers’ Room to be everything I want and need as a writer: designated time and space to write, encouragement and inspiration to try out new ideas, and a supportive community. I believe everyone has a story to tell.”
What story do you have to tell? New writing groups begin soon! Writing groups will meet for four weeks in November, on Sunday afternoons from 2:00-4:30pm or Tuesday mornings from 10:00am-12:30pm. Registration cost is $80. Each group is limited to eight writers. To register or learn more, visit writersroomworkshops.com or contact Marion directly at writersroomworkshops@gmail.com.