CHEYENNE, Wyo. — AARP Wyoming will host four virtual sessions of the creative writing series, Write to Wellness hosted by local Jackson author Matt Daly and Colorado-based author Lucy Flood.
The series is free and participants do not need to be an AARP member to attend, but registration is required for each of the individual sessions.
Write to Wellness is a creative writing-based program, started by Flood and Daly, that shares writing practices based on the benefits of expressive writing for wellness, engagement and productivity.
About the sessions
Session One, Writing to Grow Kindness and Connection, is on Wednesday, April 24 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. According to AARP, this session will share scientific research on the benefits of social connections. Participants will engage in a mindfulness practice focused on positive relationships, and write a creative piece focused on gratitude and everyday kindness practices. Registration for session one is here.
Sessions two, three and four will all be themed “Craft a Flourishing Life,” beginning in May.
Sesson two is offered on Wednesday, May 1 from 12 to 1 p.m. The session will focus on using senses as modes of communication. The group will write stories about an imaginary sensory experience, and the goal will be to make this experience happen with others in the week ahead. Registration for session two is here.
Session three is held on Wednesday, May 8 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Daly and Flood will discuss research on the value of having a sense of purpose. Participants will write about the experience of feeling a strong sense of purpose. Registration for session three is here.
Session four will be on Wednesday, May 15 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. The final session will explore the science of gratitude. After reviewing some gratitude practices, participants will write about a specific gratitude practice, utilizing writing techniques practiced and built upon throughout the series. Registration for session four is here.
Flood has written for The Atlantic, InsideClimate News, The Jackson Hole News and Guide, The Louisville Courier-Journal and Berkeleyside, and was awarded an environmental journalism fellowship.
Daly is the author of Between Here and Home (Unsolicited Press) and the chapbook Red State (Seven Kitchens Press). He is also the recipient of a Neltje Blanchan Award and received a Creative Writing Fellowship in Poetry from the Wyoming Arts Council.
An email with the Zoom link will be sent before class. For more information, contact Jennifer Baier at jbaier@aarp.org.
