Contemplative Writing

What is “Contemplative Writing”?

I have written and read since I was in primary school, when I learned that fiction could carry me away from difficult struggles at home. Poetry saved me from my father’s death in middle school, and plays softened the harsh realities of my high school experience. But I stopped writing in college, when my mother died. More on my story here, if you wish.

Contemplative Writing is a way to get to know our minds and hearts with compassion, in community.

I believe writing is a way to heal, but only if we stay open to our minds and have curiosity about who we actually are. My writing classes and retreats are often called, “therapeutic without being therapy,” and “nurturing and healing.” I put “contemplative” first because to me, the curiosity about the mind and orientation towards compassion are actually the core views in why we write the way we do. What makes writing “contemplative” in my world is not the content - it is the view of trusting our minds, approaching ourselves and others with curiosity and compassion, and focusing on process over product.

I have developed my own style and content over the last fifteen years, but I wish to give credit to my founding teachers. My weekly in-person classes are modeled on my first teacher, Paula Novotnak, and her courses Writing from Center. My retreats are modeled on those of Natalie Goldberg.

Natalie Goldberg has said of me:

“Miriam Hall has the heart and head and hands of Writing Practice. Study with her.”

Contemplative Writing Testimonials

Miriam is a brave, expansive and loving container as she holds space for my writing. Even when at times my writing doesn't feel worthy of sharing, she has a gentle and exquisite way of encouraging me and other class members to keep going through our discomfort of sharing (always optional) and then helping us see the worth of what has been shared. Often, I come into class feeling covered with the cobwebs of life's stressors but, by the time I leave class, I am refreshed and renewed from the inside out.

- SUE RIVER – ONLINE CLASSES, RETREATS, AND WEEKLY CLASSES

Quantity, not quality. Just being free to write, write, write without judgement. No one had ever told me to do that before, and it was amazingly freeing.

- ADELITA BALSALOBRE – ONLINE CLASS

Miriam hears with her heart and holds space with compassion. From her reflections, guidance, and presence, I'm learning to trust the process of writing practice, find the value humming under the surface of even my most scattered efforts, and listen more deeply to myself and others. Attending weekly writing class is a gift.

- SARAH ORLIKOWSKI – WEEKLY CLASSES, FEEDBACK GROUP, RETREATS

NEW! If you would like to simply receive weekly Contemplative Writing prompts from me, and not participate in a live group or online forum, I am now offering that option! Follow this link to the store and look for “Contemplative Writing Prompts Only.”

Offered by the quarter, sustainable price of $100 (pay from the heart $50-$150) for three months.

Weekly Hybrid Class details (ALL TIMES ARE CENTRAL US/CHICAGO)

Previous to COVID, these were located on the east side of Madison, Wisconsin.

For the foreseeable future they are hybrid in-person and on Zoom.

I offer four quarters a year, alternating every other week (on average), and including online forum options:

• January-March

• April-June

• July-September

• October-December

Class times:

• Mondays, 6:30-8:30 pm

  First quarter 2025: Jan 27, Feb 10, Feb 24, Mar 10, Mar 24

• Tuesdays, 10 am-12 pm

  First Quarter 2025: Jan 21, Feb 4, Feb 18, Mar 4, Mar 18

• Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 pm

  First Quarter 2025: Jan 21, Feb 4, Feb 18, Mar 4, Mar 18

  Sustainable cost: $350 (sliding scale $100-$700) per quarter. If you are already registered for a group, you can send payment to me via PayPal. As always, if you need to pay something different, please let me know.

If you are not already in a group, fill out this form now so you can join a waiting list. Make sure to include which times and days work for you. Classes fill quickly and students often stay in the same time slot, but openings do come up from time to time.

Online Only Groups (all times are CENTRAL US/CHICAGO)

I run two online groups that meet two times a month (five meetings over three months, including an online Mighty Network forum in-between meetings).

I run them quarterly:

• January-March

• April-June

• July-September

• October-December

They are from 6-8 pm Central US on Saturday

First quarter 2025: Jan 18, Feb 1, Feb 15, Mar 8 and Mar 29

and 9-11 am Central US on Sunday

First quarter 2025: Jan 19, Feb 2, Feb 16, Mar 2 and Mar 16

Sustainable cost: $350 (sliding scale $100-$700) per quarter. If you are already registered for a group, you can send payment to me via PayPal. As always, if you need to pay something different, please let me know.

If you are not already in a group, fill out this form now so you can join a waiting list. Make sure to include which times and days work for you. Classes fill quickly and students often stay in the same time slot, but openings do come up from time to time.

Contemplative Writing Retreats

• Summer Writing Retreat near Arena, WI (hybrid) - dates for 2024 were July 20-25, and 2025 dates will be similar.

• Winter writing retreat will be January 4-9, 2025. Registration is now open - click here to go to the store!

As of December 2022: For as little as $5 per month, join me on my Mighty Network, and be a part of our community!

Find my writing online at my blogs, insidespace or memoirmind; via an archive of my articles at elephant journal; or this interview with me at Psychology Today. I also had two essays published in 2022, one at Isele Magazine on grief, and one on mindfulness, embodiment, and grief at Tendon Magazine.