Writing Together: A Year of Meaning-Making and Friendship

"Writing Together is a unique dual-memoir that guides readers to pen their own creative journeys. A real gift. It's a beautiful model of the kind of friendship that can make us better people and make the world a better place." --Parker J. Palmer, author of Let Your Life Speak, A Hidden Wholeness, Healing the Heart of Democracy, and On the Brink of Everything

WHAT IF CONNECTION, NOT CRITIQUE, MADE YOUR WRITING COME ALIVE?

What happens when two unlikely friends-separated by age, gender, profession, and geography-commit to writing together for a year? They discover how our most profound insights emerge when we create a safe, nonjudgmental space to listen-to ourselves and to each other.

Writing Together blends memoir and creative guide, offering poetry-inspired prompts and a simple process anyone can use.

More than a traditional writing guide, Writing Together offers a reflective journey of self-discovery. It's an invitation to:

• Flex your intellectual, emotional, and spiritual muscles
• Reconnect with your most authentic self
• Explore life's pivotal moments through a supportive, creative lens
• Deepen friendships through vulnerable storytelling
• Make sense of your life's unfinished stories

Ideal for friends, professionals, and anyone feeling stuck or seeking renewal, this is writing not for publication, but for the most important audience of all-yourself. Sharpen your pencil, charge your laptop, and prepare for unexpected discoveries.

Penny Williamson, ScD, is an internationally recognized facilitator, educator, and coach for leaders in health care. She is a founding facilitator and mentor for the Center for Courage & Renewal and retired Associate Professor of Medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. From 1998-2016, Penny led Courage to Lead, an 18-month national leadership development program for leaders in health care and other serving professions, based on the work of Parker J. Palmer, and the Courage & Renewal approach. She has led workshops and retreats in the United States, Canada, the UK, Japan, Kenya, and Israel. Penny brings to her work an ecological worldview, and a belief in and attention to, the inner life. Above all she brings a belief in the power of love and capacity of individuals, groups and organizations to contribute to creating a better world.

Darcy Shaw, DVM, MVSc, MBA, Diplomate ACVIM, is professor emeritus of small animal internal medicine at the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Canada. In his 40-plus years as a veterinarian, Darcy has worked as a clinician, an educator, held leadership positions, and contributed to multiple veterinary organizations in the US and Canada. He has participated in innovative leadership development programs such as Leading Organizations to Health and Courage to Lead. Darcy is also a facilitator with the Center for Courage & Renewal and has offered retreats (Leading With Integrity) to leaders within the veterinary profession. Over his career, Darcy has developed profound appreciation for the dedication and compassion of those within the veterinary community, the power and sacredness of our relationship with animals, and the compelling need to find our own integrity and wholeness and see it in others.