Sheila Bender
Sheila Bender is the founder and publisher of http://WritingItReal.com, a resource community for those who write from personal experience. She is the author of the poetry collection, Behind Us the Way Grows Wider, the prose memoir A New Theology: Turning to Poetry in a Time of Grief and many books on writing, including Sorrow’s Words: Writing Exercises to Heal Grief, Writing in a Convertible with the Top Down, and Writing Personal Essays: Shaping and Sharing Your Life Experience. She was the 2013 Distinguished Guest Lecturer in Poetry at Seattle University and teaches for Centrum Foundation in Port Townsend, WA where she lives, as well as for other writers’ conferences. Her motto when it comes to teaching the writing process is that as creators we must think this way: when you are drafting there is no such thing as bad writing, only the opportunity for good writing.
"Many thanks for the opportunity to learn from the well designed, and interesting format. I enjoyed working through the content and may consider another course in the future." Susan Beiderwieden
“You have given me the courage to take my writing seriously. Your excellent editing has shown me the way forward.” Suzy Beal
“Most of all, I’m very appreciative, Sheila, of the curriculum you designed, the care you took with our writing and the encouragement and enthusiasm you provided.” Joan Weber
“Thanks so much for your wise and thoughtful trimming. You are amazing. I imagine others have told you the same thing over the years. We writers have trouble with letting go of those phrases we are wedded to and, yet, less is more, and a good editor can trim redundancy much easier than the writer.” Nyla Dartt
“I don’t know if you realize how much you have given me, or made possible for me. Certainly, I’m not building a resume at this stage in life, but I am increasingly loving what I’m doing or attempting to do and spending more and more time in my re-invented writing life…” Nancy Levinson