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October 07 Comfort in Pen and Paper Last year I discovered the Wellness and Writing Connections Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Though I've been writing most of my life to de-stress and save my soul, I had no idea that someone had built a conference and professions around it. Dr. John Evans founded the conference and has invited notable speakers in the writing and wellness profession to address how writing can help us heal and overcome isolation and despair. The Conference takes place this year on Saturday,
Oct. 24th. When I asked Dr. Evans why he'd started this, he said, "Writing notebooks and journals keeps me
sane." Dr. Evans felt moved to start the conference after experiencing the benefits of writing first hand when he was diagnosed with advanced cancer, but also during depression and a difficult divorce. "Writing has been my talisman. It provides perspective for my past and present and writing helps me affirm the future," he says. The conference funded largely by Dr. Evans' welcomed Dr. James Pennebaker renowned for his work in journaling and health benefits. Last year's keynote speaker included the Pulitizer Prize winning author of Wit, a story about a cancer patient. "Written words have the power to change our lives," Dr. Evans says. "These beliefs were reinforced in research for my dissertation and in the late 1990's when I taught Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way and Louise De Salvo's Writing as a Way of Healing. He founded the conference because he feels that writers and healthcare professionals have much to share about wellness and writing connections. "Many people still don't realize that relief and guidance can be as close at hand as pen and paper," he says. This year's conference will be held at Georgia Tech Global Learning Center with a broad array of workshops and presentations. I'll be giving another workshop there this year, another journey into the healing secret garden - and I'll also enjoy the good atmosphere of the other presenters and their innovative work as well. For more information go to: www.wellnessandwritingconnections.com Copyright: Debra Moffitt-Leslie, Oct. 2009 - www.debramoffitt.com TrackbacksWeblogs that reference this entry
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