Participants

At the start of the project, Laurie and I planned to form a writing group with students from the Camrose Adult Read and Write program through referrals from community organizations and from our own personal connections. We had envisioned a group of eight to ten women, which is a recommended size for Writing Out Loud groups. Our writing group included six dedicated writers: Kris, Wendy, Alice, Doris, Laurie and me.

All of us knew at least one other woman in the group when it started. Wendy and Kris had come to the Read and Write program to work on their reading and writing skills. Wendy worked with a tutor, and both women came to work individually in the computer lab. During those times, the two women and I got to know each other over coffee, and each woman shared her writing with me. Based on Wendy and Kris's interest and willingness, I encouraged them to join the writing group.

Alice had written for a number of years in groups with Deborah Morgan and had travelled extensively with Deborah to promote the Writing Out Loud process. The new writing group provided Alice with a welcome return to an activity that had brought her comfort and support in the past.

Doris was referred by a community health agency. I had a strong working relationship with two of the staff at the agency, and a reciprocal trust that we would respond with respect and compassion for each others' clients. Doris' worker at the agency knew she had a passion for writing, and felt our group would be a good opportunity for her to express this talent and create further connections in the community.

Introducing the Research to Participants

At our first session, Laurie and I introduced ourselves to the group and explained that we had met through a course about how experiences of violence can make it difficult for people to learn. We explained that we wanted to work with the writing group and learn more about facilitating groups and how to help people learn. We said that we would eventually be writing about what we learned so that we could share with other literacy workers, but that we would not use anything the women said or wrote without their permission. We also explained that the women's participation in the writing group did not depend on their willingness to be part of our research. We emphasized that we were all there to learn about ourselves and each other, but never at another's expense.