Susan Lawson

A favorite photo (very old) of me with my two favorite people—husband Chris and now-grown daughter Erin.

About me

 

I am a published writer with more than 25 years experience as a journalist, teacher, graphic designer, business communicator and speaker. I hold a bachelor’s degree in journalism and English from Butler University, in Indianapolis, where I’ve also done graduate work in English and education.

I have completed Amherst Writers & Artists training for writing group leaders and am a member of the AWA Affiliate Network. My groups follow Amherst practices, and I find I generate many terrific ideas for my own writing in the community of writing with others.

A short story of mine, “Annunciation,” appeared in the January 2007 issue of Peregrine. My nonfiction work has appeared in Indianapolis Monthly and the Indianapolis Star. My husband Chris and I live in suburban Indianapolis with two sister-cats, Katie and Molly. We have a daughter, Erin, who is in college.

How I came to lead writing workshops

In my search for a supportive writing community, I encountered several “read and critique” writing groups, set up one of two ways:

· Writers distributed manuscript copies to read by the next meeting, and we all left with 80-100 pages of homework.

· Writers read entire manuscripts, and the group critiqued what they heard on the spot.

Some groups were well-moderated; others weren’t moderated at all, making it easy for 1 or 2 people to monopolize meeting time. Discussion often lacked substance, and my sense was that most people didn’t know how to provide useful feedback.

I learned about the Amherst method through a series of synchronicities and decided to take leader training when I found no Amherst groups in this area. Today, the creation of writing communities shares center stage in my life with the creation of my own stories and poems.

Writer, writing WORKSHop leader, graphic artist, speaker