Spilled Ink Writing Classes
“Amber establishes a nest, the participants settle in, and with the inspiration from delicious poem prompts, you want to write. Freely. Fully. Revealing what you need to say.”
“The four weekly sessions were so refreshing. I loved the format and thoroughly enjoyed sharing the experience with the other participants. Best takeaway: a notebook full of my own writing that I surprisingly pick up often to reread.”
“What surprised me most about Spilled Ink was how letting the poems wash over me brought out things in my writing I didn’t expect.”
I looked for a writing group like this for years and couldn't find one near me.
So I trained to teach it.
Spilled Ink Writing is a writing group, in person in San Jose and online, for people who are self-reflective, curious and a little hungry for the kind of connection that’s hard to find as an adult.
We begin with a poem. From it, we choose a single line — a doorway into the unknown. Then we write fast, pen never leaving the page, saying yes to whatever arrives. Personal essays, memoir fragments, things you didn’t know you needed to say.
No devices. No critique. No performing.
Just a pen, a page, and a small group of people showing up honestly together.
After writing, we read aloud. The group listens. No feedback, no fixing — just the particular magic that happens when people write honestly in the same room. You’ll write something true. You’ll hear something true. You’ll leave knowing someone a little better – maybe yourself.
You don't have to be a writer. You just have to be willing to show up. For more information, see the FAQs below.
Want to try out Spilled Ink Writing in person? Come on Sunday, July 12, for a single afternoon class. 2-4pm, $20. Space is limited. Register below.
Fall 8-Week Session Waitlist is open. Use the form below to be notified of registration details when available.
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Spilled Ink Writing is based on Wild Writing, a method created by Laurie Wagner. It gets you past the part of your brain that edits before you even start. We begin with a poem, pick a line that sparks something, and write fast without stopping or crossing anything out. It's less about craft and more about getting out of your own way. Sometimes what comes out surprises you. It surprises me regularly, and I’ve been doing this for a while!
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We start with a poem — not the kind you had to analyze in high school. We pick a line that catches us, use it as a doorway, and write for ten to fifteen minutes without stopping. No prep, no homework, no right answer. After writing, we share what we wrote. There's no critique, no feedback. People just listen. It's more powerful than it sounds.
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Genuinely, yes — in a way that's hard to explain until you've experienced it. When a small group of people write honestly together and then read their words aloud, something shifts. You learn things about people that you might never learn from months of normal socializing. It's not a mixer, but it might be better than one.
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It is not. Nobody grades your work, suggests your opening is slow, or asks what your protagonist really wants. We write, we share, we listen.
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No. You need a notebook, a pen, and a willingness to show up. That's the whole list.
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Yes. Many writers use this method to generate raw material they go back and shape later. The freeform writing loosens things up. If you've been staring at a blank page, this helps. If you haven't — it still helps. This method has been very useful to me in working on my own memoir.
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Zoom classes: Seven students (plus me) maximum. In person classes: Eight students (plus me) maximum. Small on purpose.
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t the start of each series we make a few simple agreements: what's shared in the circle stays in the circle, we don't discuss other people's writing inside or outside of class, and if you'd like to reference something someone wrote, you ask first. The circle only works if it feels safe. We take that seriously.
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Someone who isn't comfortable with honesty — their own or other people's. Wild Writing tends to go somewhere real. That's the point.
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Each class follows the same structure, so you're never behind. Think of it like a yoga class — if you miss one, you just come back.
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Full refund if you cancel at least 14 days before the first session. No refund after that, but you're welcome to send someone in your place.