For over twenty years Free River Press executive director Robert Wolf has been roaming the American landscape, organizing writing workshops in cities and rural hamlets, in farmhouse dining rooms, church basements, schools, libraries, and colleges. Begun in 1989 with a workshop for the homeless in Nashville, Tennessee, Free River Press has since worked with people from all walks of life.

Designed by Robert Wolf, the writing workshop is geared for people of all ages and was designed with the amateur in mind.

Each workshop begins with the group reading aloud several published stories and discussing what made them effective. Afterwards everyone tells a story about his life or community. Participants are urged to ask questions about each story to help the writer know what needs fleshing out. When everyone’s story is discussed, writing begins.

To preserve each person’s voice, participants are asked to write their stories as closely as possible to the way they told them.

After an hour and a half of writing, the stories are read aloud. Participants and facilitator voice suggestions and the process of revision begins.

When first drafts are completed, each story is read aloud. Everyone says what he wants to know more about, including things the writer may have told but omitted from the writing. The process continues for three days and presupposes that we share an intuitive wisdom about storytelling.