Creative Writing Classes

Basic writing class; alumni class; public readings

Interested in one of our upcoming classes?

Contact us…

3 Parts of a class…

  • Understanding the welfare & morale aspect of Soldiers writing letters

  • Learning to use ‘prompts’ as the subject of your individual experiences

  • Hear each other read back their writing and ‘echo’ back a quote that left an impression on you

Meet Our Team of Facilitators

Elizabeth Heaney had been a licensed psychotherapist for more than twenty-five years when she began working as a counselor on military bases in 2010. Coming face-to-face with the unseen costs of war, she spent several years on various bases, and has continued to work with combat veterans through her private practice. 

A writer for decades, she wrote about her days with veterans in her award-winning book, The Honor Was Mine (Grand Harbor Press, 2016). The book was highly praised by civilian and military readers alike, and led to her extensive work with veterans writing groups. 

Working with the North Carolina Veterans Writing Alliance (and their Brothers and Sisters Like These) has offered a remarkable avenue for helping combat veterans tell their stories through ongoing writing classes, public readings, performances and workshops.

BIO - HEANEY COUNSELING

The Honor Was Mine: Heaney, Elizabeth: 9781503935747: Amazon.com: Books

Elizabeth is a writer, an educator, and a mental health therapist, whose lifelong passion has been to help people explore their stories within supportive communities of listeners. She is honored to serve as a Writer-in-Residence with Brothers and Sisters Like These, where her greatest joy is witnessing the ways in which creativity, courage, and human connection can transform one's healing journey. Elizabeth is also the founder of Weller Counseling, a private practice in Asheville that offers Equine therapy, Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Narrative therapy, and Outdoor-based Mindfulness classes to individuals, couples, and groups. When Elizabeth is not working, she can be found plugging away at two books-in-progress, hiking, or visiting her kids in Boston, Boulder, and Atlanta. She considers herself lucky to call Asheville home after decades in Atlanta, and continues to be inspired by the landscape and spirit of Western North Carolina.

https://wellercounseling.net/

FAQs

  • Yes, you must be a Veteran of the U.S. Military

  • No, you do not need to have an ‘Honorable Discharge’. However, past criminal charges related to but not limited to: sexual assault; domestic violence; child abuse; violent crimes may not make you eligible to attend a class.

  • Contact B&SLT through this website and we will be in touch with you to see if you are eligible to attend a writing class

  • Writing classes are offered when a class size of 5 to 15 Veterans are able to attend a class

  • Most classes are in-person however, some online classes are available. Each class lasts from 60-90 minutes and runs once a week for 8 weeks.

  • “I wanted to write about my military experiences”

    Allan Perkal

  • Writing about my experiences in the military has helped me to heal from the traumas of war and racism.  Sharing these experiences with my brother and sister veterans shows what a loving, caring, wonderful, group of people I am fortunate to be a part of.

    Wallace Bohanan

  • “I can now talk about my military combat Moral Injury”

    Stephen Henderson