The seed of WCC was planted in 2012 at Toronto’s toughest homeless drop-in, where those forgotten had nowhere else to go. Our Founder, Susan Turk-Mozer, wanted to give voice to those voiceless. She was deeply inspired by her experience with the Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) Method and its founder, Pat Schneider.

In 2013, those grassroots workshops became formalized in a not-for profit organization, Toronto Writers Collective (TWC). Then:

• In 2018, we became a recognized charity.
• In 2020, we rapidly pivoted and expanded to virtual workshops.
• In 2021, we rebranded as Writers Collective Canada (WCC) to reflect the growth of our mission and demand for our offerings.
• In 2023 we celebrated 10 years by writing our own story, Why We Write.

As of December 2025, WCC has a network of more than 400 trained volunteer facilitators and over 176 partner agencies throughout Canada. We have touched more than 12,000  writers engaged in over 51,000 workshop experiences. We are forging new connections and bridging isolation for writers across the country and beyond.

“What happens in a WCC workshop? Magic is the word we often hear. Words from those who are surprised by the depth of their creativity seem to spring from an unknown source. Poets are discovered. Buried voices, long without vitality, return to life. Dreams are conceived. Lost individuals often connect deeply.” – Susan Turk-Mozer, Founder, WCC