Meet Jen Jilany. In the spring of this year, Jen encountered her first-ever WCC workshop at the Hazel McCallion Central Library. By September, she was a trained WCC facilitator, co-facilitating writing workshops where it all began—at the public library. In celebration of Canadian Library Month, we asked Jen to reflect on her experiences writing and facilitating at Hazel McCallion.
Describe your journey as a WCC facilitator – how did you find WCC, and when did you become a facilitator?
JEN: I attended my first WCC workshop at the Hazel McCallion library in March, and by September I was facilitating! I had been searching for a local writing group, and found the listing for the “Writing Together” series on the library website. After attending the first session, I spoke enthusiastically about it to my chapter lead, Steve Elliot (who was co-facilitating that day), and he encouraged me to participate in the facilitator training held in May.
What do you experience in an on-site WCC workshop, when you write in community at the library?
JEN: In the safe, supportive, and courageous environment at the library, I experience a connectedness and warmth amongst strangers that I haven’t witnessed anywhere else. I experience the sense of being fully present, and engage in a mutual love for the written word, whether it existed outside the library, or was first discovered and developed inside its doors.
Tell us about one of WCC’s Six Essential Practices and how you see it come to life in your workshops.
JEN: The first of WCC’s Six Essential Practices, “you don’t have to read what you write, though we encourage you to do so,” has shown up repeatedly, and in surprising ways, in my workshops. Participants who are first-timers and appear timid or reserved at the start of the workshop, eagerly read their work by the end, and beam with radiance and pride upon hearing the feedback.
What impact have you witnessed through facilitating a braver space where participants can discover and express their authentic selves? What is the significance of facilitating writing workshops in a free, accessible space such as the library?
JEN: Because the workshop at the library is free from all barriers, it is truly open to everyone—an inclusive, welcoming space void of the judgements or pressures that can exist outside its doors. Our attendance keeps growing! Participants join week after week to be inspired, express themselves without inhibition, and grasp the highs and lows of the human experience. It is a joy to witness people from all walks of life finding universal commonalities to discuss and celebrate together; the workshops truly do foster a life-changing quality.
Why do YOU write? Tell us about your relationship to writing!
JEN: I’ve been a writer from a young age (I was first published at the age of eight), but through learned experiences and life’s challenges, my writing journey became blocked. I joined the WCC workshop to reignite my creativity, and it has inspired confidence in my writing and a newfound appreciation for short fiction and poetry. In fact, since joining the WCC I have three works pending publication!
Thank you, Jen, for your steadfast work in facilitating low-barrier writing workshops, and supporting WCC as we build communities with our partner libraries.