Healing through writing

Description

Mary Shaver will lead participants in developing tools for processing grief in a personally meaningful way that can be translated onto the page.

Writing about trauma is often framed as a path to healing, yet directly recounting personal experiences can make it difficult to see our work as a malleable piece of art. When we write too close to our pain, revision becomes overwhelming, and feedback can feel personal rather than constructive.

This workshop offers an alternative approach: distillation and transplantation, techniques that allow participants to process their emotions safely through both fiction and nonfiction.

Through readings, guided writing exercises, and discussions on narrative craft, participants will learn how to distill the emotional truths within their memories and explore multiple ways to express them—whether through personal essays, short fiction, or poetry.

Mary Shaver

Mary Shaver is a writer, educator, and MFA candidate in Fiction at the University of South Florida. She earned her BS in Elementary Education and Sociology from Vanderbilt University, where she studied curriculum design and taught creative writing workshops to K-5 students. She then began teaching first-generation high school students how to turn their experiences into thought-provoking personal narratives for admission to competitive colleges.

She spent a wonderful year of her life in Adelaide where she helped run Writing Wednesday at the State Library. Now, she teaches at the University of South Florida, where she leads undergraduate courses on form and technique of fiction, helping students refine their craft and develop their storytelling skills. In addition to her university teaching, she designs and leads classes such as this one for grief support camps and veterans art communities.

In her own work, she explores research on creative writing pedagogy and narrative therapy practices. Her creative stories emerge with themes of memory, transformation, and the intersection of the real and the imagined. Her fiction has been published in The Vanderbilt Review, Writing Queensland, and The Colored Lens, among others.

Image: Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash 

FAQs

How do I get to the State Library by public transport?

The 'State Library, Art Gallery, Museum' tram-stop is just outside the State Library. There are bus stops close by, near the War Memorial on North Terrace. The closest train station is the Adelaide city station on North Terrace.

You can plan your journey via Adelaide Metro.

Is there car parking near the State Library?

The nearest car park is Wilson's Adelaide Central car park, 225 North Terrace, next to David Jones.

There is paid (metered) street parking along Kintore Ave and Victoria Drive.

Where is the wheelchair and stroller access?

Access to the Spence Wing first floor and the Mortlock Chamber is via the lift in the glass foyer entrance of the library.

There is on-street disabled parking available on the nearby roads. View more information and maps of Adelaide City Council's Disability parking for permit holders.

How do I check if the Mortlock Chamber is open when I plan to visit?

The Mortlock Chamber may close for private events, check our opening hours for any closure times.

When it is open you can visit the Mortlock Chamber on the ground floor to look at the exhibition bays.  The upper levels of the Mortlock Wing include quiet study areas.

Is there a cafe at the State Library?

Yes, the State Library Cafe is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm and Saturdays from 12 to 4pm.

Find out more about the cafe and resident organisations at the State Library.