About Sheila Bender

Dear Writer,
My passion is helping those who want to break their writing out into new forms, revise effectively, generate more writing or facilitate the writing of others. In the last three decades, I have worked with hundreds of people helping them write personal essays, poetry, fiction, and more meaningful writer`s journals, in addition to book-length memoir, how-to books and novels. I specialize in helping people excel in their writing by allowing writing a serious place in their lives. I write articles on writing and the writing life for Writing It Real members as well as guest blogs by invitation for writing sites, magazines and newsletters.
After publishing many poems and essays in North American literary magazines and anthologies, I published my first book about writing (Writing in a Convertible with the Top Down) in 1991 with co-author Christi Killien, and since then, I have continued to produce more books on writing. Currently, Creative Writing Demystified from McGraw-Hill is available in e-book format and Sorrow’s Words: Writing Exercises to Heal Grief is available both in print and ebook format. Writing and Sharing Personal Essays is an updated edition of my earlier book on writing the personal essay. Christi, now Christi Glover, and I have updated Writing In a Convertible with the Top Down, which is available in print and ebook format.
In September 2009, my prose memoir, A New Theology: Turning to Poetry in a Time of Grief, was published by Imago Press. After working with many clients who were writing college (and graduate school) applications, I put my experience into the book Perfect Phrases for College Application Essays. When Chronicles Software asked if I’d write content for LifeJournal for Writers, I was eager to take on the job. In 2013, Imago Press published a collection of my poems, Behind Us the Way Grows Wider.
In-person, I’ve served as Distinguished Guest Lecturer for Seattle University and presented at national writers’ programs, conferences and festivals, including the Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference, Centrum Writers’ Conference, The Whidbey Island Writers’ Conference and low-residency MFA program, the University of Dayton`s Erma Bombeck Conference, the San Francisco Jack London Writers’ Conference, the Conference on College Composition and Communication, the Society of Southwest Authors’ Conference, Field’s End, and Edmonds’ Write on the Sound. Today I serve on the Council of the International Association for Journal Writing (IAJW) and help coordinate the Northwest Arts Center’s Poetry Reading Series in Port Townsend, WA.
So many of us write more completely, more regularly and with more incentive to explore if we know we have a class, coach or editor (even all three!) waiting to hear from us. I offer online instruction through my website, through Women on Writing and through the IAJW.
Please browse my site to learn about the ways I can help you.
I hope to read your work soon,
Sheila