Testimonials

Rachel created a vibrant, inclusive, instantly welcoming space for lively, embodied consideration of complicated ideas. The light from class discussions and the generously offered reading groups shone into every corner of my life and creative work. I signed up because I was eager to find the kind of community Rachel has created with her podcast Commonplace, and the experience easily exceeded expectations. Could not recommend more highly and cannot wait for future course offerings.

—C.H., participant in “Writing Wrong,” 2023

Please accept my belated thanks for a wonderful Poetics of Wrongness class. It was truly such a generous, fruitful and formative experience. I never got an MFA and instead have taken many classes at outside-of-academia places over the years. This class was the first I've taken that didn't just try to improve the traditional dominant culture workshop model to be more equitable and inclusive, but re-envisioned what collective creative space could be entirely. I really appreciated your generosity with time and attention, and the flexibility that the structure of the class afforded to allow each person to get from it what they needed or wanted. I feel buoyed and grateful that this class gave me the loving push to start working on my manuscript again, but even if I hadn't I still would have found so much value outside of "producing" work that enriched my writing/creative/spiritual practice.

I also very much appreciated the way you held space for everyone to take care of themselves and intentionally opened the space in the first class with suggestions and encouragement for how we could do that. Every gathering on any topic should be established in that spirit. It's funny similar to Heather sharing at the end she is a therapist, I too felt relieved not to talk about my day job (a program director at a suicide prevention non-profit, not in direct service though). Given that, I especially appreciated your framing and care around mental health for ourselves and each other. 

—Laura Hoffman, participant in “Writing Wrong,” 2023