Speaking, Writing Workshops and Editorial Support
Through speaking, teaching, workshops, and selective editorial mentorship, I create spaces for thoughtful conversations about the stories we carry, the losses we experience, and the ways we make meaning from what happens to us — even when language fails us.
Speaking and Conversations
Bringing literary insight and lived experience to conversations about grief, loss, and meaning
I speak with organizations, communities, and groups seeking a deeper understanding of grief and the human experiences surrounding illness, caregiving, mortality, and change. My talks draw from my memoir, my writing on anticipatory grief, my decades working with writers and stories,
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Anticipatory Grief: Living With Loss Before the Loss
Most people understand grief as something that begins after death. But for many people facing terminal illness, caregiving, or profound life change, grief begins much earlier. This conversation explores the complex territory where hope and grief coexist — where people are learning to live fully while also preparing for a future they never wanted.
The Language of Grief: Finding Words for What Cannot Be Fixed
Some experiences exceed ordinary language. Through stories, reflection, and literary exploration, this talk considers how we communicate during times of profound uncertainty and why naming our experiences can be the beginning of understanding them.
Writing Through Loss: How We Transform Experience into Story
For writers and readers interested in the relationship between grief and creativity, this talk explores the craft and courage required to write about experiences that are deeply personal.
Writing and Workshops
Using writing to explore grief, memory, and transformation
Writing has always been one of the ways human beings make sense of what happens to us.
My workshops combine literary craft, reflective writing, and guided exploration to help participants approach difficult experiences with honesty, curiosity, and compassion.
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Writing the Difficult Story
A guided writing experience for writers working with illness, trauma, grief, caregiving, or other emotionally complex material.
The Stories That Remain
A reflective writing workshop focused on memory, legacy, and the people and experiences that continue to shape us.
Writing the Life Transition
Exploring the endings, beginnings, and identity shifts that change how we understand ourselves.
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For writers exploring the stories that matter most
For more than thirty years, I have helped writers discover and shape meaningful stories.
My editorial work is especially suited to writers working on memoir and personal narrative involving grief, illness, caregiving, trauma, family history, and major life transitions.
Book Coaching and Editorial Consultation
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deep attention to craft and structure
respect for the emotional complexity of personal narrative
sensitivity to the ethical questions involved in telling stories that include other people
experience helping writers discover the larger meaning within their individual experiences
My training in grief support informs this work by helping me better understand the emotional terrain many writers enter when they revisit difficult experiences. I work with a limited number of writers each year, allowing for the depth and attention this kind of storytelling requires.
People talk about me behind my back. Here are some of the things they say:
Learn more about Helene’s Butterfly Blueprint® framework, tested and perfected over three decades with thousands of writers.