Thanks to grants from Eastside United and the Wascana Presbytery, and the donation of space by the Regina Public Library, we are delighted to have offered the following Writer-in-Residence Program in October with author and facilitator, Ray McGinnis (www.writetotheheart.com). October 1-21st. Regina and area.  - Dawn and Vicki, Coordinators for the Wascana Presbytery Writer-in-Residence Program

Each session was an amazing success and we would recommend Ray to any congregation as both facilitator and key note speaker. His gifts and talents have inspired many to re-examine their role as an intregal part of God's creation! Thanks again, Ray!

Writing your Sacred Stories with Ray McGinnis

Thursday, October 1st.    Watch Ray on Access TV.

Thursday, October 1st, 6:30-8:30pm - Finding what you didn’t Lose: Excavating the Writer Within

A writing event for self-identifying GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-gendered, two-spirited, questioning or queer folks who want to begin writing, deepen their writing practices and skills, and perhaps join a writer's group.

Ray will offer writing exercises for get you writing - again or for the first time. Explore the things you thought you'd lost,  and now feel called to excavate.

Location: Board Room #1, 2nd Floor, Central Branch, Regina Public Library, 2311 12th Avenue (use the elevator at the library entrance).  Cost: $10./person.  To register: Contact Faye at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Friday, October 2nd, 1-3pm - Writing Beyond Labels

Location: Board Room, 2nd Floor, Student Union Centre, Riddell Building (next to GBLUR Centre), University of Regina.   Open to all.   No charge.   Hosted by Campion College Ministry and GBLUR. To register: Contact Nathan at 586-8811 (ext. 207).

Using poetry as our artistic medium, we will gather to put words to our longings for peace and justice. Remembering, we will draw on the strength and courage of those who have gone before us. Claiming, we will weave our story of justice into the larger Justice Story. Dreaming, we will create a tapestry of poems to support our peacemaking into the future.

Ray McGinnis will bring writing exercises to engage both practiced and beginning writers. Youth and adults are welcome. Come with your hopes or your tiredness, your disappointments or your longings. Another world is possible!

Location: St James United Church.  Open to all.  Cost: $10./person. Unemployed and underemployed: No charge.  To register: Contact Robin at 543.2626.

Sunday, October 4th, 2:30-5:30 - No-Way-to-Blow-it: A Writing and Pizza Event for Youth and Young Adults

Location: Living Spirit Centre, 3018 Doan Drive, Regina.  Open to youth and youth adults, ages 13-19.  Cost: $10./person for pizza and program.  No charge for out of town participants To register: Contact Jenni at 761.0556 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Hosted by Eastside United

Tuesday, October 6th, 1:30-3:30pm  Writing through Transition - Part1

Although ministers and church leaders come from a wide variety of experineces and theological positions, we share certain things in common: 1) we have an evolving relationship with God; 2) we serve congregations-demographics which have various dynamics and blessings; 3) we face challenges around time. Sometimes, as people in ministry, we also feel we are changing in ways that separate us from our congregations. Given that, this writing event will explore the following questions: how is my relationship with God-Spirit-Divine Wisdom unfolding and evolving? How does that unfolding find expression in the life of the congregation (or demographic) I serve? As my theology (or idea about ministry) changes, how do I find ways to speak and live with integrity?

Come to this workshop and let writer-facilitator, Ray McGinnis, help you find words to express what is on your heart and mind. use step-by-step writing exercises to being a prayer, psalm or sermon that speaks to your current situation. This workshop will allow ample time for discussion.

Location to be announced. Open to ministers, pastors, priests, church leaders. Cost: $15./person  No charge for unemployed and underemployed folks, and for those living outside of Regina. To register Diane at 761.0556.  Hosted by the Wascana Writer-in-Residence Program

Tuesday, October 6th, 7-9pm Simple Living Journal

Maintaining peace of mind, loving the people in front of you, opening to others naturally, nurturing your passion for life, moving at a human pace and knowing your limits and boundaries - these are among the things that make for a simple and happy life. Many of us long for such a life but need encouragement and help to get there. Whether you seek small practical ways to cut down on the stress in your life or ways to make larger changes, this workshop will give you a starting place. Discover simple living approaches to areas of life such as time, money, work, pleasure, family, health and housing. Ray McGinnis will also draw on the work Janet Luhrs, author of the Simple Living Guide. Journal-writing will be the primary medium for this workshop. No previous writing experience is necessary.

Location: Living Spirit Centre, 3018 Doan Drive, Regina.  Cost: $15./ person. No charge for unemployed and underemployed folks, and for those living outside of Regina.  To register: Contact Diane at 761.0556 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Hosted by Eastside United.

Wednesday, October 7th, 7-9pm Writing Peace and Hope in Challenging Times

Canadian folksinger Ferron once wrote “We’re always off to war, my friends. We’re always off to war. It makes me think of this, my friends: where can the quiet be?” Perhaps in times of war, in these times of a War on Terror, visions of peace and hope can elude us. Or we turn our mind to other things and ignore the fact of war altogether. In this workshop we will move past despair, cynicism and apathy by putting pen to paper and giving voice to our longings for a different world. Come, play with words and write for peace. No previous writing experience necessary.

Location: Connaught Pubic Library     Open to all.     No charge.    Hosted by the Regina Public Library.

Thursday, Oct. 8th, 7-9pm Writing the Sacred: Psalm-writing and Sacred Poetry-Part 1

At this introductory workshop to psalm-writing, participants will be invited to a fresh encounter with the Hebrew Psalms. Participants will hear again the powerful longings of the psalmists to know God, and to address God in the complexity of their feelings: love, anger, a  sense of abandonment. Following the biblical examples, participants will be guided, step-by-step, to find and write their own psalms of praise, longing or lament.

Location: Living Spirit Centre, 3018 Doan Drive, Regina.  Open to all.  Cost: $10./person.  To register: Dave Kaiser at 789.0265.  Hosted by Bread of Life Lutheran

Friday, October 9th - Sunday, October 11th - Workshops (in process) for S. Current

Monday, October 12th - Wednesday, October 14th - Workshops in Saskatoon

Wednesday, October 14th, 7-9pm Write Way To Wellness

This is a workshop for those who seek balance and equanimity at every stage of life. Learn how your personal journal can be an ally for wholeness as you navigate life's changes and challenges. Practical writing exercises will offer tools for managing and reducing stress, maintaining balance and empowering you to choose you a healthier future. Access your own reservoir of courage and wisdom in your quest for well-being. No previous journal writing experience necessary.

Location: George Bothwell Library, Southland Mall.  Open to all.  No charge.  Hosted by the Regina Public Library.

Thursday, October 15th, 9-11am   Writing Through Transition - Part II

Leaders and ministers: come back and continue the creative work. As you begin to speak your truth, do you find that something is holding you back? Is it the Angel-Spirit of your congregation - a trickster who foils all things new? Is it the Spirit-Angel of your denomination, who tells you that only one kind of ministry is possible? Is it the Time-keeping Spirit who keeps you too busy to explore new theological worlds? Or, it is the Conflict-avoiding Spirit who insists that you be cheerful at all cost?

Wherever this event finds you, come and write/discuss your emerging thoughts. Ray will offer fresh and fun ways to explore the barriers (internal or external) you are experiencing. Or... if your creative juices are flowing, Ray will offer exercises to keep the flow going. Both workshops will honour ministers/leaders and congregations, and seek wisdom from the Spirit who hovers in our midst.

Location to be announced.  Open to ministers, priest, pastors, church leaders.  Cost: $15./person  No charge for unemployed and underemployed folks, and for those living outside of Regina. To register: Contact Diane at 761.0556 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  H osted by the Wascana Writer-in-Residence Program

Thurs., Oct. 15th, 7-9pm Writing the Sacred: Psalm-writing and Sacred Poetry-Part 2

Drawing on work from the previous week, participants will edit and refine their psalms, while learning additional tools for poem and psalm-writing. Whether you are a seasoned writer or have never put pen to paper, you will leave these two workshops excited about the biblical psalms and your own part in the long tradition of psalm-writing.

Location: Living Spirit Centre, 3018 Doan Drive, Regina.   Open to all.  Cost: $10./person. To register: Dave Kaiser at 789.0265.  Hosted by Bread of Life Lutheran

Friday – Saturday, October 16th & 17th   Nature-Walking and Poetry-Making Retreat

24-hour retreat at St Michael's Retreat Centre, Lumsden

Cost: $140./person   To register or for a brochure: Vicki Nelson, 761-0556  or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sunday, October 18th, 7pm   Poetry-Reading Evening at Living Spirit Centre

Snacks, people, an open-mike. Come and read your new poetry/prose.  All are welcome.   No charge.  Hosted by the Wascana Writer-in-Residence Program.

Tuesday, October 20th, 7-9pm   Writing Event at Sunset United

Expecting a large internal enrollment, this event is not open to the general public.   Hosted by Sunset United.

Wednesday, October 21st, 7-9pm Writing through Grief

Grief is a natural response to the loss of something meaningful. The loss can be a person or relationship, a lifestyle or dream, a job, a pet, a deeply held belief or anything else that is emotionally valued. Grief is also cumulative. When something finally triggers a grief response, we end up heartsick over the many losses we've absorbed during our lives. During this Journal Writing workshop, you will be exposed to several tools for writing through grief. The workshop will benefit those who are currently experiencing loss, those who anticipate loss and those who wish to support others in their grief. No previous journal writing experience necessary.

Location: Central Branch, Regina Public Library.  Open to all.  No charge.  Hosted by the Regina Public Library.