The Writing Exchange membership

Your writing life needs a writing group you can trust.

Some people wait for the retreat. The sabbatical. The someday-cabin with the good light.

We believe in the magic that happens when you are part of an ongoing writing group, in ninety minutes on a Saturday morning, again and again, until the writing is simply something you do, not something you're waiting to deserve. And in ongoing conversation with other writers.

What this is

The Writing Exchange is a monthly rhythm of two live micro-craft workshops, taught by Patti Digh and Julie Gieseke, every month, on the first and third Saturday mornings from 11:00am–12:30pm Eastern / 8:00–9:30am Pacific.

Each workshop has a different craft focus and prompts, but each is structured in three parts, because the shape works:

Learn. One craft element, taught small and deep: a door into the craft of writing. Something new each session.

Write. Real writing time, in real time, with other writers, using prompts designed to open the very thing we just studied.

Share. Voices reading new words aloud to people who know how to listen. This is the part nobody expects to love. It's the part everyone loves.

How membership works

Come to both workshops each month, or come to the ones you can. There is no attendance record here, no falling behind. Every session is recorded, and recordings live in your private online member library, so a busy month costs you nothing but the live company.

Your membership includes:

• Two live 90-minute micro-workshops every month (24 workshops a year)

• All session recordings, yours as long as you're a member

• Something extra in your inbox once a month (a craft note, suggested readings, fun things to try with your writing)

• If you choose, discounted access to the Writing Habit

• First access to new offerings, retreats, and special sessions

Our mini-craft workshops are now $45 each when purchased individually—$90 a month. Members pay less than half that.

6-Month Membership—$400, paid once. Twelve craft workshops plus all recordings. That's $33 per workshop instead of $45. Your term runs September through February. 

Annual Founding Membership—$650, paid once. Twenty-four craft workshops plus all recordings. That's $27 per workshop—our best rate. Your term runs September through August. Annual membership is available only during fall enrollment. 

Not ready for a membership? Single workshop seats will be available for $45 when space allows. Those seats open September 1. Members are seated first.

Our mini-craft workshops in September:

Sept 5 - "Self as Character"

Sept 19 - "Writing Parallel Action"

Who The Writing Exchange is For

Writers with a project and writers with only an itch. People returning to writing after years away, and people who write daily and want craft and company. If you can hold a pen and show up in a Zoom room on some Saturday mornings, you're qualified.

This is not a critique group. Sharing is invitational, always. Nobody is cold-called. Nobody is graded. It's a community of writers supporting each other and learning together.

Who we are

Patti Digh is a writer, teacher, and creative coach who has spent thirty years helping people tell the truth on paper. She is the author of eight published books, writes the newsletter From My Orange Desk, and believes writing is a verb.

Julie Gieseke is an artist, writer, performer, coach, and visual facilitator. She has helped herself and many others unravel the knot of good ideas into a flow of words and images.

Together they've taught years of workshops and many hundreds of writers, and they've learned this: writers don't need more advice. They need a room, a rhythm, and someone who reads their sentence back to them like it matters. That's what we built.

Questions you might have

What if I can't make Saturdays sometimes? Then you'll watch the recording with better coffee. Truly, membership is built for imperfect attendance. You're still part of a writing group when you can't come. So, come when you can.

When do workshops happen each month? The first and third Saturdays of each month. If that has to change for one month, the new schedule will be sent to members well in advance. 

When can I join? We open enrollment twice a year so we can build real community among writers, with everyone beginning together:

• Fall Enrollment 2026: August 17–31. Memberships begin September 1. Both 6-month and 12-month memberships available. Note: 12-month memberships are only available during Fall enrollment.

• Spring enrollment 2027: February 1–28. 6-month memberships begin March 1.

Outside these windows, the doors are closed—join us next season.

Can I gift a membership? Yes, and what a gift. Email us at patti@pattidigh.com.

Does my membership renew automatically? No. Near the end of your term, we'll write and invite you to continue. Every 6-month term ends just as the next enrollment window opens, so continuing is seamless.

What if it's not for me? Write us within your first month, and we'll refund the remainder, no explanation needed. We'd rather have your trust than your money.

This door for Members is open August 17-31. 

Memberships begin September 1. Two Saturday mornings a month. In September, those dates are Sept 5 and 19. A micro-craft lesson, a quiet room, your own voice reading something that didn't exist an hour before. Sharing with others.