Join Me in the Bewilderness With a New Journal, or at a Free Live Poetry Reading

Ellis Elliott is a poet, author, and the founder of **Bewilderness Writing*, a weekly online workshop where writers gather to explore the fertile wilderness of their creative subconscious through freewriting from poetry prompts. Since 2020, she has cultivated a brave and supportive community that values expression over perfection, helping participants quiet their inner critic and discover their authentic voices on the page. This year, Ellis released the first Bewilderness Journal, showcasing the powerful, intimate work that has emerged from these sessions. I sat down with Ellis to talk about how the workshops began, what it took to grow this community, the inspiration behind the new journal, and what’s next for [Bewilderness Writing.](https://bewildernesswriting.com/)*

Dianne Pearce (Dianne): Thanks so much for the meetup Ellis. I was lucky enough to be in one of your Bewilderness sessions, and I have always wondered what inspired you to start Bewilderness Writing back in 2020. Was it something you envisioned long-term, or did it grow organically from the community?

Ellis Elliott (Ellis): In 2020 I was half-way through grad school, my mother died, and Covid hit. I needed as much as wanted to write in community, and I had taken several sessions from my mentor, Laurie Wagner, in a format that involved freewriting from poetry prompts. I put it out there on social media for free to see if I had any takers. I think I had five for the first group, two of whom were my children.

Dianne: Was there a moment when you realized, “Okay, this is working — this community has staying power?”

Dianne: What do you hope readers who weren’t part of the group feel when they read this first issue?

What has surprised you most about what people share in these sessions? Dianne: Ellis: I think when the writer is surprised by what they have written, I share that surprise. Often it is something they haven’t thought about in a long time, a personal story, or it could just be a word they’ve chosen that elicits the “where did that come from?” response by the writer. I think that’s a direct result of having freedom in what and how you write, and locking the critic in a closet without a key (where it still tries to talk to you from under the door).

Ellis: Absolutely! Mabel, thirteen, joins me whether I’m writing or working on miniatures, although I have to be very careful not to roll over her in my desk chair. Unfortunately, she used up her warnings and got expelled from my Zoom Bewilderness classes for spontaneous barking in the middle of class. She now waits patiently outside the door.

Dianne: I have a similar situation. I have Oliver behind my chair (big old dog) and Patrick (cat) in the chair next to the desk, and sometimes Finny ( chat) tries to get on the chair too, or on my lap. I say our pets are part of the Irish mafia. I don’t know how I ended up with all boys with similar names!

Well, thanks so much for talking about your writing group and your new publication for the group with me. Authors Electric readers, you too can take a Bewilderness class. They’re a lot of fun! Scholarships are available!

Experience an afternoon of voices, visions, and poetry-join Old Scratch Press as we unveil three new poetry collections, with live readings from their authors.

DATE: Saturday, October 25 TIME: 2:00 PM PT ( 5:00 PM ET ) FORMAT: Virtual meeting (Zoom)

This event is free to the public, but preregistration is recommended. SIGN UP HERE :)

And you could buy me a coffee!

Originally published at https://authorselectric.blogspot.com on October 10, 2025.