Many of us use writing as a way to process difficult experiences and even past traumas. Such writing can be good not only for the writer, but the reader as well, allowing audiences who are struggling or have struggled with traumatic experiences to feel understood and validated. However, this kind of work can be difficult for us and for our potential readers. Not every approach need be purely “confessional,” nor should writers be expected to obscure difficult moments with metaphor or ambiguity in order to spare audiences from the sharp edges.

In this session we’ll discuss approaches to writing about challenging topics with candor and sensitivity so that readers feel seen, not sensationalized. We will cover strategies and techniques for writing hard things while taking a trauma-informed approach to creative writing.

Autumn Konopka is a writer, runner, and trauma-informed teaching artist. She was the 2016 Poet Laureate of Montgomery County, PA. Her poetry chapbook, a chain of paper dolls, was published in 2014 by the Head & the Hand Press (Philadelphia), and her work has been published widely in literary journals. Autumn holds degrees in Creative Writing from the University of Pittsburgh and Antioch University, and she teaches writing courses at Chestnut Hill College. Her first novel, Pheidippides Didn’t Die, was published in August 2023.