“I highly recommend taking one of Melissa’s writing classes, she offers razor sharp insights that gently guides writers to create new material or work with already existing projects. Not only is Melissa a brilliant writer, she is also a great teacher, collaborator and mentor.” 

Martha Ferguson (Harare, Zimbabwe & Paris, France)
Filmmaker, Writer, Actor, Director of Portable Sky Productions

 “Writing club at Melissa's was a highlight of my week. We all came with the usual trepidation about sharing our work, but it was fun, engaging, and quite productive. It pushed me to make writing more of a habit (also a pleasure). There was collaboration and even a short film that came out of it which was new territory for me and an unforgettable, enriching experience.” 

Katie Rudder (Harare, Zimbabwe & Chattanooga, Tennessee USA)
@Narrative 4

 "Melissa’s methods and Melissa herself make the Writing Together Alone Writing Workshops a unique and richly satisfying experience. She holds the group in a focused, safe space where the narrator’s voice can be expressed deeply and honestly without the writer feeling exposed or vulnerable. She creates a way for the words to flow in intensely rewarding ways while preventing on any encroachments on privacy. This makes the workshops unusually freeing, and the writing just pours out as a result. All the participants in my group, and we were a diverse bunch, expressed the same. Some of us were working on defined pieces; others, like me, were seeking a way to explore writing for fun and recreation. The experience was much deeper than that for me, and I have new-found bravery as a writer. Melissa’s calm, creative (steely) gentleness permeates the process and will keep me coming back for more. I encourage anyone who has ever had the glimmering of curiosity about their own writing potential, or need a jolt out of a writing rut, or just want to expand on existing projects, to sign up for a workshop. The results will surprise you in delightful ways." 

Elisabeth van Wyk (Cape Town, SA)

 It is my absolute pleasure to share with anyone who wants to know, that your workshop broke a place of absolute seizure in my book writing process. I had gathered a whole lot of research and written short pieces for my blog as a warm-up, then had no idea how to carry on. A chance piece of information I was given festered in my mind but I had no idea what to do with it. The project was to create a book out of my father-in-law’s war diaries. However, their very nature, of necessity being secret, meant that there was not much to write about. So I began delving into family trees and ancestries. At that point, feeling a bit of a failure, I attended Melissa’s workshop. Sheer fright and a hearing problem made it difficult, but magic happened and I started to tell stories. Encouragement and honest feedback are powerful. My need to participate in future workshops resulted in crumpling a credit card and the purchase of wonderful new hearing aids. I encourage anyone who loves the written word to attend Melissa’s workshops. I certainly will continue to do so." 

Solveig McCormick (Cape Town, SA)

 The Together Alone workshops I have completed have transformed and identified my writing direction, it brought my writing closer to home, closer to my heart. In this space, I’ve found a greater power in writing than I could have ever experienced alone. This power has been liberating and I have greater confidence in my merit as a writer for the simple act of writing. I believe that this power rests in the sharing and reading aloud of our pieces. In this way, we identify the uniqueness of each person's narrative voice and I feel empowered to love and appreciate my written and spoken words and have the privilege of hearing my fellow writers' work in its vulnerable and original state. The suspension of judgement created by considering every piece separate from its writer has had immense therapeutic value for me and the sharing of intergenerational spaces with these people is an essential element of community that we seem to lack in most aspects of life. This space is transformational and healing and I look forward to continuing to share the space with anyone who dares to explore their heart through writing. 

Shayla (Cape Town, SA)
Together, Alone Workshop participant

 Dear Melissa: I had not taken a Writers Center workshop since COVID. I attribute my ability to have had two of my personal essays published in The Little Patuxent Review Literary magazine to the workshops of the Writers Center. I have recently retired and wanted to get back to writing personal essays, therefore I was very happy to find your workshop and that it was an in person workshop. Your style and approach in how your facilitated was very supportive and challenging and just what I needed. I hope that we are able to maintain a writing group. Also, I read your essay, “Visitors”. The essay was wonderfully written. In my study tour of South Africa, we visited Durbin and your essay brought back many painful memories of what I learned and experienced in South Africa intermixed with the beauty of the country and the people. 

Cynthia (Bethesda, USA)
The Writers Center

 I greatly enjoyed Melissa Webster’s Generative Workshop, Let’s Write. Melissa created a comfortable and inviting space and was quietly encouraging. Her prompts were fresh, varied, and invited creativity. She presented a timely combination of brief readings and reflections along with the prompts. She managed expectations well and set a comfortable and inspiring tone for this class. I look forward to joining another one of Melissa’s classes. 

Jayna (Bethesda, USA)
The Writers Center