In this short, nuts-and-bolts, solo podcast, founder and Executive Director Elizabeth Perlman talks about what happens in an Intuitive Writing Project class in terms of the basic structure and how things unfold in a standard 90 minute or 2 hour class, for middle school or high school students, respectively. To learn more about us, visit us www.intuitivewritingproject.org. To talk in more depth or schedule a free intro class, contact Elizabeth@intuitivewritingproject.org.

For our 28th podcast, listen to 16-year-old Audrey Harris read and discuss her brilliant piece of historical fiction, "Giulia Tofana," in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. In this story, Audrey writes about the real-life anti-heroine, Giulia Tofana, a woman who brewed the undetectable poison which took the lives of over 600 husbands in 17th-century Palermo and Rome. While there is no question of murderous deeds, present-day readers will be moved to consider Giulia's perspective, as a woman who was trying to support other women, at a time when women had no rights at all. As Audrey's Giulia confronts her readers, "Now, consider, am I really the villain in this story, or am I the heroine?" You can read Audrey's incredible story on our blog, The Intuitive Voice, here: https://intuitivevoice.org/2024/07/26/giulia-tofana/ You can also read about the Giulia Tofana "electronic opera" here: https://whatshernamepodcast.com/giulia-tofana/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of young people. // Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our 27th podcast, listen to 12-year-old Lina Norris-Raman read and discuss her brilliant piece, "To Be A Girl," in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. In this piece, Lina writes eloquently of the overwhelming pressure to look a certain way—along with the pain of knowing we can ever be "perfect enough," a pain, Elizabeth notes, that women of every age can relate to, as well. After calling out the impossible standards of The Beauty Myth, Lina and Elizabeth discuss the transformative power of writing to cultivate self-acceptance and self-compassion. You can read Lina's beautiful writing on our blog, The Intuitive Voice, here: https://intuitivevoice.org/2025/03/21/to-be-a-girl/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth! // Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our 26th podcast, listen to the director of our boys' program, Jake Sawyer, read and discuss his brilliant essay, "Untangling Worms," in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. Together, Jake and Elizabeth explore the power of writing to help young men find their voice and build their EQ, thus breaking free of "The Man Box," a term first coined in the (must-see!) documentary, The Mask You Live In. You can read Jake's incredible writing on our blog, The Intuitive Voice, here: https://intuitivevoice.org/2025/02/28/untangling-worms/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ and to learn more about our boys' program specifically, visit us at https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/boys. Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of young people! // Music: by folk_acoustic from Pixabay.com

For our 25th podcast, listen to 15-year-old Oriana Deng read and discuss her brilliant piece, "Joy Doesn't Care," in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. Oriana's writing was inspired by the poem we read in class, Joy Chose You by Donna Ashworth. Paradoxically, although the narrative itself explores sadness and the fleeting nature of joy, we also talk about how fun and cathartic it is to express ourselves on paper, especially when we're processing emotions. You can read Oriana's beautiful writing on our blog, The Intuitive Voice, here: https://intuitivevoice.org/2025/02/24/joy-doesnt-care/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth! // Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our 24th podcast, listen to 13-year-old Zara Quiter read and discuss her brilliant narrative poem, "If I Should Have A Daughter," in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. As Zara describes in this interview, she was inspired by the spoken word poem of the same name by Sara Kay, who she watched at school in Kay's 2011 TedTalk. Because Zara's narrator is speaking to her future daughter—while simultaneously being the 13-year-old daughter of a wonderful mother, in real life—we get to talk about the wisdom and power of two perspectives, both mothers and daughters, and the challenges that come with adolescence, standing half way between childhood and adulthood. Zara also shares her expertise and advice in terms of writing and working through creative blocks, after six years of writing with The Intuitive Writing Project. You can read Zara's beautiful piece on our blog, The Intuitive Voice: https://intuitivevoice.org/2025/01/16/if-i-should-have-a-daughter/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth! // Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our 23rd podcast, we are delighted to introduce our brilliant friend and beloved collaborator, Maureen Brown, in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. In this podcast, we talk about the particular way that writing helps us access and trust our intuition, empowering us to live more authentic lives—particularly in starting and sustaining a business. Then we deep dive into Maureen's intuitive approach to business with her designer consignment store reCHIC, which you can explore at https://shoprechic.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/shoprechic/. During our conversation, we also mentioned our mutual friend, mentor and teacher, Cynthia Leslie-Bole, an AWA writing group leader who runs "Hummingwords Writing Coaching and Editorial Services" which you can read more about at https://cynthialesliebole.com/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and support, helping us to elevate and empower female voices! // Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our 22nd podcast, listen to 17-year-old Hazel Claire Smith read and discuss her brilliant narrative poem, "The Car" in conversation with her Poetic Playlist teacher, Gretchen Cion, and Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. In addition to discussing her growth as a writer, Hazel also gave us some of the best writing advice we've ever heard, which you can listen to, starting at minute 26. (She talks about finding the magic in monotonous moments—and you have to hear it in her own words! Hazel is ingenious!) You can also read Hazel's beautiful poetry on our blog, The Intuitive Voice: https://intuitivevoice.org/2024/09/15/the-car/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth! // Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our 21st podcast, we are delighted to introduce our brilliant friend, hilarious writer and fellow Intuitive Writing Project teacher, Gretchen Cion, in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman, discussing the power of music to inspire and activate our writing. Gretchen also gives some of the best writing advice we've ever heard. "Keep your writing time sacred," she says. "Show up. Just show up and make it sacred and then just generate whatever it is you're going to generate... Don't be precious about it. Be precious about the time, but don't be precious about what you're generating." You can read her piece, "Hit Play: Tapping the Power of Song," at https://brevity.wordpress.com/2024/03/25/hit-play-tapping-the-power-of-song/You can explore more of Gretchen's hilarious writing (and watch her first film, Full Crow) at https://www.gretchencion.com To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and support, helping us to elevate and empower female voices! // Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.  

For our 20th podcast, we are delighted to introduce our brilliant friend and teacher, Robbyn Layne, discussing the power of storytelling—and the particular power of the heroine's journey—in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. You can explore Robbyn's incredible work and buy you own box of "Messy, Magical Muse" cards at https://www.kissingthemuse.com/ Note:  In this interview, we talked about the 12 muses in the cycle of change, but never mentioned the 13th muse/the New Moon muse, which is actually reset muse number 0. To explore the magic for yourself, you can sign up for a FREE sample pack featuring the New Moon Muse card — one of 13 beautifully illustrated muses in the deck. You'll also receive the matching suite of "Creative Kiss" cards: Kiss & Tell Ritual Flirt with Words  Mixed-Media Tickle Muse Date To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting female voices!              

For our nineteenth podcast, we are delighted to introduce our brilliant and magical Director of After-School Programs, Elana Joy, discussing the creative writing process—as well as reading her ingenious rhyming poem, Blackhole—in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. You can read Elana's words on our blog, The Intuitive Voice, at https://intuitivevoice.org/2024/03/28/blackhole/.  To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting female-identifying voices! // Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.    

For our eighteenth podcast, listen to Gen-Y writer Gloria Min Synn read and discuss her powerful piece, "Wild," in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. Beginning with a conversation on the pressure we feel, as women, to be "good," we then dive deep into "the heroine's journey," the universal quest to break free, to heal "the mother wound" and reclaim our true, authentic nature—as the embodiment of the earth and Mother Nature. In Gloria's words, "It's not about having to become something or change something... It's a homecoming."If you've ever wondered how to find you way back to your own wildness, you can read Gloria's wise words on our blog, The Intuitive Voice, at https://intuitivevoice.org/2024/02/11/wild/. We're also including the writing and writing prompts that inspired Gloria's writing, in case you'd like to explore your own creative process. For those who want to jump right to the reading of Gloria's poem, start at minute 14:13. And for those who are interested in exploring the books we talked about and recommend, they are: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle ZevinUntethered Soul by Michael A. SingerThe Artist's Way by Julia CameronDiscovering the Inner Mother:  Healing the Mother Wound by Bethany WebsterBraiding Sweetgrass by Robin KimmererMeditation Secrets for Women by Camile Maurine Last but not least, here is the writing from our women's class that inspired Gloria's writing, including the prompts we offered to get everyone started. (Feel free to use any of these prompts yourself or just write stream-of-consciousness in response to whatever comes up for you.) With deep thanks to @TaraIsisGerris of @WildWomanSisterhoodOfficial for posting these beautiful words: There Comes A Day There comes a day, somewhere in the middle of every woman’s life, when Mother Nature herself stands behind us and wraps her arms around our shoulders and whispers, “It’s time. You have taken enough now. It’s time to stop growing up, stop growing older and start grower wilder. There are adventures still waiting on you and this time, you will enjoy them with the vision of wisdom and hindsight and you will let go. It’s time to stop the madness of comparison and scheduling and conformity and start experiencing the joy that a life can bring—free from containment and guilt.”She will shake your shoulders gently and remind you that you’ve done your bit. You’ve given too much, cared too much, suffered too much. You’ve bought the book and worn the t-shirt. Worse, you’ve worn the chains and carried the weight of a burden far too heavy for your shoulders. “It’s time,” she will say. “Let it go. Really let it go and feel the freedom of fresh, clean spaces within you. Fill them with discovery, love and laughter. Fill yourself so full you will no longer fear what is ahead and instead you will greet each day with the excitement of a child.”  She will remind you that if you choose to stop caring what other people think of you instead of caring what you think of you, that you will experience a new era of your life you never dreamed possible. “It’s time,” she will say, “to write the new beginning of your own story.”  Possible prompts: “It’s time…” “If you choose to stop caring what other people think of you…” “Stop growing up, s...

For our seventeenth podcast, listen to Gen-X writer Christina Butler read and discuss her powerful piece, "Womanifesto" in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. Starting with a conversation on the nature of intuitive writing—trusting the process and letting things come—we also talk about finding your inspiration and making the writing experience as comfortable as possible, to let yourself enjoy the freedom and catharsis of speaking your truth. You can read Christina's beautiful words in the women's section of our blog, The Intuitive Voice, at https://intuitivevoice.org/2024/01/30/womanifesto/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting female-identifying voices! // Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our sixteenth podcast, listen to 18-year-old Sarah Hawkins read and discuss her brilliant piece, "Ephemeral" in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. Starting with a conversation on the changability of life and identity and the peace to be found in nature, Sarah shares her thoughts on the creative writing process, how to write through blocks and, most importantly, how to use writing to support your mental health. Starting at minute 18:30, Sarah also discusses the incredible work she's involved in at YouthLine, a teen-to-teen crisis helpline which you can read about, support and connect with here: https://www.theyouthline.org/. As Elizabeth often says, "whereever you are and whatever you're going through, please keep writing your stories and speaking your truth. The written word can hold it." You can read Sarah's beautiful words on our blog, The Intuitive Voice:  https://intuitivevoice.org/2023/11/19/ephemeral/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth! // Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our fifteenth podcast, listen to 20-year-old Audrey Lambert read and discuss her brilliant piece, "Just Right," in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. Starting with a conversation on the challenges of self-expression (and "being quiet in a loud world," which you can read more about here), we explore the nature of intuitive writing, how you can trust that each idea will lead you somewhere interesting and surrender to the creative process, without trying to control it. As Audrey reminds us, you can always edit it later. You can read Audrey's powerful words on our blog, The Intuitive Voice:  https://intuitivevoice.org/2023/06/08/just-right/ You can also explore the author Audrey loves, K-Ming Chang, on her website:  https://www.kmingchang.com/To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth!   Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our fourteenth podcast, listen to 21-year-old Scarlett "DB" Mosher read an exerpt from their story, "Avicta," in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. Like many of our writers, DB has been writing with us since middle school—which means they already have a decade of writing insights and advice to share with other young writers.Beginning with DB's words, we delve deeper into the world of fantasy and historical fiction writing and then segue into one of the most important and undervalued aspects of the writing life:  the necessity of emotional and physical self-care. You can read DB's words on our blog, The Intuitive Voice: https://intuitivevoice.org/2023/08/10/avicta-an-excerpt/  To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth! Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our thirteenth podcast, listen to sisters Maxine and Stella Pollock read their complimentary pieces, Good Enough and Colors in My Head, in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. Beginning with Maxine's piece, Colors in My Head, we talk about universal emotions like anxiety and how to culitivate empathy for yourself when dealing with the inner-critic. Next we discuss Stella's piece, Good Enough, about the revolutionary power of self-acceptance—both invidually and collectively—when "everyone can lock hands and say that we are all good enough together." Finally, Stella and Maxine discuss their creative process and how to break through blocks to find catharsis in writing.You can read their words on our blog, The Intuitive Voice: https://intuitivevoice.org/2023/08/02/good-enough/ https://intuitivevoice.org/2023/08/08/colors-in-my-head/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth! Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our twelfth podcast, listen to 19-year-old Aly Kirke read and discuss her piece, "The Forest," in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. Beginning with Aly's words, we start by discussing the feminine connection to nature (as in Artemis!) and then segue into the writing prompts most likely to get us un-stuck and keep us inspired. From there, we discuss women in film (Aly's major at Rutgers) and the importance of a confidence-building—so more women are empowered to claim their voice as filmmakers. You can read Aly's words on our blog, The Intuitive Voice: https://intuitivevoice.org/2021/12/06/the-forest/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth! Music:  Forest Lullaby was composed by “Lesfm” (the artist Oleksii Kaplunskyi) for Pixabay.com.

For our 11th episode, we wanted to celebrate our 11th anniversary by interviewing our incredible teachers, Melissa Quiter and Gretchen Cion, in conversation with our founder, Elizabeth Perlman. First we talk about what drew us to this work and why we love it. Then we talk about what we get to observe and experience in each of our young writers, the fostering of creativity, confidence and community that happens every single week. We talk about creative risk-taking, exploration and discovery, and being buoyed up by the experience, how our writers tell us this work is "better than therapy" and how they learn to love themselves and believe in themselves, and then carry that confidence out into the world, into everything they do. Most importantly, you will hear three dedicated, passionate teachers talk about their love and dedication to their students—and "the magic" that makes it all possible. To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth!

For our tenth podcast, listen to 16-year-old Josslyn Grover read and discuss her brilliant piece, "Declaration of a Gen Z Stargazer," in conversation with Intuitive Writing Project founder, Elizabeth Perlman. Starting with a conversation on the nature of social media as a pandora's box of both positive and negative experiences, they delve deep into the creative writing process and the power of Gen Z to transform the world.You can read Josslyn's words on our blog, The Intuitive Voice: https://intuitivevoice.org/2023/07/07/declaration-of-a-gen-z-stargazer/ To learn more about The Intuitive Writing Project, visit us at: https://www.intuitivewritingproject.org/ Thank you for your time and presence, supporting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth! Music credit:  "Abstract Fashion Pop" by QubeSounds from Pixabay