Why Devotion to Writing?

Devotion to Writing is different from other writing programs in that it:

  • Acknowledges that doubt and fear are part of the creative process but can be overcome.  

  • helps you write through the mental, physical, and emotional blocks that paralyze you. 

  • helps you cultivate a writing practice incrementally, guiding you as you develop faith in your abilities, and realize your biggest creative visions and dreams.

  • Believes Devotion is the key to sustaining creativity. We employ both writing rituals and practices to help you establish a daily writing habit.

  • Acknowledges that you can already write, and as a creative can access, within you, an infinite spring of creative energy. 

  • Gives you the tools you need to build and sustain a writing practice, and thereby access your abundant creative flow.

  • Develops in you a dynamic, resilient writing practice that isn’t dependent on external validation for its sustenance.

  • Insists you only need support and encouragement to remember, and reconnect with, the vital source of creativity you are.

  • Nurtures your natural inspiration and joy, making it easier to sustain a writing life.

Devotion to Writing is not just about overcoming writer’s block and putting words on a page—it’s about transformation. We guide writers at all stages of their journey, through the alchemy of a devoted, creative practice, turning fear into flow, doubt into confidence, and silence into dynamic expression.

By showing up for daily, and breaking the silence of the page, you establish a new, powerful habit of writing.  Along the way, a new relationship is forged between you and writing, you and Creation—a trust and belief in yourself as infinitely creative, and the fashioner of your abundant life.

When you act, consistently, the Universe, The Muse, Divine Consciousness, God, whatever you wish to call it, moves to assist you. Action initiates a divine communion between you and Creation. Devotion to Writing helps you access this innate creative energy, and enlist it in realizing your writing dreams by helping you cultivate and sustain a daily writing practice.

We create safe, compassionate spaces in our workshops, retreats, and residencies to guide, support and encourage you on your writing journey. Our workshops are gateways that transform fear and blocks into breakthroughs, you’ll write stories, poems, and essays you feel good about. Our residencies provide time, space, and a supportive community where you can immerse yourself in writing, and our retreats are fun, inspiring moveable feasts that invite you to write and commune with other creative people, in inspiring, creatively nourishing locations around the world.

About Devotion to Writing

A close-up photograph of a vintage typewriter showing the phrase 'the right to write' typed on a sheet of paper, with part of the typewriter's metal carriage and black and red ink ribbon visible.

“We become what we celebrate.”

—Mattew Kelly

Celebrate, and commune daily with the creative energy at work in, through, and around you. Using writing as a tool to awaken your creativity, make a transformational soul journey to joy, abundance, and creative fulfillment.

workshops
Residencies
Retreats

Meet Devotion to Writing’s Founder, Justen Ahren

Bio

Justen Ahren is the author of two collections of poetry, A Strange Catechism, and A Machine for Remembering. In 2007 after receiving an MFA from Emerson College in Creative Writing, he started Noepe Center for Literary Arts and The Martha’s Vineyard Writers’ Residency which he directed until 2018. Martha’s Vineyard Emeritus Poet Laureate, Justen has appeared on NPR. His poetry and photography have appeared in numerous literary and photography journals, and exhibited at MassMoCA.  His work has been adapted to the stage and set to music by Grammy Award winning composers Glen Roven and Ileana Vasquez.  In 2013, after his on creative awakening, he started teaching Devotion to Writing.  You can learn more about him and view his work at Justenahren.com, or on instagram @justenahren.

A middle-aged man with short gray hair, wearing a blue button-up shirt and sunglasses hanging around his neck, standing outdoors on a porch with a wooden deck and a house with large windows behind him. There are pink and red flowers on a table beside him and lush green trees in the background.

Justen Ahren

Poet, Author, Founder of Devotion to Writing

  • "I'm glad I found Devotion to Writing. This is the kind of help I've been looking for."

    —Domenic P.

 FAQs

  • The core philosophy is a transformational approach that treats writing as a daily devotional practice. The goal is to help writers overcome fear and writer's block by cultivating consistency, joy, and a deeper connection to their innate creative flow, shifting the focus from perfection to the process.

  • Our programs are designed for all writers and creatives—from emerging voices who are just starting out to seasoned practitioners. If you are struggling with writer's block, seeking a sustainable daily practice, or looking for a supportive creative community, these offerings are for you.

  • A Retreat is typically a guided group experience in an inspiring location (like Italy, Portugal, or Martha's Vineyard) that includes structured workshops, guided exercises, and community sharing, focusing on igniting your creative practice. A Residency primarily provides dedicated time, space, and community support for you to focus intensely on an existing or new writing project without a heavy workshop schedule.

  • We offer both in-person workshops (often held in locations like Martha's Vineyard) and structured virtual workshops (typically held via Zoom) to provide flexible options for cultivating your writing devotion regardless of your location.

  • For Workshops, no specific project is required; the focus is on breaking blocks and establishing a practice. For Residencies, it is beneficial to have a project in mind, but the primary goal is cultivating your daily practice and making headway on your ideas, whether defined or nascent.

  • The duration varies depending on the format. Online Zoom workshops may run weekly for 5 to 12 consecutive weeks, while in-person workshops are typically 3-4 full days. Specific dates and durations for upcoming opportunities are posted on the website.

  • For Workshops and Retreats, you can typically register directly via the links provided on the respective program pages. For Residencies, there is usually a more formal application process to ensure the best fit for the intimate community.

  • While the focus is on the process of writing and overcoming blocks, our programs involve shared writing exercises and discussions. Some specific programs, especially workshops, offer opportunities for individualized guidance.

  • Our programs are not genre-specific. We welcome and support writers working in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, and other creative forms. The foundational techniques for overcoming creative blocks and establishing a devotional practice apply to all genres.

  • Due to the planning and venue commitments required for retreats and residencies, a strict cancellation and refund policy is in place. You should review the specific terms outlined on the registration page for each program before booking, as deposits are often non-refundable after a certain date.