Writing, aside from the perfunctory stuff we crank out at work or at the kitchen table, finds its source in solitude, but, as we sometimes only grudgingly acknowledge, it cannot remain there if it is to come to fruition. We writers have to share our work, and when we do, we discover that the helpfulness and fun of doing so with friends who can strike the right, fine balance between honesty and kindness overbalances whatever apprehensions we might feel. In our writing circles, we will share and discuss our writing to discover how it can grow from where it is to where it might be. We will limber up from time to time by sharing brief extemporaneous writing exercises. And we will learn never to start a sentence with “and.” Writing in Circles will work equally well for quite experienced writers, for beginners, for rough drafts, and for nearly finished ones. We can accommodate everything from personal memoir to religious tracts, from novels to essays to sonnets. Participants who have taken this course before are welcome to participate again.