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Joy Roulier Sawyer

Joy Roulier Sawyer is an award-winning writer, editor, and teacher who’s published fiction, essays, poetry, and articles in more than 70+ publications. She’s the author of three books of poetry and several nonfiction books, and was recently shortlisted for the Cassian Elwes Sundance Independent Screenwriting Fellowship.

Books

Joy’s the author of the poetry collections Lifeguards, Tongues of Men and Angels, and Fire on the Path (co-written with Caryn Mirriam Goldberg). She’s also written two books on Christian spirituality and creativity: Dancing to the Heartbeat of Redemption and The Art of the Soul.

Workshops

Joy teaches a wide variety of workshops and retreats. She is a longtime instructor at Denver’s Lighthouse Writers Workshop, where she received the 2019 Beacon Award for Teaching Excellence. Joy has also taught at the University of Denver and Goddard College.

Events

Joy’s an experienced public speaker and poet, and has read her literary work at venues, conferences, and universities across the country for more than thirty years. She was the keynote speaker for the 2023 National Association for Poetry Therapy’s annual conference.

Retreats

  • Nurturing the Writer's Soul in Glenwood Spring, CO

    Are you a writer who needs a creative boost? Struggles to unearth your unique voice? Craves some tender care and R & R? This is a retreat to reignite your creative spirit!

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  • Santa Fe, New Mexico

    Historic adobe charm, vibrant art culture, and nearby desert hot springs create a powerful haven for writers seeking inspiration and renewal.

    MORE INFO COMING SOON...

  • Oregon Wine Country

    In a relaxed and gorgeous setting in southern Oregon, we'll savor wine and cheese tastings  

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  • Beach Paradise

    For those looking for a more intensive writing and relaxation experience.

    MORE INFO COMING SOON...

  • Writing from the Soul at the Benet Hills Monastery

    Give yourself a deeply soul-nourishing writing retreat in a Colorado forest monastery imbued with spirit, peace, and magic.

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  • Joy Sawyer is one of the most inspiring, uplifting, and energetic writing teachers with whom I’ve studied, and I’ve taken literally hundreds of classes with dozens of writing teachers over many decades. She brings a fresh and very optimistic attitude to every class that she teaches. One of her greatest strengths is the way she uses poetry to spark discussions, which results in deep sharing and great writing prompts. Joy is a fabulous facilitator who packs SO MUCH into an hour, and always keeps discussions on-topic and on time. I always come away from a class with her with fresh writing I’d like to further work with. She is amazing.

    PAULA HAGAR

  • Joy is an amazing teacher. Many teachers mouth a lot of platitudes, but Joy speaks words of writing wisdom you can carry with you a lifetime. She is a great listener, but also keeps things moving in her classes, switching it up with exercises, readings, workshopping, etc., all while keeping us focused on the subject.

    HOLLY WOODWARD

  • Joy is an absolutely phenomenal teacher: encouraging, enlightening. She’s very knowledgeable and clearly a skilled writer. And she provides such a beautiful, positive environment in which writers can be challenged without becoming discouraged. What a wonderful workshop. I will always remember it.

    CHRISTINA LEWIS

  • I have taken classes with Joy for several years now. She has a signature style, one that combines her own life and writing experience with a personalized mentoring approach. Joy makes me feel that I have something important to say, and she gave me tools (writing exercises, examples of poets’ work) that helped me become a better poet. I feel heard and valued in her classes, and that is worth everything.

    CAROL McDONALD