Writing Through Chronic Illness – A Creative Sanctuary for Sick & Disabled Writers
What does it mean to write while navigating chronic illness?
In a world that prioritizes productivity over well-being, chronically ill and disabled writers often face ableist, capitalistic pressures that devalue the creative process in favor of quick results. Writing Through Chronic Illness is a virtual “sick bay” where writers can reject these harmful narratives and instead embrace their unique, powerful ways of storytelling.
Led by Anya Pearson and Ella deCastro Baron, this workshop series—offered by Urban Haiku—is a space for healing, creative resistance, and radical self-love through writing.
📖 Writing as Resistance, Healing, & Self-Love
Living with chronic illness often means existing in liminal spaces—between sickness and wellness, treatment and side effects, body and mind. This workshop honors those complexities and helps writers:
📝 Decolonize the narrative around illness—moving beyond industrial, results-driven models of care.
💬 Tell their stories on their own terms—without pressure to conform to able-bodied expectations.
❤️ Honor their bodies and minds—by embracing the brilliant, divergent ways they process and create.
This is not a space for quick fixes or performative self-care—it is an intentional community for deeply feeling, writing, and resisting through storytelling.
Who Is This Workshop For?
🌿 Chronically ill & disabled writers who seek community, validation, and creative freedom.
🌿 Writers of all levels—whether you journal privately or publish widely, this space is for you.
🌿 Artists who reject ableist productivity standards and want to explore writing as a practice of self-love.
🌿 Anyone navigating the complexities of illness, disability, mental health, or healing.
Led by Anya Pearson & Ella deCastro Baron
These workshops are guided by writers who deeply understand the experience of navigating illness:
✍️ Anya Pearson – An award-winning playwright, poet, screenwriter, and activist, dedicated to creating spaces for marginalized voices.
✍️ Ella deCastro Baron – A powerful storyteller who explores themes of illness, identity, and cultural resistance in her writing.
Together, they provide compassionate guidance and creative prompts to help participants write through, alongside, and with their bodies—instead of against them.
Why Join Writing Through Chronic Illness?
✔️ Rejects ableist, capitalistic productivity models.
✔️ Offers a safe space to write, heal, and create without pressure.
✔️ Centers the voices of sick, disabled, and neurodivergent writers.
✔️ Provides creative prompts and community-based storytelling.
✔️ Validates the nonlinear, transformative process of writing through illness.
If you have ever been told your illness makes you "less than"—if you have ever felt guilt for resting, struggling, or existing differently—this space is for you.
FAQs
1. Do I need to be an experienced writer to join?
No! This space is for anyone who wants to express themselves through writing, regardless of experience.
2. Do I have to write about my illness?
Not at all! You are free to write about anything that resonates with you—illness, joy, memory, activism, or any story you wish to tell.
3. Is this workshop accessible?
Yes! This is a virtual space designed with accessibility in mind. If you have specific access needs, reach out in advance to ensure full participation.
4. How do I register?
Visit Urban Haiku’s website for details on dates, pricing, and registration.
5. What if I can’t attend every session?
That’s okay! Chronic illness is unpredictable, and we understand. Attend when you can, rest when you need, and know that your presence—whenever and however it arrives—is valued.
✨ Join Writing Through Chronic Illness and reclaim your creative space today! ✨