Next session: Sep 27 - Oct 3, 2026
Your inner critic keeps you from the page.
It tells you your story can wait. That you need to have it all figured out before you begin.
If you’re like the women who join Rise & Write, your life is full — work, care, ambition, healing.
You want to write, but you can’t see where it fits without something else slipping.
And every time you try to make space for yourself, the critic gets louder.
I know that feeling. When I returned to writing, I was grieving, rebuilding, trying to find my voice again. I wanted clarity, but instead I shrank. I questioned whether my stories mattered.
Maybe you’ve felt that too, the desire to write paired with the exhaustion that keeps you from starting.
Here’s what I learned:
Writing wasn’t another task. It became a place to breathe.
A place for rest, clarity, and self-trust.
This changed everything.
My way back began quietly: sunrise writing, music, breath, a blank page. No pressure. No performance. Just space.
That ritual became Rise & Write.
If you’re ready to begin again — gently, steadily, with support — there’s room for you here.
Your writing doesn’t need perfection. It needs time, care, and a space that softens the noise so your voice can return.
Magic of the Mornings
Since January 2024, over 100 writers have risen early with me. Together, we’ve written stories, essays, poems, journal entries, blog posts, grant applications, and dissertations. Chapters have been finished, book proposals drafted. And one proposal written in this circle will be published as a book in Spring 2026!
Writers have joined from across Canada, the US, Europe and the UK, and the Caribbean. Each morning, no matter the miles between us, we show up side by side. The magic is in that shared ritual of beginning together.
“Waking up everyday in the dark of January (even on weekends) to write with Simone and the other women of Rise & Write changed me at the core.”
Karen
What is Rise & Write?
It’s not a workshop or a class. It’s a practice. A sacred morning ritual I share with writers like you.
Together, we gather live online before the noise of the day. We open with music and breathwork, write in two focused sprints, and close with reflection. Sometimes we use prompts, sometimes we just write, but always we return to the page.
The live room is part of the practice.
Each morning, you are held by a gentle structure: a facilitated arrival, focused writing time, and space to reflect before you return to the rest of your day. You are not writing alone in the margins of everything else. You are entering a room where other writers are also choosing the page, one morning at a time.
That quiet community matters.
It offers accountability without pressure, momentum without force, and the reminder that your writing does not have to wait until everything else is done.
It’s restorative. It’s reflective. It’s co-working and community. Because we do not do this alone. When we write side by side, we mirror each other’s courage.
"This space made it easy to have grace with myself and my writing." ~ Paulina
Who is this for?
Rise & Write is for you if:
- You are a woman writer of colour seeking a space where your story is affirmed.
- You write in any genre — poetry, fiction, memoir, academic work, screenwriting — and want a practice that sustains you.
- You are at any stage of the writing journey: beginning, returning, or deepening your craft.
- You long for a community that is woman-led, queer and non-binary affirming, and deeply intentional.
- You want to start your mornings with ritual, reflection, and joy.
- You do a lot for others and are ready to do something for you.
What you’ll experience
By joining Rise & Write, you’ll:
- Begin your mornings with focus, intention, and a facilitated arrival into the page.
- Write alongside other women of colour writers in a quiet, supportive virtual room.
- Experience gentle accountability through the shared rhythm of showing up together.
- Soften the inner critic by giving your writing time before the noise of the day takes over.
- Build momentum through two focused writing sprints each morning.
- Close with reflection, noticing what surfaced and what wants to be carried forward.
- Leave each session grounded, connected, and ready to meet your day.
"This has made me a believer. The words flowed without a struggle and I'm so grateful!" ~ Ariann
How it works
Practice your practice alongside Island Scribe retreat founder, curator, and writer-in-residence, Simone Dalton.
Each session includes:
A musical warm-up & breathwork to centre yourself.
Two 25-minute writing sprints to move words onto the page.
Optional reflective prompts to guide your practice.
A closing circle to gather what’s emerged.
Join The Portal, our private virtual community where you can continue your writing practice beyond our seven mornings together. Celebrate progress, navigate challenges, ask questions, and stay connected with fellow writers as you build trust in yourself and your writing.
The live experience is designed to help you move from intention into practice. Rise & Write features three separate, virtual rooms, each with their own vibe and purpose: Rise helps you arrive, Write gives you protected focus, and Reflect helps you gather what the writing made visible. Please read the FAQ for more on how to Rise, Write, and Reflect.
You can come with a project, a question, a draft, or no plan at all. Prompts are always available as a soft place to land, but the deeper invitation is to return to your writing with support, structure, and care.
Sessions are hosted live on Google Meet from 6 – 7:30 AM or 9 – 10:30 AM EST. Each morning, you’ll receive the call link for one of the available times depending on your registration request. You’ll also receive a daily love note in your inbox to carry the ritual beyond the session.
Why it matters
Your story matters. Your practice matters. And you don’t have to do this alone.
In Rise & Write, we gather before the world’s noise begins — to write, to reflect, and to remember that our voices are enough.
Your Invitation
Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2026
6 – 7:30 AM EST OR 9 – 10:30 AM EST
Your season pass to clarity, courage, and community at the page.
This investment gives you access to all seven days of guided morning writing practice, community connection, and gentle accountability.
You’ll also receive access to The Portal, our private virtual community where the practice continues. It’s a place to stay connected to your writing between gatherings, celebrate progress, ask questions, navigate challenges, share discoveries, and grow alongside fellow writers who understand the journey.
The Portal is designed to support not just a single week of writing, but a lasting relationship with your creative practice.
Join Us
Whether you’re beginning again, continuing a project, or simply seeking a gentle ritual for your mornings, Rise & Write is a space to belong — to yourself, to your practice, and to community.
Prefer to write privately this season?
The live Rise & Write season is the full experience: guided mornings, quiet community, shared momentum, and reflection alongside other writers.
But if the live room is not possible for you right now, there is another way to begin.
The Rise & Write Self-Directed Practice gives you the daily writing emails, prompts, grounding invitations, and written reflections from the season, delivered to your inbox over seven days.
You can move through the practice in your own time, from wherever you are.
This option does not include access to the live virtual writing rooms or community reflection spaces.
It is designed for writers who want the rhythm of Rise & Write, but need a more private or flexible way to begin this season.
Your Questions, Answered
No worries, most writers arrive solo. And if you’d rather, bring a friend along! You can share the registration page with another BIPOC woman writer in your circle.
Rise & Write is a community created especially for BIPOC women writers. If this isn’t you, we ask that you cheer us on from the sidelines or share the love by passing the invite to someone who is.
Because mornings are magic. Your inner critic hasn’t fully woken up yet, and the quiet hours help you slip into flow before the world makes its demands. We offer two sessions — 6:00–7:30 AM EST and 9:00–10:30 AM EST — so you can choose the rhythm that fits you best.
To keep things fair and help each group grow together, writers pre-select one time slot and stick with it for the current 7-day cycle. If you miss a session, no worries. The daily prompt is yours to use anytime that day. Also note, you can change your preferred time slot before each seasonal cycle begins, if needed.
Perfect — because this isn’t about being a morning person. It’s about making time for your writing before the day takes over. The magic happens in the doing, not the clock.
Yes, please! Bring your poems, stories, chapters — whatever’s calling you. Prompts are there if you need a spark, but totally optional.
Nope. Camera off is totally fine. Do you need to comb your hair? Nope. Brush your teeth? Nope. Wear clothes? Yes (especially if your camera is on 😉). Head-tie, bathrobe, cozy hoodie — come exactly as you are.
Not at all. Silence is welcome here. And if you change your mind in the moment, we’ll be ready to listen
No formal workshopping, just encouragement and accountability. Sometimes members connect outside of a session for beta reading, but that’s optional and community-driven.
We do our best to hold space with care and respect. Safety is a shared responsibility: we honour each other’s words and origin stories. Anyone being disruptive, offensive, or disrespectful will be removed and their membership cancelled.
Rise (15 min): Ease into community. Light your candle, pour your tea/coffee/Milo, and settle in. Ambient music (created by Danielle, aka damajé) sets the tone. We’ll ground with a short breathing exercise before writing.
Write (60 min): A quiet, focused space. Two 25-minute writing sprints with a 5-minute stretch break in between. Prompts are optional, flow with what you need. Mics muted.
Reflect (15 min): Cool down together. A gentle reflection question opens space for sharing. You’re always welcome to slip out early if needed.
They’re designed to flow together, but life happens. If you only make it to the Write room some days, that’s more than enough. Show up for yourself in the way you can.
The Portal is our private virtual space for Rise & Write writers to continue the practice beyond our seven mornings together.
It’s a place to stay connected to your writing, to yourself, and to a community of writers who understand the rhythms of beginning, returning, getting stuck, and moving forward.
Bring your discoveries, your questions, your frustrations, your breakthroughs, or simply your presence. Whether you’re celebrating a writing win, looking for encouragement, or returning to the page after time away, The Portal is here to support your ongoing practice.
Access is included with your Rise & Write registration, and you’re welcome to remain part of the community as you continue your writing journey with Island Scribe.
No. The self-directed practice offers the daily writing emails, prompts, grounding invitations, and written reflections from the season, delivered to your inbox over seven days.
The live season includes the full Rise & Write experience: guided virtual gatherings, quiet community, shared momentum, live writing time, and community reflection.
The self-directed practice is a private, flexible way to move through the rhythm, but it does not replace the experience of gathering live.
Not at this time. We are keeping registration simple and will not be offering upgrades from the self-directed practice to the live season.
If you know you want the full live experience, we recommend registering for the live season from the beginning.
No. The self-directed practice does not include access to the live virtual writing rooms, community reflection spaces or The Portal. You will not receive online room links or an invitation to join The Portal.
This option is designed for writers who want the Rise & Write rhythm in a more private or flexible format.
For the self-directed practice, daily emails will arrive at 5 AM Eastern each morning during the seven-day season.
You are welcome to use them in the morning or return to them whenever your schedule allows.
