Classes & Retreats

What people have said about working with me:

Anne opened my world and my mind, gave wings to my words, and allowed my thoughts to play. Through our work, I have found my voice and honed my craft.

I am forever grateful.

– K.B.

The 3 classes I have taken with Anne over the past 1.5 years have resulted in more personal healing and growth than any other time in my life. I have never been a writer, yet I love learning from Anne. I would describe her classes as spending quality time with a smart, creative, funny, thoughtful, and talented writer who shares her knowledge while encouraging the class to discover and acknowledge the individual, painful, hidden parts of their stories. She asks questions that get to the core of who I am so that I’m able to write about it.  She helps to put words to feelings I can’t articulate. Working with Anne is more like learning and growing together rather than being told how or what to write.

Anne wants to hear the true story of you, the one at the heart of your being, not the “nice” one you think everyone wants to hear. Two years ago, I would have said my story didn’t matter and nobody would want to hear it. With Anne’s help and guidance, I am writing pieces of my story and growing and healing in ways I never imagined possible. I feel both challenged and a sense of calm. I finally feel whole and alive. Anne hears me and genuinely cares about each person in the class.  She asks incredibly intuitive questions that result in “ah ha” moments of discovery for many of us.

I am so grateful I found Anne when I was coming out of the fog after finding my first family. She has a way of helping others put words to feelings and stories that have been hidden for decades. She has an amazing gift, and she gives freely of herself to every single person in each class. She speaks of her own truth and growth in such a way that encourages and shows a way to articulate the deepest parts of me.

– K.K.

With little to no previous writing experience, I lacked the confidence and know-how to tell my story. Since working with Anne, I have learned new ways to express my thoughts into words– far beyond my expectations. 

Anne continues to inspire, challenge, and motivate me with her incredible knowledge and infectious personality! 

– K.V. 

Hearing Anne's voice on a podcast was the catalyst to finally pursuing the truth of who and what I am.  Now, she helps me find my voice in writing and always encourages me being me.  

 – A.G.

Working with Anne has unlocked my most authentic voice and given me the courage and focus to say everything I never knew I had to say with a momentum that is like life and death. Also, she's like a magical fairy guiding us into the darkest places with the gentlest and most hilarious spirit. I've never felt so generously and skillfully supported in my own journey of writing and self- discovery.

 – L.C.

Anne made me believe the unbelievable — that I could write a book.
She saw the writer in me before I saw it in myself.

 – S.C.

Anne makes me brave, both as a writer and an adoptee. She pays close attention and has a true gift for reading in between the lines of her student’s work and provides accessible feedback on how to enrich their stories. She encourages breaking the rules of what story telling is supposed to look like, which gave me the permission I needed to convey mine in my own way. And that is invaluable. 

 – K.S.

Working with Anne and sharing real-life experiences with other adoptee writers in this serene and safe space gave me the strength and confidence to continue writing my story in ways far beyond my expectations. 

 – L.V.

Anne has a keen ability as a coach to take her students where we don’t want to go. Deep inside ourselves. She can take a linear/binary thinker like me safely into the world of the esoteric, making for a more courageous and meaningful story.

– R.P.

I was ordered by a friend to enlist Anne Heffron as my memoir mentor.  Was my friend ever correct! Anne listens with the keenest heart-mind imaginable, always asking hard questions and making observations that push me through my own walls.  She has taught me to question every soft landing or bit of flowery narrative and to look for the more definitive truths hidden beneath those words.  And then to dig even deeper.   

– K.W.

Working with Anne is a magical experience. She has offered a steady, compassionate hand to keep me focused and has helped me uncover things for my book that I never would have come up with on my own. Asking her to be my writing coach was one of the best decisions I've made.

– T.T.

Anne opens doors that readers and writers have not even realized existed. She lets the light into the rooms of imagination and possibilities. She is the instigator of words. She is both a writer and a writing coach. She is amazing at both of these roles.

– C.R.

No way I would have finished my memoir without Anne Heffron. Anne is no mere coach. She is a mentor and a tireless advocate. I can’t say enough good about Anne. Writing my own story as an adoptee discovering my origin story late in life is one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced. Thank God Anne was there with me. It made the difference between writing and publishing, between journaling and becoming a published author.

– S.W.

Working with Anne Heffron has been nothing short of a miracle. I can't stress strongly enough how remarkable it's been to finally capture what had previously been so elusive. Anne, with her innate ability to connect with the writer inside me and that long-abandoned desire, made it happen.

– E.L.

Working with Anne continues to amaze and inspire me to write. There is a warmth, immediate sense of trust, and mutual respect that instinctively arrives from the minute Anne starts to coach you. Her dedication to encourage self-growth is delivered with an unfounded respect for everyone affected by adoption. She has helped change my life as an adoptee. Now I look forward writing and have Anne to help coach me through the feelings this creative process has unleashed.

– D.F.

Anne Heffron is a midwife of authentic writing.  Her belief in the importance of the stories people have to tell is inspirational. She knows that the most beautiful telling of a good story is in the voice of the person who has lived it.  Anne will coach you to write, not for your college English professor, but for yourself .... AND for the world....in YOUR voice.   

– A.G.

Using encouragement and wit, Anne guides me, like a yoga instructor, through challenging poses until I release my inner voice. She is that special person every writer needs among their community.

– S.S.

Anne possesses that rare gift of compassionate professionalism.   Attuned to what this writer needs to make it to the next chapter...she cheers, rebukes, questions, and gives orders (such as, drink lots of water)! She sees the invisible obstacles, helps me see them for myself, and sets me free to write again.  

A true author’s advocate, she possesses that rare gift of compassionate professionalism. She’s hilarious, empathetic, straightforward, and focused! Over this year, Anne’s coaching has given me the courage to tell my story and the confidence to persevere. 

– J.L.

Some people just make you smile for every reason. Anne is funny and is as real as it gets. She admittedly shares what she knows and challenges you to journey with her to figure out what she doesn’t know. On more than one occasion, she has said to me, “I’ll help you.  You go figure it out and then teach me.” She is a master of compassionate mischief and wholehearted encouragement. When I signed up for Write or Die, I knew I had some interesting stories to tell, but truth be told, I simply wanted to meet Anne. After reading her book, I felt like she had entered my brain and put words to all my crazy thoughts! Then, she enthusiastically convinced me that my words mattered, too. I treasure her and her joy.

– R.M.

Anne has been mentoring me for a few years; she encouraged me to start a blog and go public with my writing. She asks questions that really get to the heart of what you know you want to write about.  I have been to a Write or Die workshop of hers and it is amazing what she can draw out of writers. Anne really takes into account the life of the writer when she is coaching. All of my interactions with her reveal something new about myself. She has given me confidence to put my work out there and to feel as though I have something to say that people will want to read.

– K.B.

Anne has coached me through unlocking my story so deeply hidden in my soul. Thanks to her expertise and support, I will not die with my story inside. 

– L.B.