About our class

The Golf Pencil Group is a bi-weekly creative writing class for women incarcerated in the King County Correctional Facility in downtown Seattle and for people living in transitional housing on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Formerly staffed by Americorps, for over 10 years the group has been managed and facilitated entirely by volunteers from the outside community. We are one of the longest-running volunteer programs at KCCF, one of few for women, and we do it with limited resources: blank paper and golf pencils.

Each week, our facilitators bring in essays, poems, and writing exercises, along with writing resources and books to read and keep, which our students appreciate. Our teachers review, and type work from each class at our students' request. With consent, work is compiled into a journal called The Golf Pencil Review that can be shared with families and friends as well as used as a resource.

Many of our students tell us they have never before had access to an affirming educational space. Some women use the class to work on their memoirs or novels; others process their experiences, escape into their imaginations, or write letters to loved ones. We strive to provide students of all levels with meaningful access to artistic and emotional expression, and encourage friendship and community in an environment that can otherwise feel hostile. Some hone their craft; others discover their voice. One student called our class her "family." Another, on her last day before release, said, "I used to be really quiet and shy and never spoke up. But now, I'm a writer."