Resources
Build your confidence and your network by building your resources.
To make it easier to find what you’re looking for, here are some quick links to sections on this page:
Works Cited — Titles mentioned in The Spiritual Life Writing Workbook: From Concept to Bookshelf
Also Recommended — More resources, classics, writing guides, and influencers inspiring our collaboration.
Substack Heroes — Authors here on Substack who influence our collaboration.
Tools for Writers — Hardware and software we find helpful in writing and publishing.
Downloadable Progress Tracker — Get access to this PDF designed to help chart your spiritual life writing journey “from concept to bookshelf.”
Monthly Zoom Drop-ins — Get invited to our monthly Drop-ins, free to members of our private Spiritual Life Writer Community.
Works Cited
Build your confidence and your network by building your resources. Here are the titles mentioned in the workbook. Ask for them at your public library and independent bookstores. Reach out to authors whose work you admire. And when the time comes, hand them an autographed copy of your book.
Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Augustine, Confessions.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.
James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son.
Henry Blumberg, Sean Left Quietly: A Father’s Memoir.
Clarence Cachagee, Seth Ratzlaff, North Wind Man.
Bruce Cockburn, Rumours of Glory: A Memoir.
Donna Costa, Transformation; see donnacosta.ca.
Lana Cullis, see lanacullis.com.
Adele Dobkowski, “Pots and Pans,” unpublished manuscript.
Antonio Michael Downing, Saga Boy: My Life of Blackness and Becoming.
Dora Dueck, Return Stroke: essays & memoir. See doradueck.com.
Carolina Echeverria, various. See carolinaecheverria.ca.
Jannie Edwards and Sydney Lancaster, Learning Their Names: Letters from the Home Place. See jannieedwards.ca.
Deborah Feldman, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Unorthodox Roots.
Gloria Fern, Saved by Love: An Incomplete Memoir.
Jane Friedman, various. See janefriedman.com.
Ross Gay, Inciting Joy: Essays.
Hollay Ghadery, Fuse. See hollayghadery.ca.
Meharoona Ghani, Letters to Rumi (unpublished manuscript); various publications, see mghaniconsulting.ca.
Government of Canada, “A Guide to Copyrights.” See publications.gc.ca.
Ron Grimes, “The Backsides of White Souls,” notesandqueries.ca.
Ron Grimes and Susan Scott, “Sleeping with the Author,” tnq.ca.
Joy Harjo, Crazy Brave.
Sharon S. Hines, Listening for Guidance. (Book One in the series Well Guided.)
Kitty Hoffman, various. See kittyhoffman.com.
Sheniz Janmohamed, various. See shenizjanmohamed.com.
Pam Johnson, “Second Chakra” in Body & Soul, edited by Susan Scott.
Tamara Jong, Worldly Girls: A Memoir in Essays.
Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir about Craft.
Jonina Kirton, various. See joninakirton.wixsite.com.
Joy Thierry Llewylln, various. See joythierryllewellyn.com.
Vickie MacArthur, A Lotus on Fire: How a Buddhist Monk Ignited My Heart.
Omar Mouallem, founder of the Pandemic University Pop-up School of Writing.
Mark Matousek, Writing to Awaken.
John McPhee, Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process.
Priya Parker, The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters.
Claudia Putnam, Double Negative.
Rumi, various. Visit The Poetry Foundation, poetryfoundation.org.
Sharman Apt Russell, Standing in the Light: My Life as a Pantheist.
Lori Sebastianutti, various; see lorisebastianutti.com.
Susan Scott, ed., Body & Soul: Stories for Skeptics and Seekers. For the list of contributors, see susanlscott.ca.
Laura Sergeant, various; see @laurasergeant on Instagram.
Caroline Topperman. Your Roots Cast a Shadow: One Family’s Search Across History for Belonging.
Linda Trinh, Seeking Spirit: A Vietnamese (Non)Buddhist Memoir; The Nguyen Kids early readers series. See lindaytrinh.com.
Cindy Van Lunen, @cinner16 on Instagram.
Betsy Warland, Breathing the Page and more. See betsywarland.com.
Heather Walton, Not Eden: Spiritual Life Writing for this World.
Tara Westover, Educated: A Memoir.
Terry Tempest Williams, Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place. See author page at barclayagency.com.
Jeff Goins, How to Write a Book: The 5-Draft Method
Also Recommended
More resources, classics, writing guides, and influencers that have inspired our collaboration.
Classics in spiritual memoir: Teresa of Avila, Thich Nhat Hanh, Kathleen Norris, and Thomas Merton.
Contemporary religious studies scholars and theologians working across traditions, including: Karen Armstrong, Stephen Batchelor, Joanna Brooks, Pamela Couture, Pam McCarrell, Siobahn Garrigan, Heather Walton, and Natalie Wigg-Stevenson.
Practitioners with a strong public presence, including: Rabbi Sharon Brous, Roshi Joan Halifax, Thich Nhat Hanh, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Mirabai Starr.
Artists, poets, writers, and journalists whose spiritual life is “hiding in plain sight,” including: Anne Bokma, Leonard Cohen, Gretel Ehrlich, Eufemia Fantetti, Natalie Goldberg, Liz Harmer, Suleika Jaoud, Ilya Kaminsky, Helen Knott, Anne Lamott, Amanda Leduc, Kirsteen MacLeod, K.D. Miller, Azar Nafisi, Kathleen Norris, John O’Donohue, Marilynne Robinson, Scott Russel Sanders, Dani Shapiro, Gary Snyder, Ayelet Tsabari, Krista Tippett (onbeingproject.org), Miriam Toews, Richard Wagamese, Elie Wiesel. See also The Poetry Foundation.
Simon Sinek, A Bit of Optimism podcast.
Jonathan Small, Write About Now podcast. See writeaboutnowmedia.com.
Rachel Thompson, The Write, Publish, and Shine Podcast.
Ronald Klug, How to Keep a Spiritual Journal.
Christina Baldwin, Storycatcher.
Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew, Writing the Sacred Journey.
Vinita Hampton Wright, The Art of Spiritual Writing.
Steven Pressfield, The War of Art.
Substack Heroes
Authors here on Substack who have had an influence on our collaboration.
on writing. on marketing. on theology. on Letters from Love. on mini book writing and self-publishing. on productivity and self-publishing.Tools for Writers
Hardware and software we have found helpful in writing and publishing.
Scrivener book writing software
Atticus book writing software
Speech-to-text feature in MS Word & Google Docs
Pen-to-Print app for converting handwriting to text
ReMarkable writing tablets
Livescribe smart pens
Downloadable Progress Tracker
The downloadable Progress Tracker is available through our private Spiritual Life Writer Community, open to purchasers of The Spiritual Life Writing Workbook.
This is a PRIVATE community. Only members can see articles, comments, and chat threads made in this community. You must apply and be approved as a member before you can view this content.
Our purpose in making the community private is to create a safe space where writers can feel free to share what’s in their hearts—without fearing trolls or any other form of guilt-inducing beastie.
Once you enter your email and click the SUBSCRIBE button, we will receive an email notifying us of your request to join the community.
If you gave us your email at an in-person event, we will approve your request to join. You will receive an email notifying you of that approval. (Please allow 48 hours for this manual process to occur.)
If your email is unknown to us, please send an email to [sharon at sharonhines dot com] with a copy/screenshot of your proof of purchase. This will allow us to approve you for membership in the Community.
Note that it is not necessary for you to have a Substack newsletter/blog in order to join the community.
Monthly Zoom Drop-ins
Another benefit of membership in the private Spiritual Life Writer Community is our free members-only monthly Zoom Drop-ins.
Each meeting focuses on a theme from the Workbook (e.g., a spiritual approach to avoiding writer’s block). We offer our tips on the theme, invite your questions (on any writing-related topic), and hold space for a theme-related journaling prompt.
Follow the instructions above to join our community today!