Golf Pencil Group

a creative community for writers experiencing incarceration


The Golf Pencil Group is a weekly creative writing class for women incarcerated in the King County Correctional Facility in downtown Seattle.

We are a cohort of Seattle teaching artists who bring creative writing practices to adults surviving incarceration and trauma. We envision a world of collective care and healing, and we affirm our students as agents in their own empowerment and transformation. We've got deep roots, and we've welcomed in many incredible guest teachers from Seattle's literary community, including Amber Flame, King Khazm, Kathleen Flenniken, Daemond Arrindell, Elizabeth Austen, and more.

Formerly staffed by Americorps, for nearly 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.

This work is supported in part by a grant from 4Culture and by the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

The Golf Pencil Group is a nonprofit program hosted by Evergreen Social Impact, a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor organization (EIN: 83-2954398).  Questions regarding the relationship between the Golf Pencil Group and ESI should be directed to receptionist@evergreensocialimpact.org.

A quote from a class participant sits under a large quote mark in a yellow box. It reads, "Creative writing has allowed me to escape. What I mean by escape is this: I am able to relieve my mind on paper. There really is no limit of what I can say how creative I can be. No rules to writing. My style of writing is always accepted. The class has provided a way to take pressure that is overwhelming and turn it into a vapor of words."

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Get in touch with us to learn more about our work and how you can get involved.

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