I'll be honest - I consider Pat Schneider a very dear friend and teacher. She also wrote one of my recommendations for graduate school, so understand that I'm recommending more than just Pat's book, but her entire approach to the writing workshop.

I took Pat's workshop back in June 2006, soon after my return from Afghanistan. The primary component that set's her Amherst Method apart from other workshops is the emphasis on comfort and positive reinforcement. Pat's workshop made me want to write, and to write a lot. This kind of encouragement pushed me to explore new avenues in my own writing that I would have never found the courage to write about otherwise. If you have any intentions of writing memoir - particularly if you have any difficult experiences you would like to relate - I cannot recommend an Amherst Method workshop enough.

Writing Alone and With Others, however, cannot fill this role for you on its own. This book is less a collection for inspiration and more of a manual for how to run a workshop. If you are a workshop leader - whether you teach freewriting or more traditional writing - I strongly recommend this book. Think of it as a kind of textbook - it covers everything from assigning grades to charging fees to dealing with "problem" students. It helped me better understand my role as a workshop leader and teacher in the same way that Pat's workshop helped me realize the full potential for my writing.