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Meet the Teaching Artist: Jelisha Jones on the Sacred Art and Literary Ceremony of Personal Essays
by Writing Workshops Staff
3 months ago
After leaving a nine-year career in corporate leadership, Jelisha Jones has dedicated herself to creating sacred spaces where writers can transform their lived experiences into powerful personal narratives.
Her upcoming course, The Sacred Essay 4-Week Generative Workshop, limited to just eight students, promises to guide participants from memory to meaning through a blend of breathwork, intuitive writing practices, and deep reflection. For Jones, writing isn't merely about putting words on a page: it's about coming back home to yourself.
As the author of F*ck Shame, Embrace Love! A 4-Step Guide to Healing from Heartbreak and a contributor to publications like HuffPost Personal and Midnight & Indigo, Jones brings both vulnerability and wisdom to her teaching. Her belief that "every time we sit down to write, we have a chance to transform not just the page, but ourselves" makes her workshop particularly compelling for writers working at the edge of transformation.
Find our interview with Jelisha below.
Writing Workshops: Hi, Jelisha, please introduce yourself to our audience.
Jelisha Jones: Hey y'all (yes, I'm from Texas, can't you tell?) I'm Jelisha Jones! I'm a poet, a writer, a storyteller, and an intuitive teacher who believes that writing isn't just about putting words on a page. It's about telling your truth, whether that's deemed socially acceptable or not, and coming back home to yourself. Everything that I write is from my journey of slipping up, falling, getting back up, thriving, or simply living.
I create spaces for writers to reconnect with their voice, tap into their inner wisdom, and tell the stories only they can tell. To me, writing is more than craft; it's a ceremony. And every time we sit down to write, we have a chance to transform not just the page, but ourselves.
Writing Workshops: What made you want to teach this specific class? Is it something you are focusing on in your own writing practice? Have you noticed a need to focus on this element of craft?
Jelisha Jones: Honestly, because this is the work that has saved me. Personal essays have been the place where I've healed, processed pain, made sense of my story, and stepped into my truth.
I recently quit my job of nine years to create a life that is more in alignment with the woman I am becoming, and in that process, writing has been my therapy, and my haven; sharing my essays with others has not only made me feel seen but has given voice to others who may have suffered in silence.
Writing Workshops: Give us a breakdown of how the course is going to go. What can the students expect? What is your favorite part about this class you've dreamed up?
Jelisha Jones: The Sacred Essay is a 4-week journey where each week builds on the last. We start by looking at what makes a personal essay impactful: how to shape it, how to bring out voice, and how to create emotional depth.
From there, we get into the heart work: breathwork, guided prompts, intuitive writing, and deep reflection to help each person uncover the story they're meant to tell. We'll share our drafts, give gentle feedback, and explore how to revise with care.
The final week focuses on next steps: how to submit your work and keep writing with courage.
What I'm most excited about is the breathwork and intuitive writing; learning this practice for myself opened gateways to my creativity, and I can't wait to see what it does for you!
Writing Workshops: Who was your first literary crush?
Jelisha Jones: Mr. Darcy, of course!
Writing Workshops: What are you currently reading?
Jelisha Jones: So many books at once! I'm a bit all over the place! Right now: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan, and The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison.
Writing Workshops: How do you choose what you're working on? When do you know it is the next thing you want to write all the way to THE END?
Jelisha Jones: I don't know what I will write about. I could have multiple ideas on books or projects, but nothing that truly moves me to go! What I can say is that it is an internal pulling from within that guides me on what my focus should be. It's something that flows from me effortlessly like water. I have no control over it. I could hear a song, watch a movie, take a walk, or talk to a stranger, and then suddenly, I feel that pull again. We all know that feeling. It's what you do when you have those feelings -- do you create structure and routine to see it through? Or do you ignore the pull and let it die?
I'm learning that the more I honor that pull, the more my art has a way of speaking for itself.
Writing Workshops: Where do you find inspiration?
Jelisha Jones: Remembering who I was as a child, the girl who spent hours reading her favorite books, and then, sharing fan fiction novels anonymously online because she loved creating a new world by her design. I remember her often. She breathed writing, she breathed poetry, and she craved reading a good book. She's why I show up every day.
Writing Workshops: What is the best piece of writing wisdom you've received that you can pass along to our readers? How did it impact your work? Why has this advice stuck with you?
Jelisha Jones: "The only way to truly improve your writing is by reading...a lot." It's the truth. You grow as an artist and a creator by studying the work of those who came before you. I am a forever student of writing, and the more I read books, essays, or poems...the more I crave to share my work, even if it's imperfect, and full of flaws.
We all have to start somewhere.
Writing Workshops: What is your favorite book to recommend on the craft of writing? Why this book?
Jelisha Jones: Anything by Toni Morrison (specifically Sula or Song of Solomon) or Zora Neale Hurston (Their Eyes Were Watching God). They don't write traditional "how-to" books on craft, but reading their work teaches you something more valuable: how to find your voice and break the so-called rules with intention. Their language, rhythm, and fearlessness are master classes in themselves.
They show you how to write with soul.
Writing Workshops: What's your teaching vibe?
Jelisha Jones: Gentle. Welcoming. Authentic. Safe. Laughter - lots of it! Essentially, I aim to create a safe environment where we all feel seen, nurtured, and supported.
Ready to transform your lived experiences into powerful personal essays? Jelisha's approach to writing as ceremony—combining breathwork, intuitive practices, and thoughtful craft guidance—offers something rare in today's literary landscape: a space where vulnerability becomes strength and storytelling becomes self-return. The Sacred Essay 4-Week Generative Workshop begins soon, with only eight spots available for this intimate, transformative experience. As Jelisha reminds us, "every story we're willing to face is a step toward freedom."
Instructor Jelisha Jones is a poet, spiritual writing guide, and intuitive teacher whose work explores the intersection of storytelling, emotional healing, and self-reclamation. After leaving a 9-year career in corporate leadership, she dedicated herself to helping writers uncover their truth and transform their lived experiences into powerful personal narratives. Her approach weaves together mindfulness, inner child connection, and intentional writing practices to support writers in accessing deeper emotional clarity and creative confidence. Jelisha is the author of F*ck Shame, Embrace Love! A 4-Step Guide to Healing from Heartbreak, a soulful and practical roadmap for navigating grief and returning to self-love. Her writing has appeared in publications such as HuffPost Personal, Midnight & Indigo, and more.
