About Hannah

Hannah Calder is a life-long poet, novelist, and journal-keeper who has learned from experience that writing heals. 

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Raised in a mentally and emotionally chaotic home environment, she turned to journaling to cope. She journaled daily, recording her thoughts, emotions, intentions, and dreams.

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Eventually, Hannah’s journaling inspired a one-hour-a-day writing habit that allowed her to complete a rough draft of her first novel, More House (2009), while completing her M.A. in English at SFU.  She went on to write Piranesi’s Figures in 2016 and Hester in Sunlight in 2024, growing more resilient and self-aware through the process of drafting, writing, and editing each new book. 

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Hannah knew that writing was healing for her, but she didn't know why, so she set out to learn more about the benefits of writing.​

 

As a student at the Therapeutic Writing Institute (TWI), she learned that what we write, when we write, how we write, how long we write for, and even where we write all have different impacts on our thoughts, emotions, and actions.

 

The formula, Hannah learned, wasn't as simple as "rage on the page." In fact, she learned that unstructured emotional ranting can sometimes make matters worse by reinforcing negative thought patterns. As TWI faculty member and neuroplasticity buff, Deborah Ross says, "it's important to partner with our brains" when we journal.

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Hannah learned that writing helps us resolve conflicts, improve life management, calm the nervous system, act mindfully, and explore purpose.  And it not only benefits us mentally and emotionally but also physically. No wonder so many guides, coaches, therapists, and teachers encourage us to write! 

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After teaching ESL, business writing, literature, and creative writing for over twenty years, Hannah wanted to return to her core love: journaling. Her Journal to the Self ™ (JTTS) course, designed by therapeutic writing expert, Kathleen Adams, brings this love to you. ​

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Alongside JTTS, Hannah's self-styled expressive writing courses and workshops dip into the theories of therapeutic writing experts, fiction writers, poets, psychologists, and meditation guides, and present varied and effective ways to use writing for healing and self-growth.

 

​​All the expressive writing techniques Hannah teaches can be used on their own or as a complement to therapy or coaching. ​

 

She also teaches classes in the craft of creative writing, geared towards folks who want to write poems, memoirs, short stories, novels, and plays.  These clients, along with Hannah's coaching and editing clients, work with her to reach their writing goals. 

 

As a published author and experienced writing instructor, Hannah has successfully helped students, colleagues, friends, and clients improve their writing. 

 

The “All” in Hannah's business name invites every writer and non-writer and hope-to-be writer and used-to-be writer into the fold.  She wholeheartedly believes that everyone can benefit from putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard or voice to dictation software or eye to eye-tracking system); she wholeheartedly believes that everyone can benefit from expressing themselves through words, in whatever language, style, or format works best.​