The Mighty Pen Project at VCU: Free Zoom Workshops for Veterans

A new writing workshop at Virginia Commonwealth University is giving veterans, military members, and their families a structured way to process their experiences through the written word. Called The Mighty Pen Project, the program runs free 10-week virtual sessions over Zoom, led by graduate student Melissa Zhu with support from a $100,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. Participants arrive with raw writing samples and learn to transform them into poetry, short stories, essays, or fiction—whatever genre they choose.

The project, now in its second phase, was founded by Richmond author David L. Robbins as a straightforward mechanics-of-writing course. But VCU rehabilitation counseling researchers quickly noticed something deeper: participants were reporting significant therapeutic benefits, even though the workshop is explicitly not clinical therapy. “Truly, it’s writing first and foremost,” Zhu said, but the act of shaping life events into engaging prose forces writers to re-examine their own stories.

The team is now “manualizing” the curriculum—documenting the process so other universities, counselors, and mental-health professionals can replicate it across the country. The long-term goal is a national model that puts control entirely in the hands of the writer, allowing them to approach difficult material at their own pace. Already, the next cohort scheduled for the fall has attracted applicants from multiple time zones, signaling demand well beyond Virginia.

How the Project Grew from Basic Writing Instruction to a Therapeutic Model

The Two Phases: From Mechanics to “Life Between the Lines”

Phase one, run solely by Robbins, focused purely on the craft: how to write well. After seeing participants dig into emotionally charged material, Robbins partnered with Professor Jared Schultz, chair of VCU’s Department of Rehabilitation Counseling, to add a deliberate research component. Phase two, subtitled “Life Between the Lines,” now examines how the process can be replicated for family members of veterans and active-duty personnel, and it formally measures the psychological effects without turning the workshop into therapy.

Desensitization Through Narrative Control

Schultz describes the approach as a form of desensitization: “We’re going to have you write about your experience, your trauma, your perseverance enough to where it doesn’t bug you anymore.” The key difference from clinical exposure therapy is that the writer holds all the power—deciding how much to reveal and in what form. That agency, the researchers argue, is itself a rehabilitative tool, helping participants move from being defined by a traumatic memory to becoming the narrator of it.

National Ambitions and the Manualization Effort

The team is now translating the workshop’s methods into a formal curriculum that any trained professional could lead. The $100,000 grant is funding that documentation and initial training. If the manual proves effective in other settings, the Mighty Pen Project could become a widely available, low-cost mental-health support tool for the military community—without requiring a therapist’s license. The project’s leaders are careful not to overpromise: Zhu stresses it is “not an outright therapeutic type of group,” but the reported benefits are already pushing the conversation about creative arts as a legitimate adjunct to veteran care.

How Veterans and Families Can Join the Next Cohort

  • Eligibility and format: The free 10-week virtual workshop is open to veterans, active-duty service members, military family members, and first responders. Sessions are held weekly over Zoom, making them accessible from anywhere in the U.S.
  • Application process: Applicants submit a rough writing sample—any genre, any experience level. The next cohort begins in the fall; interested individuals can check VCU’s rehabilitation counseling department website for the Mighty Pen Project application portal.
  • What to expect: The course teaches writing mechanics while letting participants steer their own content. Writers report gaining a sense of control over difficult memories. The program is not a substitute for clinical therapy, but it can serve as a complementary outlet.
  • For interested organizations: Once the curriculum is manualized, the team hopes to train counselors and mental-health professionals in other states. Universities, veteran-service nonprofits, and community groups can follow VCU’s announcements for training opportunities.