Since The Intuitive Writing Project represents the synthesis of a lifetime of reading, study, and personal reclamation work, I’d like to share some of the books I’ve loved, quoted from in class, and highly recommend. It’s impossible to pick the wrong book. Just trust your intuition and let your curiosity lead you!

 

Books about intuition + creativity:
 

• Bayles and Orland. Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils & Rewards of Artmaking.  Souvenir Press Ltd. 1994

• Cameron, Julia. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. Tarcher. 1992

• Carson, Rick. Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way. Quill. 1983

• Edwards, Betty. Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain: How to Unlock Your Hidden Artistic Talent. Guild Publishing. 1979.

• Gawain, Shakti. Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Life. Nataraj Publishing. 1978.

• Gawain, Shakti. Developing Intuition: Practical Guidance for Daily Life. Nataraj Publishing. 1987.

• Gilbert, Elizabeth. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. Riverhead Books. 2015.

• Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink:  The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. Little, Brown & Company. 2005.

• Grant, Adam. Originals:  How Nonconformists Move the World. Penguin Books. 2017.

• Magsamen + Ross. Your Brain On Art:  How the Arts Transform Us. Canongate Books. 2023.

• McNee, Ami. We Need Your Art:  Stop Messing Around and Make Something. Penguin Publishing Group. 2025

• Nachmanovitch, Stephen. Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art. Penguin Publishing Group. 1991 

• Nordby, Jacob. Blessed Are The Weird: A Manifesto for Creatives. Manifesto Publishing House. 2016.

• Peirce, Penny. The Intuitive Way: The Definitive Guide to Increasing Your Awareness. Atria Books/Beyond Words. 2009

• Pink, Daniel H. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. Penguin Publishing Group. 2006

• Pressfield, Steven. The War of Art:  Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles. Black Irish Entertainment LLC. 2002

• Rubin, Rick. The Creative Act: A Way of Being. Penguin Publishing Group. 2023 

• Schulz, Dr. Mona Lisa. Awakening Intuition: Using Your Mind-Body Network for Insight and Healing. Harmony/Rodale/Convergent. 1999 

• Scovel Shinn, Florence. The Magic Path of Intuition. Hay House. 2013 

• Tharp, Twyla. The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life. Simon & Schuster. 2005

• Truscello, Nora. The Science of Intuition: How to Access the Inner-Net of Intuitive Knowledge. Create Space Independent Publishers. 2017.

• Ward Harrison, Samanta. Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself. Villard. 2000. 

• Willard, Jill.Intuitive Being: Connect with Spirit, Find Your Center, & Choose an Intentional Life. Harper Elixir. 2016

• Wright, Simone. First Intelligence: Using The Science & Spirit of Intuition. New World Library. 2014

 

Books about empowerment:
 

• Brach, Tara. Radical Acceptance: Awakening the Love that Heals Fear and Shame. Rider. 2003

• Brown, Dr. Brene. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. Hazelden Publishing. 2022.

• Brizendine, Dr. Louann. The Female Brain. Harmony/Rodale/Convergent. 2007.

• Cameron, Anne. Daughters of Copper Woman. Press Gang Publishers. 1981. 

• Doyle, Glennon. Untamed. Random House Publishing Group. 2020

• Diamond + Orenstein. Reweaving the World: the Emergence of Ecofeminism. Sierra Club Books. 1990.

• Lesser, Elizabeth. Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes. HarperCollins. 2020. 

• Loehnen, Elise. On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to be Good. Random House Publishing Group. 2023.

• Maurine, Camille. Meditation Secrets for Women: Discovering Your Passion, Pleasure, and Inner Peace. HarperCollins. 2009.

• McLaren, Karla. The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You. Sounds True. 2023 

• Mohr, Tara Sophia. Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Vision and Make Things Happen. Penguin Random House. 2014

• Morgan, Robin. The Word of A Woman: Feminist Dispatches 1968-1992. Norton. 1992 

• Nelson, Alyse. Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World. Wiley. 2012

• Owen, Lara. Her Blood is Gold: Celebrating the Power of Menstruation. Harper San Francisco. 1993.

• Pinkola Estes, Dr. Clarissa. Women Who Run With The Wolves:  Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. Ballantine Books. 1992.

• Pipher, Dr. Mary. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of our Adolescent Girls. Penguin Publishing Group. 2005

• Sincero, Jen. You Are A Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life. Running Press. 2013

• Steinem, Gloria. The Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem. Little Brown & Co. 1992.

• Traister, Rebecca. Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger. S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books. 2018.

• V (formerly known as Eve Ensler). I Am An Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World. Random House Publishing Group. 2010.

• Webster, Bethany. Discovering The Inner Mother. HarperCollins. 2021.

• Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women. HarperCollins. 1991.

• Woolger, Jennifer + Roger. The Goddess Within: A Guide to the Eternal Myths that Shape Women's Lives. Rider. 1990. 

 

Books about writing + storytelling: 
 

• Alderson, Martha. The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master. Adams Media. 2011

• Baldwin, Christina. Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives Through the Power and Practice of Story. New World Library. 2010.

• Brosmer, Mary Pierce. Women Writing for (a) Change: A Guide for Creative Transformation. Sorin Books. 2009.

• DeSalvo, Louise. Writing As A Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives. Beacon Press. 2000.

• Dillard, Annie. The Writing Life. Harper Collins. 2009. 

• Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down The Bones:  Freeing the Writer Within. Shambhala. 1986.

• Heilbrun, Carol G. Writing a Woman’s Life. Women’s Press. 1989.

• Kross, Ethan. Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It. Crown Publishing, 2021. 

• Lamott, Anne. Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing & Life. Scribe Publications. 1994

• Lucy, Paul. Story Sense: A Screenwriter's Guide for Film and Television. McGraw-Hill. 1998. 

• McKee, Robert. Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting. Methuen. 1999.

• Murdock, Maureen. The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness. Shambhala. 1990. 

• Pearson, Carol S. The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By. Harper San Francisco. 2015.

• Pennebaker, Dr. James W. Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions. Guilford Publications. 1997. 

• Piper, Dr. Mary. Writing to Change the World. Penguin Publishing. 2007.

• Rilke, Rainer Maria. Letters to A Young Poet. W.W. Norton. 1934.

• Schneider, Pat. How the Light Gets In: Writing as a Spiritual Practice. OUP USA. 2013.

• Schneider, Pat. Writing Alone and With Others. Oxford University Press. 2003.

• Snyder, Blake. Save The Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need. Michael Wiese Productions. 2005.

• Tatar, Maria. The Heroine with 1,001 Faces. W.W. Norton. 2021. 

• Ueland, Brenda. If You Want to Write: A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit. Greywolf Publisher. 1938.

• Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structures for Screenwriters and Storytellers. M. Wiese Productions. 1992

 

Books about Nonviolent Communication:  

• Rosenberg, Dr. Marshall B. Getting Past the Pain Between Us: Healing and Reconciliation Without Compromise. Puddle Dancer Press. 2004. 

• Rosenberg, Dr. Marshall B. Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. Puddle Dancer Press. 1999.

• Rosenberg, Dr. Marshall B. Practical Spirituality: The Spiritual Basis of Nonviolent Communication. Puddle Dancer Press. 2005.

• Rosenberg, Dr. Marshall B. Speak Peace in a World of Conflict: What You Say Next Will Change the World. Puddle Dancer Press. 2005.